The game was ten minutes old when Johnson was penalised for handball, giving Clapton a free kick forty yards from goal. Given the distance, Tring did not even bother with a wall, but they were soon wishing they had. Mesi ran up and hit a rocket straight into the top corner of the net which Tring keeper Mark Whittamore did not get near.

The lively Clapton side were making all the running at this stage and could have gone two up four minutes later when Aaron Nicholls was put clean through, but Whittamore saved with his legs. It was only a temporary reprieve however, for on 19 minutes Mesi received a square pass thirty yards out and hit a first time screamer that flew past Whittamore's depairing grasp to put Clapton into a 2-0 lead.

On 22 minutes Tring went close for the first time when Mike Hemmingway got on the end of a corner with a thumping header, but it went inches over the bar. At the other end Clapton's Olutobi Jinadu headed just over on 31 minutes, and a minute later hit a shot which took a big deflection off Johnson and forced a diving save out of Whittamore. Five minutes before the break Alex Kinsley tried to bring Tring to life when he robbed a defender and made a surging run into the box, but shot just wide.

Tring made a double change at half time, needing an early goal to get back into the match. However, they could not force the ball home from a couple of goalmouth scrambles in the opening minutes of the half, and their best chance came on 57 minutes when Kinsley intercepted a Clapton throw-in and headed for goal, but again shot just wide.

Clapton never looked like surrendering their lead, and it wasn't until injury time that Wayne Barber's overhead kick forced Clapton keeper Carl Prince into his first real save of the match.