Late Allen strike moves Saints back to the top

Vale Rec 0, St Martin's 1

A LAST-GASP Luke Allen goal sent St Martin's back to the top of the Priaulx League table. But champions Vale Rec will feel aggrieved that they did not get something out of a scrappy and error-strewn game at the Corbet Field on Saturday.

'You have to feel sorry for Vale but I am delighted to get the three points,' said satisfied Saints coach Colin Fallaize.

'It was a scrappy game all round really. That wasn't helped by the pitch or the breeze. Vale Rec made us work very hard but it's the three points that count and we're very glad to get them.'

After failing to pick up points in what was an even match, Vale coach Ray Blondel was in philosophical mood.

'It just sums up the way it is going for us at the moment. Considering the side we had out, we did well. They battled hard and were a credit to the club but it's the story of our season.

'We've got a few players out at the moment but hopefully in the new year we'll get our slice of the cake.'

With full time approaching, the match seemed destined to finish as a scoreless draw.

But Vale failed to clear a Saints corner and were defending deep on their own line. Steve Concanen picked up the ball 10 yards out and was forced right but cutting back onto his stronger left foot, he jinked past two defenders before shooting.

In the Vale goal, Jody Bisson failed to stop the shot and the ball ricocheted off Luke Allen before falling back at his feet. The midfielder swivelled and from a yard out he could hardly fail but put the ball into the net. Game over.

The start had been delayed five minutes because assistant referee Peter Davidson was stuck in traffic.

When the action did get under way, Saints, defending the training pitch end, took control. Allen, who was sitting in front of the back three, and Kevin Gilligan sprayed the ball around from the centre of the park.

But it was Vale who got the first shot on goal. After five minutes, John Baudains cracked an effort from all of 30 yards which was comfortably dealt with by Pattimore.

It wasn't long, though, before Saints created their first opening. With eight minutes gone, Darren Le Tissier crossed from the right to the far post but Dominic Heaume headed over.

In a game riddled with misplaced passes and poor touches, neither side seemed capable of creating any clear-cut opportunities.

But in the space of a minute, Vale had two half-chances. A long ball over the top led to a mistake by Richard Herpe. That almost let in Craig Tyrrell, who was foiled by the on-rushing Pattimore. From the resulting throw-in, Craig Le Lerre shot wide.

And just before the break Saints almost took the lead. Le Tissier was put free down the inside-right channel but under pressure from the covering Leon Meakin, he shot wide of Bisson's right-hand post.

But if Saints had slightly the better of the first half then Vale shaded the second.

Le Lerre put over just after the interval after Herpe had miscontrolled on the edge of his own area.

And Vale continued to get the best of the chances.

If Tyrrell had taken a better touch when put through by a long, raking pass, he might well have broken the deadlock.

But the ball fell kindly for Pattimore who had charged out of his goal.

David Woodhead and Tyrrell both had chances early in the second half that were not converted.

Saints finally began to get some momentum and on the hour, when the ball was floated over from the left, Heaume seemed certain at least to hit the target. But his header looped over the bar.

The introduction of Nic Edmunds for Gilligan added some zip to the Saints attack but Edmunds failed to take either of two chances that arrived in quick succession.

The first fell to him as the ball raced across the six-yard box and he mis-hit his shot. But the ball landed at the feet of Heaume, who unselfishly laid it back to Edmunds but this time he shot wide left.

A flurry of late substitutions disrupted the flow of the game and although both sides looked for a winner, there was little goal-mouth action.

And as the game drew to a close, the crowd, if not the players, seemed resigned to the fact that the game would end scoreless.

But in an instant Concanen and Allen contrived to change the mood at a wet and windswept Corbet Field.