Munday double boosts City Reserves

12:12am Thursday 13th November 2008

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Two headed goals from trialist John Munday during a lively Capital League Western Division encounter at Earlsmead on Wednesday night salvaged a point from a 2-2 draw for St Albans City Reserves against Harrow Borough.

Munday, a former Queens Park Rangers trainee, started the current campaign with Conference National side Grays Athletic having played 20 games for Worcester City last season. He has also had spells with Kidderminster Harriers, Hendon and Hayes.

Also new to the Saints was striker Andy Douglas, formerly of a host of Essex sides including Hornchurch, Chelmsford City, Grays Athletic, Billericay Town and City’s county rivals Hitchin Town. The former Arsenal youngster limped off after an hour with a hamstring injury.

Two other City ‘old boys’ returned to the side with the recently released Lee Protheroe having a run out to regain match sharpness on his path to full fitness after struggling with an ongoing groin strain. While in midfield Paul Semakula, like Munday aged 20, returned to the side. Semakula played ten times for City last season before injury curtailed his season.

Harrow, who won 4-1 at Clarence Park last month, started the game in positive fashion and took the lead on four minutes after a spell of sustained pressure although the finish was controversial as City keeper Austin Byfield looked to have the ball in his hands as he dived at the feet of Charles Ball.

Referee Graham Monk ignored Byfield’s plea for a free kick as the ball was knocked from his grasp allowing Ball to walk the sphere in from close range.

The unfortunate Byfield suffered an almost identical fate on 55 minutes when Aaron Cato broke clear down the Borough left and looked to have overrun the ball as Byfield again raced out and spread himself. But this time it did seem that keeper may have lost his grip on the ball as it rebounded into Cato and then into the back of the net.

Those two controversial moments aside it was Byfield’s heroics that kept City in contention. Prior to the interval the 18-year old keeper denied Josiah Hunte and Ball but his finest moment was a diving effort from Kwasi Frempong at the end of an excellent four-man move by the home side.

City drew level on 25 minutes, somewhat against the run of play, when Munday who started the game in the middle of the City defence before moving forward into midfield to good effect headed a well-placed Protheroe free kick back across the goal.

Early in the second half Byfield was again in the think of the action as within a two-minute spell he made good saves from Cato, the ever-threatening Miles Jones and Simon Dahl.

The second half was an open and entertaining affair and although City posed problems for a Harrow defence that included the nomadic one-time City defender Tobi Jinadu, the better chances continued to be created at the opposite end of the pitch.

Twice Byfield produced stunning saves to thwart Miles before City drew level for a second time eight minutes from time. Edson Pascoal won a free kick some 25-yards from goal and as with the first goal Protheroe was the provider with a cross to the back post that Munday put past home keeper Gary Ross with a looping header.

Chris Seeby continued his recovery from a cruciate knee ligament injury with his second run-out since returning to action. Playing in midfield Seeby was given 73 minutes and came through unscathed.

At the final whistle Stuart Crawford, the Borough manager, had his details taken by referee Mr Monk, after initially refusing, following sustained criticism of the match officials performance.

Harrow Borough Reserves: G.Ross, K.Wynter, D.Campbell-Grimshaw, K.Frempong (P.Sadiki 85), S.Dahl, T.Jinadu, J.Hunte (E.Darkwah 61), K.Williams, C.Ball (R.Asare 56), M.Jones, A.Cato.

St Albans City Reserves: Austin Byfield, L.Protheroe, Aiden Byfield, K.Asamoah, J.Munday, T.James, C.Seeby (J.Lamonaca 73), P.Semakula, D.Regis, A.Douglas (S.Bignall 60), E.Pascoal.

Referee: Graham Monk.