7/10/00: Ryman League Division Three

After their encouraging start to the season, Tring seem to be running into something of a sticky patch. Saturday's defeat in dreadful conditions at Aveley was their second 4-2 reverse of the week.

Following Tuesday night's debacle, Mick Vipond unveiled a new goalkeeper in Andy Hopping, but he did not make the best of starts to his Tring career as the home side were 2-0 up within ten minutes of the start. On 6 minutes there was no challenge when Kenny Leslie stooped to head home a cross from close range. Three minutes later Mark Underwood miscued a clearance into the path of Ritchie Hobbs, who had only Hopping to beat and slotted the ball home successfully.

Tring were finding it difficult to make progress against a tough Aveley defence, but they could have pulled a goal back on 15 minutes when Marcus Davis went on a mazy run past several defenders before setting up Chris Gibson for a shot which hit the bar. However, there were few other scares for Aveley's keeper Marc Baker, and only a goal-line clearance from Steve Harrhy prevented Leslie's 37^th minute shot from increasing the Aveley lead.

Tring made a brighter start to the second half, with a well-struck shot from Alex Kinsley forcing Baker into his first save of the game on 49 minutes. On 54 minutes Tring got themselves back into the game with the type of goal that is becoming very familiar to their followers. Underwood floated a cross from the right touchline to the far post, where Antony Beamish got on the end of it to head home his seventh goal of the season - all of them headers.

However, no further chances were forthcoming, and Tring found themselves again facing a two-goal deficit on 70 minutes, Leslie gettting a glancing touch to Lewis Nightingale's cross for Aveley's third goal. On 81 minutes Danny Curran bundled home a cross from close range to make it 4-1. That put the game well and truly beyond Tring's reach, although there were a couple of late twists. A minute from time Aveley were reduced to ten men when Nightingale was sent off for swearing, and deep into injury time Scott Walters got clear to net a consolation goal for Tring, but it was too late to do anything about the outcome of the game.

Team: Hopping, Underwood, Harrhy, Bartlett, Johnson, Boad, Gibson, Sangster (Walters), Davis, Kinsley, Beamish.