30 Mar 2026
Cray Valley PM 2 St Albans City 0 (Isthmian League Premier Division)
Report by Jess Unwin, photos by Jim Standen
While news that six players have committed their futures to St Albans City shows the club is already focusing on next season, there was a surprise defeat in what remains of the current campaign against struggling Cray Valley.
The unexpected reverse brought an end to Saints’ improved form and eight-game unbeaten run in the league. To rub salt into their wounds, on-loan centre back Sonny Hart was sent off after his contact with Valley’s Chris Dickson, who was clean through on goal, was judged by the referee to be a denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
Hart, who has been in impressive form since his arrival from Swindon Town, is now set to be suspended for City’s big test this coming Saturday (4th ) – a home clash with Isthmian League Premier Division champions elect, Folkestone Invicta.
For a benchmark of what’s required next season if St Albans are to succeed in winning promotion, you need look no further than the Kent outfit, who can clinch the title at Clarence Park if results go their way.
After Folkestone replaced early-season pacesetters Brentwood at the top of the table, they have never looked like relinquishing their hold on that spot. Once confirmed as champions, they will automatically be promoted to the National League South – the first time the club has played at that level in the English football pyramid.
The Seasiders’ success has been due in no small part to 19 goals from Jake Hutchinson and a further 15 from Joe Pigott. Manager Jay Saunders’ team features players with considerable National League and English Football League experience, such as Pigott, Dean Rance and Jack Jebb. They have so far lost just four games all season.
Saints will face Folkestone without Jake Grante, who has partnered Hart at centre back so effectively in recent weeks, as his time on loan from Crystal Palace is now over.
However, City’s top scorer Leo Sery should be fit again for selection, and there’s further reason for optimism in that St Albans City’s first ever fixture against Invicta, back in August earlier this season, was a close-run affair with Saints holding their own at 1-1 until the dismissal of Michael Bostwick and an injury-time winner from debutant Ben Mason.
St Albans supporters will be looking forward to the Folkestone challenge in a mood of justified positivity with the knowledge that skipper Zane Banton, Alex Dyer, Lewis Page, Jack James, Kieran Petrie and Sam Donkin have all signed up to stay with Saints for the 2026-27 campaign. All six have performed well for the team, and Dyer must be one of the candidates for player of the season.
Manager Gary McCann said he and his management team were pleased to “start the process of assembling a team capable of being successful next season”.
He went on: “A big part of our recruitment strategy is to secure some excellent players that we inherited and also the two new additions [Petrie and Donkin] added mid-season from our tenure.”
He said “huge credit” should go to St Albans City co-owners Lawrence Levy and John McGowan for “committing to the budget for next season so early” and also to the club’s director of football, Harry Wheeler, for his “relentless work in negotiations on these initial six players committing to next season”.
Negotiations with other players are ongoing but, of course, the focus of the most intense speculation among Saints supporters will be whether the club can hang on to former Brentford academy product Sery for another season. The 22-year-old’s goals – and his all-round excellent work ethic and temperament – must have attracted the interest of other clubs.
In the defeat to Valley – who remain third from bottom of the Premier Division, but who nevertheless did their chances of escaping relegation a power of good – Saints’ Alex Wall had a couple of good early opportunities to put his side ahead.
However, the first goal came for the home team on 22 minutes when Fumnaya Shomotun’s expertly taken free was lifted over the wall into the top corner, giving City keeper Donkin no chance.
Saints’ hopes of getting anything out of the game were seriously hampered by the sending of Hart on 51 minutes and Valley went 2-0 up a little more than 10 minutes after his dismissal when Makise Evans scored.
McCann brought on all five substitutes to try to change things, but City were frustrated by Valley’s gutsy performance, and that showed in late cautions for Banton, Dyer and Donkin.
- Go to City’s website for interviews with four of the six St Albans players who have signed on for another season to find out why they’re staying at Clarence Park, their thoughts on manager McCann and their hopes for next season.
