2/12/00: Ryman League Division Three

Tring kept up the pressure at the top of the table as they racked up their highest score of the season so far, and could have had many more goals. It is their biggest league win for over five years. However, the victory was soured by the controversial sending off of Scott Walters, his second dismissal in as many matches.

Tring had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the third minute. Walters was brought down inside the box by Hertford defender Adam Pearce, but Neal Bartlett's penalty was saved by keeper Richard Hayward, and Hayward also recovered quickly to save the follow-up effort from Steve Boad. Another great chance was spurned on 10 minutes when Alex Kinsley's pass set up Walters with only Hayward to beat, but Walters' control was poor and Hayward came out to block his shot.

Tring did eventually take the lead two minutes later. Steve Harrhy floated in a free kick, and Walters got in front of Hayward and flicked a header back over the stranded keeper into the net.

Tring continued to press forward, and went further in front on 29 minutes. Walters' pass put Kinsley clean through (see photo on right), and the 20-year old ended a nine-game scoring drought by slotting calmly past Hayward for the second goal.

However, Tring began to take it too easy for a while and allowed Hertford back into the game. A Hertford free kick on 34 minutes was needlessly diverted by Joe Gibson across the face of his own goal to present Sam Garraway with the simplest of tap-ins, and make the final ten minutes of the half uncomfortable for Tring.

Tring recovered their composure in the second half, though, and the match was decided by three goals in a four-minute spell. On 58 minutes Kinsley ran on to a pass from Mark Swales and took it on before shooting home decisively. Within two minutes Swales connected with a cross from Underwood to hit a shot that Hayward should have kept out but somehow let through. Hayward was also at fault for the next goal, completely miskicking a clearance to Kinsley, who crossed for Walters to head home the fifth into the empty net.

Kinsley had two gilt-edged chances to complete his hat-trick, but was denied by Hayward both times, before the most controversial incident of the game on 81 minutes. Walters went down under a challenge in the area which looked like a clear-cut penalty. Referee Mick Robinson had other ideas, though, and booked Walters for diving, to the amazement of most people in the ground. Further protests from Walters brought an instant second yellow along with a red, and Tring were down to ten men.

Both sides had a number of good chances to put the ball in the net over the closing minutes, but Tring came the closest in injury time when a header from Antony Beamish crashed against the crossbar.

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

Tring's last win of that magnitude was on October 23rd 1995 when Lewes were beaten 5-1 in a league match at Pendley.