Hemel hold on to last playoff place after St Albans victory

The Tudors were buoyed by a David Moyo brace in front of a season-high home crowd of 1,266 to increase their league undefeated streak to 11 games.

It helped get rid of the bad taste left in Tudors’ mouths from six days previously when the same two sides fought to a 2-2 draw on Boxing Day in a game Hemel dominated.

In that game, watched by 1,921 people at Clarence Park, the Herts derby exploded into life in the second-half with four goals and a red card as Hemel twice took a lead before being pegged back in an exciting Boxing Day clash. It was the fifth such 2-2 draw between the two sides.

This time around, there was to be no reply as The Tudors were able to keep a clean sheet and ensure they maintained their hold on the seventh and final playoff berth in the league standings.

Hemel are now on 40 points, just five points adrift of leaders Dartford, and the Tudors have a game in hand over four of those sides above them.

St Albans stay outside of the playoff places in eighth, three points behind Town.

Tudors’ boss Dean Brennan will no doubt be delighted that it was his injury-plagued striker Moyo who grabbed both of the goals in the New Year’s Day derby.

The former Northampton Town striker has been beset by injuries since sustaining a broken metatarsal against Ware on August 1.

Brennan and his staff have been scouting the speedster for several years and were delighted when they were able to bring him to the club this off-season.

Moyo missed 15 games before attempting a comeback on October 7 but aggravated the injury again.

He missed another handful of games before starting his first game for nearly four months on November 28 at Bognor Regis Town.

Brennan has always maintained that when fully fit, Moyo will be a handful for anyone in this league.

Next up for the Tudors is another defining encounter as they take a trip to third-placed Hampton & Richmond Borough this Saturday. Hemel won the reverse fixture 1-0 on August 15.