8/4/00: Ryman League Division Three

Hornchurch 4 Tring Town 1

Tring's five-game unbeaten away run was ended by a Hornchurch side that is still very much in the running for the third promotion spot. However, the scoreline flattered the home side, the only difference between the teams being that Hornchurch took their chances and Tring didn't.

Tring had made the better start of the two sides, forcing a number of early corners and keeping the home side under pressure, yet they somehow found themselves two goals down after half-an-hour. From Hornchurch's first real attack on 21 minutes, Craig Cripps got behind the Tring defence and crossed for Danny Goody to finish from close range. On 28 minutes Neal Bartlett was adjudged to have held down a Hornchurch forward just inside the box, and Rob Risley put the penalty away to put them 2-0 up.

Tring continued to have the bulk of the possession and started creating some clear chances. A snap shot from Eddie Gerrard went just wide on 30 minutes. Three minutes later a Hornchurch defender flicked the ball towards his own goal to leave Rob McKane one-on-one with the keeper, but McKane hit his shot straight at him. On 39 minutes a flick-on from a long throw fell for Gerrard, but he shot wide from 8 yards. The clearest chance of all arrived in the last minute of the half. A super flick from Fergus Nevin put Alex Kinsley clean through, but the youngster pushed his shot wide of the post.

Tring would still have held hopes of getting back in the game in the second half, but those hopes were ended after just three minutes. A clearing header fell in to the path of Nick Lowery, who spotted Tring keeper Alistair Joslin off his line and chipped him from 20 yards to put Hornchurch three up.

The game was effectively over by now, and further salt was rubbed in the wounds by Chris Woolf, who took advantage of a mistake by Joslin to add a simple fourth on 65 minutes. In the final minute Tring finally found the net when Gerrard slotted home, but it was scant consolation.

Team: Joslin, Underwood (Armstrong), Simpson, Gordon, Bartlett, Boad, Gerrard, McKane, Kinsley (Groves), Oliver, Nevin (Walsh)