20/10/01: FA Carlsberg Vase First Round

Tring Town 0 Southall Town 3

Tring's run in the Vase came to a disappointing end on Saturday, as they got exactly what they deserved from a dreadful performance against a lively Southall Town side managed by former Tring manager Denis Bainborough.

The early stages of the game were very scrappy, with neither side able to create much in the way of clear-cut chances. Tring's best chance came on 23 minutes when Alex Kinsley intercepted a back pass from Reinout Jenssen, but Kinsley dithered too long on the ball and allowed 'keeper Kenny Lavender to recover. The deadlock was broken on 35 minutes when former Tring player Steve Bircham was allowed to get to the bye-line and pull the back across goal, where Matthew Smith had little trouble in finishing from close range.

Tring's task became even harder thanks to a bizarre goal on 48 minutes. Craig Elliot's free kick from the edge of the penalty area looked a routine take for Simon Bartley, but the ball took a wicked bounce off the turf which left Bartley grabbing thin air as the ball flew over him into the net.

Tring could have got back into the game four minutes later when Leon Hibbert's header across goal found Kinsley at the far post, but Kinsley took an extra touch and his shot was blocked. From the resulting corner Lee Johnson rose unchallenged but could only head over the bar. Shortly afterwards, manager Howard Cowley made a triple substitution, but the best that Tring could manage were shots way over the bar from Hibbert and Kinsley, and a shot just wide of the far post from Scott Walters after Chris Gibson's driving run from the half-way line had set him up.

Any lingering hopes Tring might have had were extinguished on 74 minutes when they conceded another poor goal. Bircham's corner was flicked on by the unchallenged Darren O'Connor, and Ross Christie slid in at the far post for Southall's third goal.

The visitors finished the match with ten men when, having used all three subs, 'keeper Lavender was involved in an accidental collision with Antony Beamish. Lavender had to leave the game with horrific facial injuries, and another ex-Tring player Ricky Fletcher took over in goal for the last ten minutes, but Tring did not trouble him any more than they had Lavender.

Team: Bartley, Hibbert, Barber (Gibson), Bartlett, L.Johnson, Underwood (Boad), Sangster, Cook (Oliver), Walters, Kinsley, Beamish.