Saturday 21st September 2002 FA Vase 2nd Qualifying Round
Broxbourne Borough V&E (1) 3 (Kessack 15, Reave 47, Alhadi 95)
Tring Town (2) 2 (Hall 24, Woolfrey 43)
At Goffs Lane, Cheshunt aet, 90 mins 2-2
Tring came back down to earth after their midweek win at Berkhamsted, as they crashed out of the Vase at the first hurdle to opposition from the Spartan South Midlands League. Too many of Tring's talented but inexperienced side underperformed on the day, and they will have to add consistency to their game if Tring are to prosper this season.

Tring started the game slowly and withstood some heavy pressure from the home side in the opening minutes, before coming close to scoring on their first attack of the game after 9 minutes. A ball over the top put Alex Kinsley clear, but Kinsley's lob over the keeper landed just wide of the goal. Tring's achilles heel in the last few games has been their defending of crosses, and they suffered again on 15 minutes when Kevin Reave crossed and Steve Kessack was left unmarked to head Broxbourne into the lead.

Rob Woolfrey (left) scores Tring's second goal as Broxbourne keeper Dan Croffie tries to recover his mistake.

However, Tring managed to play their way back into the game despite not being at their best. On 24 minutes a long throw from Kinsley dropped down for Jamie Hall on the edge of the area, and Hall's shot found the net via a deflection for the equaliser and Hall's fourth goal of the season.

Tring should have taken the lead two minutes later when Hall made a run across the face of the six yard box, but having eventually opened up a shooting chance, Hall shot straight at the keeper. Two minutes from the break, Tring did go infront, thanks to an awful blunder from Broxbourne keeper Dan Croffie. Kinsley's free kick into the box looked to be a simple take for Croffie, but he allowed the ball to squirm through his hands, and Rob Woolfrey forced the loose ball over the line to put Tring 2-1 up.

They almost surrendered the lead on the stroke of half time when Tring again left a player unmarked in front of goal, but Jamie Elliot's free header was well saved by Tring keeper David Clark.

Within two minutes of the restart, though, Clark had no chance when another cross caused Tring all sorts of problems, and Reave scored with a diving header to level the scores. Tring continued to face problems from crosses, and three times over the next few minutes Clark had to save close range headers to keep Tring in the game.

Over the last twenty minutes of normal time, Tring seemed to raise their game up a gear, and should have found the winner from a series of attacks on the Broxbourne goal. Substutute Kevin Chakaodza hit the post from close range on 70 minutes and had his effort from the rebound saved. Kinsley had a shot from a narrow angle tipped over the bar on 77 minutes, and Chakaodza twice shot just over the bar from solo runs. Too many of the attacks fizzled out due to poor final balls, though, and normal time finished with the scores at 2-2.

Five minutes into extra time Broxbourne again profited from poor defending of a cross, and this time it was Kessack who supplied the cross for Lawal Alhadi to strike from inside the six yard box, and Tring were now trailing again.

The threat from the Tring forwards faded after this, and their last chance to save the game came five minutes from the end of extra time when Groves laid off the ball to set up Chakaodza, but he shot over the bar to leave Tring staring at an early exit.

Broxbourne Borough: 1. Dan Croffie, 2. Ian Clark, 3. Steve Weldon, 4. Scott Brookes, 5. Brian Boehmer, 6. Steve Scripps, 7. Kevin Reave, 8. Jamie Elliot, 9. David Pigden, 10. Dean Langston, 11. Steve Kessack. Subs: 12. Nigel Kibler, 14. Lawal Alhadil (for Langston 74 mins), 15. Craig Joyce (for Elliot 90 mins), 16. Wes Pullen, GK. Tom Twilley.

Tring Town: 1. David Clark, 2. Joe Gibson, 3. Steve Groves, 4. Rob Woolfrey, 5. Ricky Levenston, 6. Mike Hemmingway, 7. Sean Sangster, 8. Gary Clark, 9. Jamie Hall, 10. Alex Kinsley, 11. Steve Groves. Subs: 12. Kevin Chakaodza (for G.Clark 60 mins), 14. Sean McCarthy (for Gibson 103 mins), 15. Adam Moriarty, 16. Andy Sissons (for Hemmingway 105 mins), GK. Mark Whittamore.

Bookings:
64 mins - Broxbourne - Boehmer (foul)
86 mins - Broxbourne - Clark (foul)
111 mins - Tring - Kinsley (foul)

Referee: Geoff Garnham

Attendance: 39