24 Mar 2026
St Albans City 2 Ramsgate 0 (Isthmian League Premier Division)
From Jess Unwin at Clarence Park, photos by Jim Standen.
After a half-time marriage proposal on the pitch – the lady in question said yes, to everyone’s delight – Saints kept the celebratory mood alive by moving up a gear to score two second-half goals and leapfrog above Ramsgate in the table.
The visitors had finished the first half looking the side more likely to break the deadlock – but a penalty converted on the hour by Zane Banton, and then a straight red card for the Rams’ Tom Clifford, swung the momentum of the game in Saints’ favour.
On 71 minutes, the three points St Albans needed to keep their very faint mathematical promotion chances alive were more or less in the bag when Jamal Fyfield – making a rare start for City after a season blighted by injury – scored with an excellent header to make it 2-0.
City’s unbeaten run over the last eight league games, including five clean sheets, has almost certainly come just a few games too late to make a difference this season, but there’s a positive vibe about the club again that’s due to something more than the welcome spring sunshine that the crowd of 1,469 enjoyed at Clarence Park on Saturday.
Saints manager Gary McCann, talking exclusively to the St Albans Times, revealed his side had been “a little low, a little flat” in training after the disappointment of losing their Herts Senior Cup semi-final match against Bishop’s Stortford on penalties last week.
And he agreed Ramsgate had finished the first half the stronger side: “They had some moments, including some that were down to our errors, which should have seen them ahead at the break.”
After the restart, Saints were able to raise their game playing down the slope towards the Hatfield Road end, as they so often seem to do. McCann pointed to yet another influential performance from Alex Dyer, who took control of the game from a deeper midfield position than the one he played in in the first half, as one of the reasons for that improvement.
Thirty-five-year-old Dyer, who has not missed a single league match so far this season, would be quite a few City supporters’ choice for player of the season if you took top scorer Leo Sery out of the equation.
McCann added: “We were able to produce a couple of moments where we could punish Ramsgate. Zane did well to earn himself a penalty and Jamal got a great header – but Alex has to take a lot of credit too because his freekick into the box was right on the button. So, lots to be pleased about, not least that it’s another clean sheet.”
The highlights of a first half of few chances included a good stop from City keeper Sam Donkin to deny Dillon Addai on 13 minutes before Jasper Mather’s 23-minute drive,
following good work from Kieran Petrie and Dyer, was saved by the man between the sticks at the other end, Raphe Brown.
Donkin, who was voted the keeper of the season by the Premier League’s managers in 2024-25, came to the rescue again on the half hour to keep out an effort from Kweku Lucan and then spared Petrie’s blushes after he gave the ball away by saving Benedict Bioletti’s shot.
In the second half, Banton and Grante had chances for the home team, but when Dyer won back possession in the middle of the park and picked out Banton on City’s right flank, the captain weaved his way into the box and was brought down for a penalty as converging defenders tried to shut him out.
Banton’s spot kick in the penalty shootout against Bishop’s Stortford was saved, and it looked like he would be denied again when Brown stuck out a strong arm, but Banton was able to head in the rebound.
With the game still in the balance, Donkin demonstrated lightning-quick reactions to stop a shot from Rams’ Billy Munday being deflected into the net by Jack James.
Then, on 69 minutes, the referee had no alternative but to dismiss Clifford for a dangerously high and late tackle on Jake Grante, and the resulting free kick, which was whipped in expertly by Dyer, was cleverly guided into the top corner of the net by Fyfield for Saints’ second and ultimately decisive goal.
There was still time for Donkin to nearly blot his copybook by giving the ball away to a Ramsgate player, but fortunately for him Greg Cundle’s shot sailed over the bar.
• Next up for St Albans City is a league game this Saturday (28th) away at Cray Valley, who currently sit third from bottom in the Isthmian League Premier Division table. Kick-off is 3pm.
