Hampton & Richmond Borough 0 St Albans City 6 - report

They had arrived at the Beveree on the back of two defeats, the first under caretaker manager David Noble, but banished those memories in style.

Tafari Moore, Zane Banton and Kyran Wiltshire each got themselves a brace as Saints ripped the home side apart and roared to a 6-0 success.

If there is a football equivalent of the Midas touch then Saints had it as nearly everything they put on goal went in, a far cry from earlier in the season or even the back end of last year when shots on goal were not often seen.

If the team and fans loved, then what does it do for Noble?

Lawrence Levy had spoken to the Saints City Trust and said that interviews were "at both the second and first stage".

This is the kind of result that could easily turn a caretaker role into a permanent one and make those interviews pointless.

Noble made three changes from the side who lost to Dulwich Hamlet on Saturday.

Out went Devnate Stanley, Chez Isaac and Joe Neal with their places being taken by Joy Mukena, Huw Dawson and for the first time since August, Mitchell Weiss.

The first half was as comprehensive as they come and had Saints fans purring as they headed into the clubhouse at half-time.

They had started well with Zane Banton and Moore in particular looking very sharp and bright.

The goals, however, took them to a whole different plane, both in terms of performance and confidence levels.

The first goal saw Banton get in down the right by spinning off the defender. It wasn't for the first time.

He had the chance to put a first time cross into Shaun Jeffers but opted to cut back inside and find Weiss.

The returning forward slid it out to the left where Moore sent it back the way it came with a first time shot past Joe Walsh.

The second five minutes later was arguably better.

Weiss started it with a charge down the middle, slipping it to Jeffers.

He put it wide again to Moore who once again was totally unmarked and who, once again, could've hit it first time.

He didn't but after taking a touch, he bent it beautifully into the far corner just inside the post.

From then there was some lovely one-touch football that threatened to cut Hampton open time and time again.

The only worry was at the other end with Hampton once or twice threatening to catch them on the break.

The only times they really came close though was through a Saints error.

Dylan Berry completely missed his punch from one cross and it needed a frantic tackle to stop Connor Kurran-Browne from hitting a shot on target.

Riccardo Di Trolio also headed off his own bar but these were rare moments of worry for City.

And Saints put the game beyond doubt with three goals in the opening 17 minutes.

Firstly a short corner from Banton to Sundire and then Wiltshire was fed back into the box where the taker had run onto.

He squeezed his shot inside the near post.

Wiltshire then looped one over Walsh after getting a Weiss ball from the wing on the edge of the box and he doubled his tally three minutes later, shooting low into the corner after a left-wing cross from Banton.

It was the perfect definition of clinical and at that point it looked like everythig they touched would turn to goals.

It didn't tell the full story though.

Hampton had came out on the front foot and had chances before each of the three Saints strikes.

Kurran-Browne beat Berry to the ball but Callum Adebiyi cleared before he could get to the loose ball.

A cross from the right then bounced past red shirt after red shirt and needed Munashe Sundire to make a good clearance.

Berry then produced a superb stop, scooping the ball off the line after a free header at the back post.

Needless to say Hampton were left sick and deflated by the way Saints were ripping them apart and it got worse after Noble rung the changes with a triple substitution.

Jeffers, conspicuous by his absence on the scoresheet, tried his luck from the edge of the area with a shot on the turn.

It looped off a defender and landed at the feet of Banton who simply slid the ball past Walsh for 6-0.

That was it as far the scoring was concerned but this was a statement of intent for Saints and a return to their attacking best.

Long may it continue.

St Albans City: Berry, Wiltshire (Smith 70), Adebiyi, Jeffers, Banton, Dawson (Isaac 70), Weiss (Morrall 70), Sundire, Mukena, Moore, Di Trolio.

Subs (not used): Stanley, Neal.

Goals: Moore 26, 31, Banton 51, Wiltshire 59, 62

Hampton & Richmond Borough: Walsh, Inman, Whittingham (Fernandez 63), Wood (Sablier 63), Gray, Ilic, Kurran-Browne, Davis, Vincent, Babalola, Shroll.

Subs (not used): Block, Davies, George.

Booked: Shroll 69

HT: Hampton & Richmond Borough 0 St Albans City 2

Referee: Aaron Farmer (Colchester)

Attendance: 368