06 Aug 2026
St Albans Times sports editor Jess Unwin presents unrivalled coverage of the build-up to the new season for the Saints in this week’s edition – kicking off with his interview with the manager.
Saints boss Gary McCann has stated a top three final placing in the Isthmian League Premier Division table is the club’s aim for the upcoming new season.
Achieving that goal would mean an automatic return to the National League South should City end the campaign as champions – or a favourable qualification berth in the promotion play-offs if the club is placed second or third.
Talking exclusively to the St Albans Times, he said: “The bottom line is that this is a football club that shouldn’t be playing at this level. Having said that the league that we’re playing in has strengthened over the past two years.
“From a financial perspective there are frightening amounts of money being thrown about. We missed out on a couple of player signings on figures that we just can’t compete with. That’s no reflection on this club – I’m just highlighting what’s been happening.”
Asked to identify the teams likely to be City’s biggest rivals in their second season since dropping down to the seventh tier of the football pyramid, he said: “There are several teams that will feel they can win it.
“Eastbourne Borough and Enfield Town are two, but we know ourselves how difficult it is to align yourselves immediately after relegation. Chatham Town, Aveley, Brentwood and Dartford are among the others.
“We’ve got to put ourselves in that mindset too,” he said, but added that “the target as a football club and what we’ve sold to the changing room is top three”.
McCann, who narrowly missed out on the Premier Division title two seasons ago with his former club Billericay, continued: “Absolutely everything needs to align to win a league – you need no injuries, you need good form consistently, you need to have everything fall in place.
“Look at last season’s winners, Folkestone: they went on an unbelievable run and there was no stopping them. When they set out last year, I’m sure their target wasn’t to win it, but they did, so what do we believe we’re capable of – top three is realistic.”
A change to the league rules might work in Saints’ favour this season. The eventual champions will automatically go up but now the next six teams below them will qualify for the promotion play-offs. Last season, just four teams competed in the end-of-season showdown.
McCann further explained: “The teams finishing second and third go straight into home play-off semi-finals, while those in fourth to seventh go into eliminators. So, we’ve got to aim for the top three – a home semi-final in the play-off if we can’t win it.
He added: “I’ll be mightily disappointed and expect not to be in my position if we don’t make at least the top seven.”
City’s target last season, their first since relegation from the National League South, was also promotion. However, the club was rocked in late October by the unexpected departure of manager Ian Culverhouse and his assistant Paul Bastock to join Kings Lynn Town.
St Albans City chairman and co-owner Lawrence Levy brought in McCann as a replacement in mid-November but performances over the rest of the season were inconsistent.
Already hampered by injuries to key players, the team’s defensive frailties and an inability at times to be more clinical in front of goal derailed any realistic chance of promotion by February.
Saints eventually finished the 2025-26 season 11th in the table, 22 points short of qualification for the promotion play-offs. City did enjoy a good FA Cup run, but that came to an inglorious end in the first round proper with a 6-0 defeat to Burton Albion.
St Albans City FC open their 2026-27 season in the Isthmian League Premier Division with a home game against Chatham Town this Saturday (August 8) at Clarence Park. Tickets are available online and on the day at the turnstiles.
- More preview features in this week’s edition of the St Albans Times.
