St Albans City

St Albans City
St Albans keeper has knee surgery St Albans City goalkeeper Paul Bastock will miss his side's build-up to their first Conference top-flight campaign after undergoing knee surgery. Bastock sustained a knee cartilage injury towards the end of last season and scans showed the need for surgery. The ex-Boston United keeper, 36, joined St Albans in November 2004 and was a key part of their promotion success last season. Ricky Perks is set to play in goal in St Albans' opening pre-season games.

St Albans v Cambridge Utd
St Albans are waiting to hear the verdict of their appeal against Gary Elphick's sending-off before naming their team to face Cambridge. If successful, their starting XI will be unchanged but Ben Martin is on standby to replace him. Cambridge have no new injury worries as they look to get their first points on the board in the Conference. Defender Andy Duncan remains sidelined with a thigh strain and will be out for six weeks.

Lippiatt praises St Albans start
St Albans City boss Colin Lippiatt is pleased with how his side has begun life in the Conference after sharing the points with Cambridge United. \"I'm very proud of my team,\" he said. \"In two games we've conceded just one goal, scored three and got four points. That's a decent start.\" Lippiatt's only disappointment was the dismissal of defender Gary Elphick. He was cleared to play after winning an appeal against a red card last Saturday but was dismissed against Cambridge. Lippiatt added: \"He is a young lad who has just come out of the pro game and is on a learning curve. \"But at the end of the day it does change the type of game we want to play.\"

St Albans v Aldershot
Ben Lewis returns for St Albans as they look to build on their impressive start to the season after proving his fitness following a shoulder injury. But his comeback is off-set by Gary Elphick's one-match suspension and Ben Martin looks likely to be ruled out for another month with a cartilage problem. Andy Edwards, a summer signing from Grays, remains Aldershot's only doubt. The defender has been struggling with a back problem but is confident of a return to training within the week.

St Albans 3-5 Aldershot
St Albans' unbeaten start to the season ended as Aldershot ran riot. The Shots went ahead with a Darren Barnard penalty after Ryan Williams was fouled before Ram Marwa slotted in from a Lee Clarke pass. Aldershot surged into a 5-1 lead when Williams and John Grant scored from 12 yards, before Grant slotted in a second and Marcus Gayle headed home the fifth. St Albans hit late goals with a Tom Davis penalty and injury-time effort from Dean Cracknell. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St Albans: Bastock, Seeby, Flynn, Davis, Lewis, Theobald, Hann (Norris 78), Marwa (Cracknell 76), Hakim, Clarke (Sozzo 76), Wilde. Subs Not Used: Simon Martin, Harper. Booked: Clarke, Davis. Goals: Marwa 49, Davis 88 pen, Cracknell 90. Aldershot: Bull, Smith, Barnard (Anderson 76), Newman, Day, Molesley (Scott 45), Grant, Gayle (Pritchard 85), Williams, Soares, Okuonghae. Subs Not Used: Wells, Hudson. Booked: Barnard. Goals: Barnard 45 pen, Williams 58, Grant 60, 73, Gayle 75. Att: 1,373 Ref: D Ford (Gainsborough ).

St Albans v Tamworth
St Albans boss Colin Lippiatt is expected to ring the changes ahead as his side have pick up just one point from a possible nine. A knee cartilage problem means Ben Martin will miss out again while ankle-injury victim Scott Cousins also remains on the casualty list. Tamworth boss Mark Cooper is waiting for clearance so he can name Portuguese keeper Jose Manuel Da Veira. Cooper is expected to name himself among the substitutes again.

Lippiatt pleased with Saints show
St Albans City manager Colin Lippiatt praised his players after they beat Tamworth 1-0 to record their first ever home win in the Conference. He said: \"We took our goal very well and I think it was very important for us to get those three points. \"I'm very pleased for the players because their attitude has been excellent since day one. \"Any points we can get now is going to help us in the short term to build on the long term.\"

St Albans City capture Okuonghae
St Albans City have signed central defender Magnus Okuonghae. The 20-year-old joins the Saints following a short spell as a non-contract player with Aldershot at the start of the season. Okuonghae started two games for the Shots, including their 5-3 win at St Albans earlier this month, before being released from the Recreation Ground. He previously played for Rushden and Diamonds, making 22 League appearances for the Nene Park club.

