21/4/01: Ryman League Division Three

Tring eventually succumbed to their sixth successive defeat, but this was one match they certainly did not deserve to lose, as they put the division's third-placed team under enormous pressure but again enjoyed very little luck.

Early on it looked as though things were going to go Tring's way. The visitors looked tired, as might be expected after playing three games in the previous five days, and on 11 minutes they presented Tring with the chance to take the lead. Steve Boad was about to flick on Mark Underwood's long throw when he was barged over by Ashford's Jim Heggarty inside the penalty area. The referee pointed straight to the spot, and Alex Kinsley made no mistake with the penalty to put Tring in front.

However, that was one of the few refereeing decisions that Tring were going to get in their favour, and they were soon forced into changes when Antony Beamish had to leave the game with a huge lump under his left eye following a clash with an Ashford defender.

Two examples of poor defending within three minutes saw the game swing in favour of the visitors. On 33 minutes Tring were unable to stop Ashford surging through their defence despite having nine men behind the ball, and Anthony Eggington was the man to finish off the move with a shot from ten yards for the equaliser. On 36 minutes Tring failed to clear an Ashford free kick, and Steve Scott pounced to head home from close range.

However, Tring should have been back on level terms a minute before the break. Mark Burfoot's pass put James Armstrong through on goal, and although Armstrong's shot was parried, the rebound fell for Kinsley, who had the goal at his mercy but chose to blast it rather than sidefoot it, and his shot went wide.

Tring put in a huge effort to save the game in the second half, and had the Ashford goal under siege in the last twenty miuntes of the game. On 70 minutes a lofted pass from Leon Hibbert put Armstrong in with a great chance, but he hurried his shot and skied it high and wide. Three minutes later Simon Kent in the Ashford goal pulled off a great save to tip over a lob from Brian Johnson. On 78 minutes Burfoot had a similar chance to Armstrong's earlier one, but this time brought the ball under control and struck a good shot which brought another good save from Kent.

In the dying minutes Burfoot won the ball on the goal-line and tried to pull it back for Armstrong, but Kent cut out the cross. The final disappointment came when Kinsley was brought down inside the box for what looked like a clear-cut penalty, but the referee gave nothing, and a very relieved Ashford side were able to hold out for their three points.

Team: Bartley, B.Johnson, Harrhy, Bartlett, Underwood, Boad, Cook, Burfoot, Armstrong, Beamish (Hibbert)