29/11/00: Herts Senior Cup 2nd Round

Tring progressed to a Herts Senior Cup quarter-final tie away to Hoddesdon Town or Ware after an eventful match which saw three players sent off.

The first half was evenly contested, although it was Tring that had the better chances. On 10 minutes Scott Walters struck a long range shot which went inches over the bar. On 23 minutes Alex Kinsley outpaced the Potters Bar defence to go clean through, but he dragged his shot across the face of goal. Tring had a good spell towards the end of the half which resulted in them taking the lead on 43 minutes. Mark Swales' pass enabled Marcus Davis to beat the offside trap, and Davis sidestepped the keeper before firing Tring in front. Tring almost went further ahead in injury time when Walters got on the end of Steve Harrhy's cross and turned, but shot just wide.

Tring paid the price for a sluggish start to the second half. In the third minutes of the half a Potters Bar cross was flicked on to the far post, where Chris Griggs shot home the equaliser. However, on 55 minutes Tring went back in front in spectacular fashion. Marcus Davis received the ball on the halfway line and went on a purposeful run before cutting inside and striking a thunderous shot from 25 yards that gave the keeper no chance.

The goal sparked Tring into their best spell of the match. Five minutes later Swales' shot across the face of goal found Mark Underwood, whose shot hit the post. On 68 minutes Swales was put clean through, but ran on to pull his shot just wide of the post. Two minutes later Underwood started the move that led to Tring's third goal. His ball down the line sent Swales clear, and Swales' cross was met by Tony Cook, whose shot into the net was virtually his first touch after coming off the bench minutes earlier.

Before the restart Potters Bar defender Ryan Harris became the first player to receive a red card for protesting too much about the goal. By now Tring were rampant, and Davis looked set for his hat-trick on 72 minutes when he was through on the keeper again, but this time squared for Walters, who somehow put the ball over the bar with an empty net gaping from inside the six-yard box. Underwood came close with two shots before Davis set up Walters with another great chance on 77 minutes, but this time Walters was denied by the keeper.

That proved to be Walters' last chance of the game. Two minutes later he was involved in a clash with the visitors' near-namesake Scott Walton. It was a repeat of a first-half clash between the two which had seen both booked, and this time both players received another yellow with a red to match.

Tring took their foot off the pedal rather too early, and almost paid the price for not having taken more of their chances. The visitors pulled a goal back two minutes from time when Lee Talbot shot home from the edge of the area, and Tring had to endure a nervous couple of minutes before the referee finally blew for time and confirmed their passage into the next round.

Team: Bartley, J.Gibson, Harrhy, Bartlett, Johnson, Boad (C.Gibson), Swales (Sissons), Davis, Walters, Kinsley (Cook), Underwood. Subs not used: Beamish, Sangster.