The Fleet made it five wins from six in pre-season and ended their away trips with a 100% record as first-half goals from Nathan Odokonyero and David Amoo provided the platform for victory on a damp afternoon in Hertfordshire.
One more week of friendlies remains before the focus turns to the opening National League game and Fleet are in fine form to tackle that one.
One of the home side’s trialists was first to impress as he battled Luke O’Neill for the ball on five minutes and forced Craig Tanner and Mark Cousins into evasive action in the six-yard box.
Cousins denied Shaun Jeffers a few minutes later, this time with Haydn Hollis to aid his cause as the rain continued to teem down on Clarence Park.
Fleet’s first opportunity of note arrived on 14 minutes, quick thinking by Billy Clifford affording him sight of goal but he pulled his effort just wide with Odokonyero advancing. But the Fleet’s newest arrival was on the scoresheet moments later, this time skipper-for-the-day Dominic Poleon attacking from the right channel and slipping a pass that Odokonyero swept home.
It was 2-0 on 25 minutes as Fleet buzzed around the home box, Jack Wakely’s initial run and cross from the left taken on by Luke O’Neill on the opposite flank. His muscular run through defence ended with a shot towards the line that Amoo converted at the foot of the far post.
That lead might have been reduced two minutes later when Michael Clark got up well to a cross but Cousins made a superb mid-air save and then was positioned well again to thwart Jeffers.
Five minutes before half-time Ben Wyatt threw himself at an inviting cross to flash a header across the Fleet goal but that was as near as the home side came again before the half-time whistle sounded.
Neither side could fashion a solid chance as the second period began, though both Billy Clifford and Odokonyero lifted efforts over the bar 10 minutes in.
St Albans first attack of the half arrived on the hour, Mitchell Weiss getting space to deliver a low effort to the far post where Bobby Dunn, at full stretch, lunged in vain for it. Straight to the other end then and Omari Sterling-James and Poleon exchanged passes around the edge of the home box until an opening presented itself, the St Kitts & Nevis international smacking his shot off the post.
Shaq Coulthirst fired wide with 20 minutes left after St Albans had given the ball away in a dangerous position at the back but the home side should have pulled one back at the other end when Wakely’s distribution let him down and Andronicos Georgiou somehow chipped his effort over the bar after doing the hard work to turn past O’Neill.
Cousins was down well to George Morrall’s shot inside the box as the sodden afternoon drew to a close and the same home player really should have hit the target four minutes from time from a central position but he dragged the ball wide with only the goalkeeper to beat. Coulthirst’s last-minute lob towards the far post might have stood for a late third goal for the visitors but Ouss Cissé sent it over the line while in an offside position to cancel that one out.
That drew the curtain on the Fleet’s away friendly trips and the next time the engines start will be for the big trip to Rochdale!
EUFC squad from: Cousins, Firth, O’Neill, Martin, Wright, Wakely, Sterling-James, Cissé, Tanner, McQueen, Poleon, Domi, Edser, Clifford, Fanimo, Odokonyero, Chapman, Amoo, Coulthirst, Hollis
SACFC: Johnson, James, Brown, Trialist A, Da Silva, Clark, Dunn, Blackman, Jeffers, Wyatt, Banton. Subs: Trialist B, Fage, Smith, Lawal, Bowry, Carlyle, Gaulthier, Morrall, Georgiou, Weiss, McDonald