Oxford Utd 2-1 St Albans
Matt Day's late winner helped 10-man Oxford beat St Albans and move to the top of the Conference table. Oxford were well on top before being reduced to 10 men when Chris Hargreaves was sent off for a tackle on Tom Davis. But the U's still took the lead soon after when Yemi Odubade Odbade met Rob Duff's pass and fired home. St Albans levelled when David Theobald headed home Adam Wilde's corner but Day replied instantly to drill his shot into the top corner to clinch victory. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oxford Utd: Turley, Willmott, Quinn, Gilchrist, Anaclet, Pettefer, Hargreaves, Burgess, Johnson (Day 29), Robinson (Odubade 21), Duffy (Hutchinson 76). Subs Not Used: Tardif, Dempster. Sent Off: Hargreaves (67). Booked: Odubade, Willmott. Goals: Odubade 69, Day 84. St Albans: Bastock, Batt (Simon Martin 70), Elphick (Okuonghae 65), Theobald, Flynn, Hann, Seeby, Davis, Wilde, Hakim, Clarke. Subs Not Used: Cracknell, Sozzo, Norris. Booked: Hakim, Seeby. Goals: Theobald 83. Att: 6,190 Ref: N Kinseley (Essex).

Eyre and Seeby given England call
Rushden & Diamonds keeper Nicky Eyre and St Albans City defender Chris Seeby have been given late call-ups to the England National Game XI 16-man squad. Manager Paul Fairclough has added the pair to his squad to play at Forest Green on Tuesday in a match to mark the opening of Rovers' new stadium. Eyre, 20, was picked after an injury to Woking's Shwan Jalal, and he joins Weymouth number one Adam Lee-Barrett. Seeby replaces injured Aldershot defender Dean Smith. Seeby joins Saints team-mates Tom Davis and Magnus Okuonghae in a squad of southern-based players.

Lewis released by St Albans City
St Albans City have released defender Ben Lewis. Lewis, 29, joined the Saints from Bishops Stortford in January and helped the club secure promotion to the Conference this season. However, the ex-Colchester and Southend player had started just one game for Colin Lippiatt's side this season. He has also allowed Dean Cracknell, who is joining Staines, and Dane Harper to move on, although Saints have retained their Conference registrations.

Northwich 0-3 St Albans
Three first-half goals gave St Albans victory and condemned Northwich to their fourth home loss of the season. The visitors were ahead after nine minutes when Paul Hakim sent a low effort into the left corner. Hakim turned provider on the half hour, crossing in for Lee Flynn to steer the ball home from the left of the box. Northwich's misery was complete 10 minutes later when David Theobald sent a right-footed thunderbolt into the top-right corner. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Northwich: Connett, Battersby, Griffiths (Payne 45), Charnock, Brown, Mayman (Byrne 64), Barwick, Elliott, Carr (Townson 45), Allan, Brayson. Subs Not Used: Senior, Sale. Booked: Barwick, Elliott, Payne. St Albans: Bastock, Okuonghae, Elphick, Theobald, Batt (Norris 84), Davis, Seeby, Flynn, Hakim, Clarke, Simon Martin (Sozzo 45), Sozzo (Hann 63). Subs Not Used: Roddis, Wilde. Booked: Davis, Sozzo. Goals: Hakim 9, Flynn 31, Theobald 41. Att: 717 Ref: J Collin (Liverpool).

St Albans v Woking
Injuries to strikers Simon Martin and Josh Sozzo could earn Matt Hann a recall to the St Albans line-up. Midfielder Ranbir Marwa is still sidelined with a hamstring injury, centre-back Ben Martin is recovering from keyhole knee surgery. Woking are without Ollie Berquez, who has a sore knee and Chris Sharpling, struggling with a groin injury. New signing Goma Lambu is set to continue on the wing after playing for almost an hour at the weekend.

St Albans boss in confident mood
St Albans City manager Colin Lippiatt believes his team has shown enough to suggest they can survive in the Conference top-flight. He told his club's website: \"Our main aim is to stay in this division and that's what we've got to work hard for. \"From what I've seen so far, apart from 90 minutes at Altrincham, I think we've got just enough to stay in it.\" St Albans have taken 10 points from their first eight games after securing promotion from Conference South.

Welling recruit ex-St Albans man
Former St Albans City defender Ben Lewis has signed for Conference South side Welling United. The 29-year-old had recently been with the Saints on non-contract terms, but was released earlier this month by manager Colin Lippiatt. He had moved to Clarence Park in January and helped St Albans win promotion to the Conference National. Lewis is likely to make his debut for the Wings in Saturday's home league match against Sutton United.

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