Miles Rutherford, Dabba and H made just the one change to the starting XI that lost 3-0 to Cray Valley Paper Mills at Oaklands last time out with Moore replacing Misha Djemaili in the middle of the park. Emmett Dunn and Isaac Bello swapped positions once again and Kieran Magee lined up in goal behind skipper Rob Hutchings at left back alongside Ben Pashley, Curtis Da Costa and Dunn on the right. Moore slotted in as the holding midfielder with Lloyd Rowlatt, Joe Clarke and Bello, and Prichard accompanied Miles Obodo up top as usual.
The Saints, relegated from National League South last campaign, began with intent and Dunn had defending to do up against former Bognor Regis Town player Jasper Mather sixty seconds in.
Both teams exchanged throws and offsides in this opening spell before Mather won his side a free kick down the left which Chi somehow cleared in the seventh minute.
Sam Smart’s run then into the box put Hutchings on his arse and Dunn headed away the resulting cross before good stuff from Moore got the visitors on the attack, although the final ball was too long.
Next, Moore battled with St Albans captain Zane Banton and the hosts won a throw.
Magee gathered the first shot easily enough on 13 minutes and claimed without any trouble when Mather cut inside.
Chichester should have taken the lead after custodian Magnus Norman’s slip allowed Obodo to get in but a defender made a goal-line clearance and hacked the ball away.
Pashley, who was magnificent all game, tidied up on quarter of an hour and then Bello flicked to Prichard whose final pass intended for Obodo was too firm and intercepted.
Hutchings got clattered; Moore pulled some neat skill; and a bit of trickery from Obodo didn’t quite come off as things ebbed back and forth.
A foul by Da Costa on Leo Sery saw him quite rightly go into referee Patrick Nixon’s notebook in the 19th minute.
Alex Dyer took the consequent set-piece and Chi were given one of their own after Hutchings was impeded as well.
Then Lewis Page’s cross was steered out for the first corner of the match which Banton took and Clarke headed clear before a wild Saints’ effort was wide of the mark.
Pashley did well in his encounter with Sery again and Hutchings shepherded the ball out for a Chichester goal kick as the Hertfordshire side pressed.
Magee had no problems with a delivery by Page at the mid-point before Dunn got done by Mather down the left flank.
Next, Prichard and Kieran Gauthier were involved in a bit of handbags off the ball and on the half-hour mark a long ball from Pashley towards Obodo was turned out for a Chi throw-in.
Clarke’s diag to Hutchings instigated a move that finally broke down as Hutchings lost the ball and the home side cleared.
And then Magee blocked brilliantly and swiftly turned defence into attack for Prichard to sensationally lob Norman, who was on loan between the sticks at Chichester last season, to make it 1-0 against the run of play.
How the dozen or so away fans in a crowd of 1300-plus at Clarence Park celebrated Prichard’s third league goal this term.
At the other end moments later, Norman’s counterpart pulled off an amazing tip-over to deny Mather and concede a corner which he also repelled.
With five minutes to go until the break Norman had to glove a Hutchings’ hit out for a Chi corner which Prichard delivered and the Herts side cleared easily enough.
And then Bello linked up with Rowlatt only to lose the ball on the stroke of half time.
On 45 minutes Magee saved Sery’s attempt before his cross was too deep and went out for a Chichester goal kick.
Mr Nixon added at least three minutes of additional time and the leveller came with practically the last kick of the half when Troy Perez-Duah got in one-on-one and netted from close range.
Neither side made any changes at the break and Dyer continued to boss things in the second period as his team won a couple of throws straight from the kick off.
Pashley had to concede a corner which the Chi back-line cleared and Rowlatt got fouled by Elliot Betjeminn who was cautioned.
Prichard then struck one off target and Da Costa had to hook away a threatening Mather delivery before Hutchings’ diagonal pass towards Dunn was claimed by Norman.
Page got booked for a nasty tackle on Moore moments later and Hutchings cracked a shot into the St Albans side-netting after combining with Dunn and Obodo.
A dangerous home side free kick on the edge of the penalty area was deflected for a corner on 56 minutes which Page took and Obodo headed away.
And then the Hertfordshire side made the first substitution of the afternoon bringing Adrian Mariappa on for Gauthier.
Moore had a rare shot just after the hour before clearing a Smart cross and another one from the left went too deep as the hosts sought to take the lead.
Pashley headed away and another cross was also hacked clear as Chi dug in to a man before the visitors won a corner when Prichard probed but Hutchings’ kick was hooked out safely enough.
St Albans then exchanged two players in the 69th minute before Mather was adjudged offside and Pashley cleared once more as the home team pressed again.
What would prove to be the winner arrived with 13 minutes of normal time to go when a point-blank Moore stabbed in a Bello bomb of a throw at the back post for 2-1.
A corner at the other end then got headed over by Sery who was also involved as the hosts forced another two corners as it turned all men to the pumps for Chichester to protect their slender advantage.
On 87 minutes Lewis Rustell replaced the hard-working Obodo.
The match officials added five minutes of stoppage time where Rustell latched on to a poor pass up front only to lose control and Prichard forced Norman into a smart stop.
Hutchings blocked Saints sub Haziz Kone’s cross before Sery also had one headed away and at the death Magee denied Alex Wall with a fine save to ensure Chichester picked up all three points.
So, Chi snapped their run of one win in their last six league games to move up two places in the Isthmian premier division.
They welcome Cheshunt to Oaklands Park on Tuesday 16th December (Kick Off 7:45pm).
Chichester – Magee, Dunn, Hutchings, Moore, Da Costa, Pashley, Clarke, Dunn, Rowlatt, Obodo, Prichard (Bennetts, Horncastle, Rustell, Munt, Djemaili).
