St Albans 2 v 3 Fleet

Nationwide Conference

MARK DE BOLLA'S dramatic injury time bullet saved him and his team mates a right rollocking' from boss Liam Daish.

Fleet had opened a 2-0 lead, thanks to two Charlie MacDonald penalties, but St Albans thought they had salvaged a point with goals in the 77th and 89th minutes.

With Daish fuming and preparing to read the riot act in the changing room, up stepped De Bolla in injury time to fire home from the edge of the penalty and regain the three points.

Daish said: "It was unbelievable. I was ready to read the riot act at the players and then De Bolla, for the first time really, drove into the box and he got his deserved goal.

"I know we have got quality but we lack the streetwise mindset to be able to kill games off but you can't put this into players and you can't coach it either.

"You have got to take it on board, they are young but I thought it was going to be another Aldershot game where we came away with nothing."

All the goals came in the second half after an even opening 45 minutes.

Lance Cronin in the Fleet goal was kept busy while MacDonald had the best chance for the visitors.

The second half came to life when Fleet were awarded a penalty after MacDonald was pushed over by Lee Wilder as the pair battled to get on the end of a deep cross - which the striker duly converted.

Fleet were awarded spot-kick number two on the hour as St Albans' Magnus Okuonghae tried to head the ball back to his keeper.

It fell short and Moore nipped in ahead of Bastock and was adjudged to have been brought down - much to the consternation of the home faithful.

Again MacDonald stepped up and again he sent the ball past Bastock for his ninth goal of the season.

Daish said: "It was definitely a penalty and the ref did well not to send Paul Bastock off.

"He is going away from goal but Luke has got in front and been very nippy, Bastock has obviously made contact."

St Albans boss Colin Lippiatt saw it differently saying: "I can honestly say the second one was never a penalty because I saw Paul Bastock push the ball forward.

He added: "The referee was the worst I've ever seen, he was rubbish."

Fleet's Mark Ricketts had to clear off the line twice to preserve the two-goal lead before George Purcell handled in the area and St Albans' Tom Davis scored from the spot.

On 89 minutes it seemed St Albans had snatched an unlikely point when a long throw by Lee Flynn was headed in by Paul Hakim.

However, with three minutes injury time displayed, De Bolla surged in to the penalty area to unleash his dramatic winner and lift Fleet to seventh in the table.

A sour note for Fleet was the early departure from the pitch of Jon Keeling with a suspected hamstring injury.

MATCH FACTS: FLEET: Cronin, Ricketts, Hawkins, J Smith, R Smith, Keeling (Purcell, 17, (Coleman, 80)), Quinn, Slatter, Moore (Sodje, 74), MacDonald, De Bolla.

SUBS NOT USED: Mott, Ekoku.

ATT: 987.