9/3/02: Ryman League Division Three

Tring continue to be one of the hardest sides in the division to beat; they have lost only one of twelve league games played since the turn of the year. Although a point against a bottom three side may not look a good result on paper, given that Tring had four key players missing, including both regular central defenders, they did well to get something out of a game against a Flackwell side that have shown improved form of late themselves.

A hard, bumpy pitch and strong winds made any kind of controlled football difficult, and this was generally a scrappy game with few clear-cut chances for either side. The first half in particular saw little goalmouth action, with Tring having the only two presentable chances. On 23 minutes Alex Kinsley crossed from the right to set up a chance for Wayne Barber, but he shot over the bar, and on 32 minutes Sean Sangster's pass put Kinsley through, but the keeper saved with his legs to keep out Kinsley's shot.

The second half started similarly, but on 52 minutes Tring made the breakthrough. Brian Johnson's chipped pass from the halfway line was carried over a defender's head by the wind, leaving Kinsley through on the keeper, and this time Kinsley drilled the ball past the keeper for his 15^th goal of the season, equalling his tally from last season.

However, Tring's lead only lasted for 12 minutes. A ball over the top was misjudged by Mark Congalton, allowing Flackwell's Gavin Mernagh to get ahead of him and fire home an angled shot from the edge of the area.

On 72 minutes Flackwell's Neil Catlin put in a bad challenge on Scott Walters, to which the Tring man retaliated by laying out Catlin with an elbow. Walters received a straight red card, and Catlin was shown his second yellow card for the tackle, leaving both sides with only ten men. The game looked set to peter out to a draw, although Flackwell had the better chances to win it, with Simon Bartley having to save a shot from Tristan Heywood from close range, and Mernagh shooting wide when through on Bartley. In the end neither side could complain about the result.

Team: Bartley, J.Gibson (Hinckson), Barber, Bartlett, B.Johnson (Oliver), C.Gibson, Underwood, Walters, Sangster, Kinsley, Congalton.