28/10/00: Ryman League Division Three

An injury-time equaliser denied Tring the chance to go top of the Division Three table after they had led twice in a tough encounter in wet and windy conditions at Lewes.

Manager Mick Vipond was forced to ring the changes with Mark Underwood and Lee Johnson having picked up injuries in Tuesday night's win. Antony Beamish was also playing with an injury in his last game before starting a three-match suspension. The home side were only playing their fifth league game due to a series of impressive cup results.

Tring had the first clear chance of the game on 9 minutes when Chris Gibson's chipped pass put Mark Swales clean through, but the keeper saved Swales' shot. Lewes had more of the pressure but didn't go close until 29 minutes when Justin Harris headed just wide. A minute later Tring had another good chance when a defender's slip left Alex Kinsley through on the keeper, but he produced an excellent save to keep out Kinsley's firm shot.

Tring keeper Simon Bartley was continuing his solid start for the club; on 34 minutes he had to dive to cut out a cross from Matthew Beeston with two attackers ready to pounce. On 39 minutes good work by Tring's front two of Kinsley and Scott Walters forced a corner. Steve Harrhy floated it to the far post where Steve Boad met it with a tremendous header to send Tring into the break in front.

For much of the second half Tring were penned in their own half as the home side piled on the pressure. On 53 minutes Bartley did well to keep out a shot from Paul Stokes at his near post. However, on 59 minutes he was beaten for the first time in a Tring shirt. A long-range cross found the head of Tommy Pattenden, whose header looped over Bartley into the net.

Lewes would probably have expected to go on and win the game from that point. Instead they gifted Tring the lead back on 68 minutes. As they tried to clear a throw-in near their own corner flag, a defender played the ball across the face of his own penalty area. Mark Swales pounced and hit a first time shot to put Tring back in front.

Tring defended doggedly under ferocious pressure from Lewes over the dying minutes, and it looked as though they were set to hold out for the win. However, two minutes into stoppage time Lewes substitute Richard Hudson produced a fine solo effort to rescue a point for his side. The Tring defence could not stop his powerful run into the box which finished with a shot past Bartley into the net.

A fair result in the end, given the balance of play, and probably one Tring would have settled for before the match, but a disappointing ending for a side that had worked so hard.

Team: Bartley, J.Gibson, Harrhy, Bartlett, Cook (Sangster), Boad, Swales (Groves), C.Gibson, Walters, Kinsley, Beamish.