9/9/00: Ryman League Division Three

Tring's highly promising start to the season continued as they won their third league match in four attempts to take up a place in the top six of the Division Three table.

The match was evenly-contested from the outset, although Tring had the first real chance on 8 minutes when Mark Underwood's free kick was headed on to Steve Boad at the far post, who shot just over the bar. At the other end Dorking went close on 14 minutes when Danny Stevens got on the end of a cross but his flicked effort went just wide. Two minutes later Dorking went close again when Tring failed to clear a cross and Jamie Sinclair's shot was only kept out by the post.

On 22 minutes Tring had a promising situation when Alex Kinsley and Jamie Hall broke away against two Dorking defenders. Kinsley squared for Hall, but he put his effort wide. Five minutes later Hall returned the compliment was a pass that put Kinsley clear, but the keeper kept out Kinsley's first shot and his effort on the rebound.

With the match being so even the first goal was going to be crucial, and it was Tring who took the lead on 36 minutes in very simple fashion. Underwood floated a free kick from the halfway line to the edge of the penalty area where Antony Beamish met it with a firm header into the corner of the net for his second goal of the week.

Dorking could have equalised soon after when Paul Whittread headed a free kick just over the bar, but on 42 minutes they found themselves two down. Beamish got on the end of an Underwood corner with a header that shouldn't have given the keeper many problems, but not for the only time in the game he fumbled the ball, and Lee Johnson forced the loose ball over the line to send Tring into the break in very good spirits.

It became even better within two minutes of the start of the second half when Tring added a third goal, again from a set piece. This time Steve Harrhy delivered the free kick and Johnson supplied the header that just about killed the game off.

Dorking had a good spell midway through the half when they had a number of near misses, the best of which was a superb volley from their impressive striker Stuart White which came down off the underside of the bar. Their period of pressure was capped by a goal on 70 minutes; White heading in a cross from Stuart May. A quick second goal from Dorking would have put the game back in the melting pot, but Tring weathered the storm and held out to claim the three points.

Team: Milner, Underwood, Harrhy (Groves), Bartlett, Johnson, Boad, Hall (Hemingway), Sangster, Walters (Davis), Kinsley, Beamish.