CHELMSFORD City got their third successive win with a 2-0 victory at St Albans City thanks to two second-half goals in the space of just four minutes.
Michael Cheek's seventh goal of the campaign and Yado Mambo's first for the Club were enough to see off the Saints, who have made an impressive start to Conference South football following last season's promotion.
Cheek made-up for his ninth minute penalty miss which was saved well by Joe Welch as he coolly slotted home just ten seconds into the second-half, recording his sixth goal in just three games.
Mambo then rose highest in the six-yard box as he nodded home Joe Ward's pin-point cross.
St Albans looked shell-shocked following a mad four minutes and struggled to get back into the game, but it wasn't all plain sailing for the visitors.
The Clarets made two alterations to the side that dispatched Worthing 6-0 in the FA Cup a week previously. Goalkeeper Nicky Eyre was recalled to the starting line-up in place of the impressive Niklas Freund while Luke Callander replaced the injured Evans Kouassi.
St Albans made an impressive start to the match and almost took the lead as early as the second minute when David Keenleyside – who was part of the Saints team that dumped City out of the FA Trophy last season – fizzed a shot just wide of Eyre's upright.
Ex-Claret Ben Martin rose highest at the back post following Lee Chapell's inventive short corner, but the central defender watched as his shot grazed the top of the bar.
But it was the visitors who had a great chance to take the lead when referee Michael D'Aguilar pointed to the spot when Saints' keeper Welch brought down Callander. Cheek stepped up and Welch, who was only booked for the foul despite being the last man, pushed the frontman's spot-kick onto the post.
The Clarets soon settled into the game and enjoyed a little more possession but only truly threatened from the odd Leon Redwood cross which the imposing centre-back duo of Martin and Tom Ward dealt with admirably.
Redwood was caught too far up the pitch however midway through the first-half when the pacey Steve Wales jumped the offside trap, but his cross into the area was too high for John Frendo, enabling James Love to comfortably clear up-field.
Eyre, who was a spectator for the majority of the first-half, was called into action when Frendo impressively turned and shot low to Eyre's right, but the City custodian was equal to the effort.
It was Love who looked to break the deadlock next when he ventured into the attacking third after beating a number of Saints players before letting loose on a 30-yarder which Welch parried wide.
Martin then cleared away Nicky Nicolau's corner but City skipper Mark Hughes watched on as his looped header hit the angle of the bar.
St Albans almost nicked the lead in the final minutes of the half when full-back John Kyriacou cut inside and curled a shot, but it dropped inches wide of the corner with Eyre was rooted to the spot.
The Saints failed to maintain their impressive end to the first-half when Cheek split through their defence and coolly slotted home.
Four minutes later it was soon 2-0 to the visitors as Mambo sent a bullet header past Welch after latching onto Ward's well-timed cross.
St Albans were knocked back, and justifiably too, following the two quick goals, although Eyre and Redwood had to be alert to clear Frendo's powerful shot off the goal-line.
Callander – before he was replaced by Academy graduate Sam Gregory – and Ward were both guilty of spurning opportunities but the damage had already been inflicted, and the Saints' reaction was purely in vein as the Clarets returned to Essex with three points in the bag and moved up to 12th in the table.
