23/12/00: Ryman League Division Three

It is a measure of Tring's progress this season that they can travel to the side placed second in the league and be slightly disappointed at only coming away with a draw, but that would probably have been the expected outcome given that neither Casuals nor Tring had lost in nine and eight league games respectively prior to this one. Tring's resources were stretched, with James Armstrong added to the injured list and two other regulars unavailable, meaning that Mark Burfoot was brought in from the reserves for his first senior game of the season.

Tring's first half display was their best of the season so far, as they put the home side on the back foot from the first whistle. A pass from Mark Swales put Sean Sangster in with a chance on 6 minutes, but a great saving tackle from Ian McDermott denied Sangster. On 11 minutes Alex Kinsley ran on to a flick-on and tried but take the ball round 'keeper John Hotchkiss, but Hotchkiss managed to get a hand to the ball and Kinsley couldn't quite recover enough to turn the loose ball into the net. On 14 minutes Hotchkiss did well to save a free kick from Mark Underwood, and three minutes later Burfoot just failed to connect when Steve Boad flicked Underwood's long throw across the face of goal.

After 20 minutes of one-way traffic Casuals began to come into the game more, although the Tring defencecoped comfortably with their attacks, and Tring finally took a deserved lead on the half-hour. Boad's pass put Kinsley clean through, and he ran on to shoot confidently past Hotchkiss for his 11th goal of the season.

However, one moment of brilliance brought the home side back level seven minutes later. Iain Waghorn got on the end of a corner with a first-time swivelling volley that flew into the top corner giving Simon Bartley no chance.

Three minutes later Tring had a corner of their own. The ball was not cleared, and as Lee Johnson moved in to pounce on the loose ball, his legs were taken away from him by a defender. The referee pointed to the spot and Kinsley despatched the penalty without drama to put Tring back in front. Before the restart, the home side's Leon Raishbrook, who was not happy with the penalty decision, had his say to one of the assistant referees and was promptly sent off for foul and abusive language.

So Tring started the second half with the lead and a man advantage, but as usually happens, the side with ten men redoubled their efforts. Swales could have made things more comfortable for Tring on 51 minutes when Boad's pass put him clean through, but at the vital moment Swales sliced his shot wide. Casuals came back strongly, although their equaliser on 56 minutes was something of a gift. As a long ball was played through to Waghorn, Neal Bartlett could have cleared, but under a call from Bartley left it. Bartley failed to get hold of the ball properly, leaving Waghorn the empty net at his mercy and a simple equaliser.

Both sides knew the importance of this game and both strove to win it, but apart from a nervous moment when Bartley spilled a free kick, neither keeper was seriously troubled over the last half hour despite a number of promising situations.

Team: Bartley, Underwood, J.Gibson, Bartlett, Johnson, Boad, Swales (Hall), Sangster, Burfoot, Kinsley, Beamish.