The ground was re-laid in ’91 (not that results improved much) and suffered the very first bit of vandalism: the ground’s owner, Henry Lubbock, complained about the damage to his tent which he had loaned the club for the past few seasons, blaming ‘mischievous boys’. The Club, like all (dis)reputable Englishmen, blamed it on the weather.
Local derby games began to be rather serious affairs and St Albans was singled out early as a force to be reckoned with. In fact, in May ’91, the Club committee admitted in the minutes that because it was “sorely afraid of defeat” it would cancel the fixture against St Albans Juniors, and this despite good results that season, winning half of all games played.