Alex Browne prepares to take on the role of emergency goalkeeper
DORCHESTER TOWN
1	Simon Evans		29
2	Gary Bowles
3	Jake Smeaton		40
4	Mark Jermyn
5	Roy O'Brien
6	Bradley Middleton
7	James Rowe
8	Jon Docker
9	Jones Awuah
10	Elliot Bent		56
11	Jamie Gleeson
Substitutes
12	Alex Browne		29
14	Jamie Cumming
15	Tareq Khalil		40
16	Tom Mitchell		56
17	Darren Watts
.
ST ALBANS CITY
1	Nicky Eyre
2	Dean Cracknell
3	Scott Cousins
4	Hasim Deen
5	Ben Martin
6	Ryan Frater
7	Paul Hakim		68
8	James Quilter		80
9	Simon Martin
10	Lee Clarke
11	Marcel McKie		75
Substitutes
12	Jomo Faal-Thomas		80
14	Bradley Gray
15	James Archer		75
16	Richard Butler
17	Ben Walshe		68
.
Referee
Adam Matthews (Melksham)
.

Saturday 26th January 2008
		Dorchester Town	0
		St Albans City	3
		Jermyn og 26, McKie 38, Martin 61

Jewson misery

by Ky Capel

Dorchester Town's bid for survival in Blue Square South took a severe dent as they were comfortably beaten 3-0 by relegation rivals St Albans City.

The first game at the newly named Jewson Stadium could not have gone any worse for the Magpies who as well as losing the game, lost their only keeper Simon Evans to injury.

Evans' partial tear of the lateral ligament in his knee came after a collision in the six-yard box just as City took the lead through Mark Jermyn's own goal.

Club captain Alex Browne took over in between the sticks and despite a solid showing was unable to prevent Marcel McKie and Simon Martin adding further goals.

The first half could have started in the best manner possible for the hosts when after five minutes Jones Awuah almost found himself with a clean sight of goal, however, City's former Tottenham Hotspur trainee Nick Eyre raced out of his area to beat Awuah to Jon Docker's through ball.

Simon Martin saw a header go wide from Scott Cousins' free-kick before Docker hit the Magpies' only shot of the half high and wide from a training ground routine free-kick 25 yards out.

Giant centre-half Ryan Frater had a good opportunity from a dead ball situation but the Saints man, after moving the ball five yards further than where referee Adam Matthews first placed it, blazed his shot out of the ground.

The hosts were then hit with a double blow on 26 minutes. City skipper Lee Clarke played in strike partner Simon Martin who beat the offside trap, steadied himself, but rather than shoot from eight yards he dinked the ball across goal. Unfortunately for the home side Jermyn was the first to meet the ball and his header beat Evans at the near post.

In the midst of St Albans' celebrations Evans remained on the floor and after lengthy treatment was stretchered off, so with no replacement keeper on the bench, let alone in the squad, Browne donned the green jersey.

And the afternoon went from bad to worse before half-time as the visitors extended their advantage. Clarke was again involved, this time providing the ball for McKie who strode towards the Magpies' box unchallenged before shooting across goal and finding the inside of the far post, a hint of a slight deflection wrong footing Browne.

The county town side suffered more injury woe when left-back Jake Smeaton limped off with a dead-leg to be replaced by Tareq Khalil as assistant-manager Paul Compton looked to salvage something from the game.

Dorchester's half-time team talk failed to have the desired effect as the Saints came out the livelier in the second period.

New signing Paul Hakim, who joined City from Stevenage Borough on Friday, played a neat one-two with Clarke and shot low towards goal only to be denied by a great block from Browne.

The rebound fell kindly to Clarke but he too was thwarted by a combination of Browne and Gary Bowles.

The Magpies could have been handed a lifeline on 57 minutes with their best chance of the game but after collecting Docker's through pass Awuah saw his shot saved well by Eyre.

The ball was thrust back into the box for Gleeson to head down, this time though Awuah was way off target with an ambitious overhead kick.

Hakim and Clarke wasted good opportunities for the visitors as both sliced wide but they were spared any embarrassment by Simon Martin's third goal in as many games.

Dean Cracknell found himself with only Browne to beat but was foiled by the crossbar, the loose ball was headed towards goal by the Hayes & Yeading loanee and his effort clipped the underside of the crossbar before going in despite Browne's best efforts.

Jamie Gleeson looked like he would have to leave the field after a strong challenge from Hasim Deen but after treatment returned to the match which had all but died out by now.

The only shot at goal in the remaining 20 minutes came from Docker but Eyre held comfortably from distance.

And in injury time the Dorchester man was booked for an altercation with Cousins as the hosts were becoming increasingly frustrated.

	MATCH STATS
5	TOTAL ATTEMPTS	9
2	ATTEMPTS ON TARGET	4
3	ATTEMPTS OFF TARGET	5
0	HIT WOODWORK	1
0	CORNERS	4
0	OFFSIDES	4
11	FREE-KICKS CONCEDED	11