St Albans City slipped to a fifth straight defeat at home to Weston-super-Mare - but they will point to a string of bad fortune.

They had made all three of their substitutions by 61 minutes, two of them for injuries, and then they had Dan Bowry limp off.

It meant James Morton had space to fire Weston to a 1-0 win with four minutes remaining of normal time and condemn City to another loss.

Manager David Noble made two changes from the side that were knocked out of the FA Trophy by Bishop's Stortford on Saturday.

Mitchell Weiss picked up a knock in that game but was passed fit to start here.

Joe Partington and Ibby Akanbi were the two to drop out with Ryan Blackman and Nathan Carlyle coming in.

There was also no replacement keeper on the bench, Emmanuel Harvest the one new name there from Saturday.

Carlyle was involved in the only real moments of note in the first half, a booking for a foul on Marlon Jackson on six minutes and then an innocuous collision 13 minutes later which saw him replaced by Kieran Gauthier.

For the remainder of the half, there was precious little in the way of entertainment.

Saints and Noble stuck to their guns with their patient passing style but only had a half chance for Weiss to show that, after a mix-up between goalkeeper and defender.

Not that Weston were enjoying much better, two scuffed efforts from Lloyd Humphries that drifted and dribbled wide were their best moments.

They did, however, look more likely to create something as they got in behind Saints a couple of time with incisive passing.

Those led to crosses that were well cut out by Carlyle and Gauthier.

That was the biggest problem for Saints, they struggled to turn the central two in the Weston defence.

The passing was all in front of the defenders and with limited movement from the City forwards, they could have been in carpet slippers, such was their easy evening.

The second half saw no changes to personnel on either side but Saints did seem to go much more direct and long.

It almost paid dividends as one long ball was chased by Blackman as it ran through to Harrison Lee in the Weston goal.

He almost made a hash of it with the ball running between his legs at one point. Fortunately for him he was able to grab it before Blackman could poke it away.

There was also a shot from Gio Rasulo after he was allowed to pick himself up off the floor after a slip and run towards the visitors' box.

That was sliced horribly wide.

Jordan Willmott followed suit for Weston with a similar effort not long after but then they really should taken the lead.

A move down the right ended with a cross into the middle that found Rex Mannings 12 yards out and unmarked.

He connected but Josh McNamara, the on loan Southampton youngster, went down to his right and made a smart stop.

Saints happiness at the save was almost instantly wiped away as Dan Bowry went down in the aftermath.

And after a few minutes of treatment, the skipper limped out of the action.

In itself that wouldn't have been a problem but Saints had used all three of their allotted subs by that point, Shaun Jeffers and Emmanuel Harvest coming on for the hobbling Weiss and Sam Brown.

It meant they had to face the final quarter of the game with 10 men, although the expected charge from the men in white only arrived in the last 10 minutes.

Jordan Bastin forced McNamara into another good save, down low at his near post, and then Humphries headed over under pressure.

But then they got the breakthrough and while the defence possibly should have got closer to him, Morton lifted a wonderful shot from 25 yards over McNamara's head and dipping under the bar.

Saints had the final flurry, Blackman denied by a great block by Samuel Avery and then Jeffers heading against the crossbar from six yards.

Mitigating circumstances maybe but another loss does nothing to lift the gloom at Clarence Park.

Match details

St Albans City: McNamara, James, Brown (Harvest 61), Smith, Bowry, Blackman, Rasulo, Weiss (Jeffers 55), Fage, Carlyle (Gauthier 22), Hoddle.

Sub (not used): Morrall, Akanbi.

Booked: Carlyle 6, Blackman 59

 

Weston-super-Mare: Lee, Pope, Bastin, Cane, Humphries, Avery, Willmott, Morton, Jackson (Reid 71), Grubb, Mannings (Fletcher 71). 

Subs (not used): Purnell, Edwards, Dodd.

Goal: Morton 86

Booked: Cane 80, Bastin 87

 

HT: St Albans City 0 Weston-super-Mare 0

Added time: 6

Referee: Eugene Robinson (Chelmsford)

Attendance: 942