4/12/01: Ryman League Division Three

A last-gasp stunner from Mark Underwood earned Tring their first away league win of the season, and it was no less than they deserved from a performance that was nothing less than heroic, given that they played most of the game with only ten men.

Tring were forced into a change within the opening ten minutes of the game when Ben Chesters received a boot in the face in a 50-50 challenge for the ball. Chesters sustained a bad cut to the eye which required a trip to hospital for stitches. On 23 minutes came the incident which saw Tring reduced to ten men. Scott Walters was being held by an opponent, for which the referee should have blown up but didn't, but Walters inexcusably raised his arm and caught the opponent in the face. The referee had no choice but to show Walters the red card.

Tring were up against it now, but they had a great chance to take the lead on 29 minutes. Dave Butler intercepted an underhit back pass, and took the ball round the keeper. Butler had an open goal to aim at but didn't hit his shot hard enough and a defender scrambled back to clear the ball off the line.

Tring also failed to make the most of two free headers from corners, but they still managed to go into the break ahead. On 40 minutes Alex Kinsley went on a solo run, taking on a defender on the edge of the area before hitting a shot with the outside of his right boot which curled around the keeper's outstretched arm to give Tring a deserved lead.

Witham came out for the second half more fired up, and had a couple of chances to score before equalising on 55 minutes. Tring were caught out by a quick counter-attack down the left, and when the cross came over Kevin Inglis could hardly miss with a header from point-blank range.

From that point, most would have expected Witham to go on and win the game, but Tring simply dug in and never gave up. The Tring goal came under increasing pressure towards the end of the game, but a series of great saves and goalline clearances kept the score level as Tring battled magnificently.

It looked as though they had done enough to hang on for a point, but remarkably they ended up going home with all three. Two minutes into stoppage time a Tring cross was headed away as far as Mark Underwood, who was 30 yards out when he received the ball. Underwood could have chipped the ball back into the box, but instead he hit a shot which completely deceived the keeper as it bounced in front of him and found the corner of the net. The jubilant Tring side held out for the remaining five minutes of stoppage time to claim a notable victory.

Team: Bartley, C.Gibson, Barber, Bartlett, L.Johnson, Chesters (Underwood) (B.Johnson), Sangster, Walters, Butler (Hibbert), Kinsley, Beamish.