30/9/00: FA Cup 2nd qualifying round

Tring's FA Cup adventure is over, but they put up a creditable show against Premier Division opposition, with all the goals coming in a seven-minute second half spell.

The early pressure came from Harrow, with Billy Davies in the Tring goal having to be at his best to keep out a series of shots, the best of them a rasping effort from Otis Roberts on 7 minutes. When Davies was beaten by a shot from Roberts on 20 minutes, the ball was cleared off the line by a Tring defender.

Tring's first effort came on 23 minutes. Alex Kinsley timed his run onto Mark Underwood's ball perfectly, and raced clear of the last defender, but his eventual shot went over the bar. A pass from Antony Beamish three minutes later put Kinsley in a good position again, but his run was ended by a tackle from Oliver Lyons which brought a big shout for a penalty from the Tring players, but no action from the referee. Harrow had another couple of near misses before the break, but Tring got to half time unscathed having kept their discipline and shape well.

Harrow's Mark Xavier had the ball in the net within two minutes of the restart, but although it was ruled out for offside, it was a sign of what was to come. The home side's class was beginning to tell and on 52 minutes they finally broke down the Tring defence. The impressive Xavier got to the bye-line and pulled the ball back across goal where Nikolaj Lund was on hand to net from close range.

The pressure continued, and on 58 minutes Roberts swung over a corner which Pat Gavin met with a thumping header to put Harrow two up. Within a minute of the restart Roberts burst through to hit a shot which Davies could only parry, and Xavier netted the rebound for the killer third goal.

That could have been the cue for the floodgates to open, but Tring tightened up and began to hold their own again. Often they were chasing shadows as Harrow kept possession and knocked the ball around imperiously, but they did not allow any further goals. Tring could have pulled a goal back eight minutes from time when Kinsley robbed Lyons and raced clear again, but this time he shot into the side netting. Tring won a series of corners in a good spell in the closing minutes, but couldn't force the ball home and were shut out for only the third time this season.

Team: Davies, Underwood, Harrhy, Bartlett, Johnson, Boad (Gibson), Hemingway, Sangster (Turner), Walters (Groves), Kinsley, Beamish.