13 Apr 2026
St Albans City 0 Aveley 1 (Isthmian League Premier Division)
Report by Jess Unwin, photos by Jim Standen
With top scorer Leo Sery and team captain Zane Banton both missing because of injury, St Albans simply could not find a way to break down Aveley’s determined and well-organised defence once the visitors had gone ahead.
That meant not only City’s fourth defeat in a row but also their ninth reverse at Clarence Park so far in the current campaign – a disappointing home record that has been a key factor in the club’s failure to win promotion back to the National League South at the first time of asking.
Those losses include getting beaten by Hertfordshire rivals Potters Bar, who have since been relegated from the Premier Division, and stand-out defeats against Burgess Hill, Brentwood and Whitehawk that exposed the defensive shortcomings that have handicapped City too often this season.
In contrast, Aveley demonstrated their defensive prowess after Jesse Nwabueze’s goal just before half-time to clinch all three points on Saturday. Victory keeps them in second spot in the table and guarantees their place in the end-of-season promotion play-off matches.
Saints supporters will no doubt look at Aveley’s position with some envy as the Millers went down alongside St Albans last season and have clearly adjusted better to life in the Isthmian League.
To be fair, City have at times been shorn of key players through injury, and the mid-season decision by former Saints boss Ian Culverhouse to jump ship and join King’s Lynn was undoubtedly disruptive.
Talking to the club’s YouTube channel about the Aveley game, St Albans City manager Gary McCann said: “We’ve dominated a lot of possession in the second half and kept probing, but we just lacked what was needed in the final third.
“What needs to very much be highlighted is how well Aveley defended…you’d have to argue all of the teams in the play-off positions defend extremely well in most situations and Aveley got themselves out in front and then showed they were capable of defending that lead.”
Of his own team he said: “There was a willingness to try and recover the game, and we’ve left everything out on the pitch, but sometimes you have to give the opposition credit.”
However, he added: “I’ve never been one to use injuries as an excuse because that’s not why you lose games – it’s a squad game, after all. But there aren’t many teams that could lose a Zane Banton and Leo Sery and be at the levels that you need to be at.
“That’s no reflection on anyone in our squad – it’s just that they’re two very good players and a real part of our identity. To have both of them not available to you is a big loss to us and we’re a lesser side without those two in it. That is a fact and the proof is in the outcome today.”
• Next up for St Albans City is the club’s final home match of the 2025-26 campaign. They take on Canvey Island, who currently sit in bottom place in the Premier Division table and have already been relegated. Kick-off at Clarence Park is 3pm.
