28/8/01: Ryman League Division Three

Tring were unable to follow up their opening win of the season as they crashed to a bad defeat in last night's game at Hornchurch, all of the goals coming during the second half.

Despite having suffered a nightmare journey around the M25, it was Tring who made the brighter opening, with Antony Beamish's overhead kick bringing a save out of the keeper in the opening two minutes. However, the better chances fell to Hornchurch during the first half. On 9 minutes Simon Bartley had to save well when Chris Woolf was clean through, and on 29 minutes Bartley produced a superb one-handed save to keep out a header from Jon Bates.

Having just about held their own during the first half, Tring were behind within two minutes of the restart. Bartley couldn't hold onto a shot from the edge of the area, and in the ensuing goalmouth scramble, Craig Cripps netted the loose ball to put Hornchurch ahead.

Tring theatened to equalise, with Stuart Gallagher setting up Ben Chesters for a shot which was well saved by the keeper on 54 minutes, and from the resulting corner Beamish's header was tipped onto the bar by the keeper. However, Tring's defence always looked vulnerable when Hornchurch broke quickly. On 57 minutes Bartley had to be at his best again when Cripps was clean through and tried to go round him. Tring were hanging on by an increasingly slender thread until two goals within two minutes finished them off. On 64 minutes Tring needlessly gave the ball away in the opposition half, and a well-placed pass up the field put Woolf clear between Neal Bartlett and Brian Johnson, and although Bartley got a hand to Woolf's shot, Bates followed up to net the rebound. Soon after the restart Woolf again found an alarming amount of space to line up a shot and put Hornchurch 3-0 up.

There were brief hopes of a revival when Beamish headed home Mark Underwood's cross on 74 minutes to pull a goal back, but five minutes later Woolf capitalised on a mistake by Bartlett to restore the home side's three-goal cushion, and only some desperate defending prevented further goals over the closing minutes.

Team: Bartley, Underwood, Harrhy, Bartlett, B.Johnson, Boad, Chesters, Cook, Butler, Gallagher (Kinsley), Beamish.