Adam Murray suffered defeat in his first home league game in charge as St. Albans City came from behind to snatch all three points.

Siya Ligendza’s first goal for the Sports put them in front at half-time after dominating the first 45 minutes.

But two lapses in concentration were punished in the second half, with Dom Hutchinson and Shaun Jeffers on target to give the visitors a 2-1 win at Priory Lane.

Murray made five changes from the startling line up that bowed out of the Senior Cup on penalties on Tuesday, with Ligendza making his first league start whilst there was also a debut for new signing Moussa Diarra after his loan signing from Barnet. David Sesay also returned for his first league action since limping off at Welling in December.

The Sports dominated the opening period, with Freddie Carter heading over after eight minutes before they went even closer with eleven minutes on the clock.

Imran Uche was presented with space 30 yards out, and he let one fly with a rasping strike that beat Josh McNamara, only for the ball to crash off the underside of the bar and away.

Borough penned their visitors inside their own half at times during the first half, with only great defending from Joe Partington denying Ligendza a tap in before Decarrey Sheriff helped a corner on to Diarra at the far post, but off balance he fired over.

However, the hosts were dealt a wake up call midway through the opening period when a long ball over the top found Dan Bowry, who got there ahead of Ben Dudzinski and looked to cut the ball across to Jeffers for a tap in, but Diarra recovered well to clear.

Dan Quick then headed Gravata’s corner straight at McNamara as Borough kept knocking on the door, before they did get the breakthrough with 36 minutes gone.

Uche played a superb ball through to Archie Procter breaking down the left. The wing-back then chose the unselfish option and squared it across to Ligendza who made no mistake.

The Sports would have felt they deserved more than their one-goal lead at the break, but that was swiftly cancelled out.

Barely 30 seconds of the second half had passed when Zane Banton raced down the left hand side, and Dudzinski could only parry his low effort on goal into the path of Hutchinson, and the former Borough winger stabbed home from close range.

The Sports hunted for a response, with McNamara saving from Gravata before Sesay headed off target after getting on the end of Sheriff’s cross to the far post.

Diarra then pumped a ball forwards and Ligendza pounced on it, but his snap shot went wide of the bottom corner.

However, for all their possession, Borough couldn’t make it count and City took the lead with twenty minutes to go.

Hutchinson broke down the left and pulled the ball back to Banton. Diarra did well to block his effort on goal, but the ball fell kindly to Jeffers and Saints’ top scorer made no mistake from ten yards out.

The Sports huffed and puffed for an equaliser, and had one final chance as the clock hit 90. Ligendza did well to beat two defenders out on the left and he lifted the ball in to Billy Vigar at the far post, but the substitute’s header back across goal dropped agonizingly wide.

A first defeat for Murray’s Borough side, but plenty of positives to take.