IT WAS strange game in that we started every brightly and were well on top only for them to score with their first attack – which admittedly came from a great cross.

We then hit the bar, missed from a yard and looked like getting back in the game, only for them to go up the other end and score another.

We had cleared the ball 30 yards out and then when the shot came back in Danny Greaves could not see the ball because their two centre forwards were in an offside position as we pushed out. How the referee can say they were not interfering with play, I don’t know.

The third goal was just rank bad defending but it meant we were 3-0 down before half-time, a scoreline which totally flattered St Albans.

Sadly, it took me back to the time when I took over the side from Adi Viveash. We had a lot of technically gifted players but I got fed up hearing from other managers how we were the best side they had beaten all season.

We created more chances in Saturday’s than we normally do in six away games, but having been pleased with our shape and how organised we were in pre-season, I was disappointed in how my centre halves were beaten up in the first half and how we did not stand up to the physicality of the game.

Neil Arndale was missing injured but that does completely answer how lax we were at the back.

Reidy scored a good goal and then we conceded another bad goal from a defensive point of view just two minutes later.

St Albans City appeared to have a huge squad and there had plenty of Conference South players, but we played some decent stiff, hit the bar twice and on another day we would have scored more goals.