22/9/01: FA Carlsberg Vase 2^nd qualifying round

After two very poor league results, Tring returned to form with an excellent display in the FA Vase on Saturday. A goal five minutes from the end of extra time saw off the challenge of Halstead and put Tring into the hat for the first round proper on 20^th October.

In an eventful opening minute to the game, Halstead's Matt Chinnery was booked after just 15 seconds for a challenge on Neal Bartlett, and Scott Walters had a good shooting chance for Tring which he put over the bar from a narrow angle. Other than that, Halstead had the best of the early chances. On 8 minutes Stef Kendall ran onto Paul Gibbens' pass and slipped a shot over Simon Bartley but wide of the far post. On 11 minutes Bartley pulled off a good save at his near post to keep out a shot from Tony French, but he could do nothing on 32 minutes when Kendall played a one-two with Gibbens before firing home a shot into the corner of the net to give Halstead a half-time lead.

Tring looked more purposeful as the second half began, and they were back level on 52 minutes. Chris Gibson's cross was headed out to the edge of the area where Dave Butler fired it back in, and Walters was on hand six yards out to sweep the ball home.

Walters went close again two minutes later when he headed Alex Kinsley's cross just over, and another Kinsley cross on 72 minutes found the head of Leon Hibbert, but his header came back off the bar.

The last five minutes of normal time saw frantic goalmouth action at both ends. Butler's header from Gibson's cross was turned round the post by the keeper, and Lee Johnson hit the post with a header seconds later. Halstead's Grant Strong struck the crossbar from a free kick, while at the other end Walters blocked a clearance by the keeper and almost ran in the rebound but a defender just got back to stab the ball away from his toe. In the final seconds Chinnery broke clear for Halstead, and although Bartley saved his shot it required two follow-up efforts to be blocked inside the six-yard box for Tring to survive and take the match into extra time.

Halstead had the better of the first period and got the ball into the net, but it was ruled out for offside. Tring hit back in the second period, but it looked like the tie was heading for a replay until five minutes from time. Kinsley showed persistence of the edge of the area to work himself into a shooting space, and then struck a low shot past the keeper into the corner of the net to put Tring into a lead which they held onto over a nervous few minutes.

Team: Bartley, Cook (Hibbert), Sangster, Bartlett, B.Johnson (L.Johnson), Boad (Barber), C.Gibson, Walters, Butler, Kinsley, Beamish. Subs not used: J.Gibson, Tyers.