Saturday 14th December 2002 Ryman League Division Two
Tring Town (0) 2 (Hutchinson 87, Kinsley 90)
Ware (3) 3 (Wingrove 4, Furness 25, 42)
At Pendley Sports Centre, Tring
A late comeback was not enough for Tring to rescue a point from a game in which first half mistakes left them three goals behind at the break. The only difference between the two sides was finishing; Tring were punished for their mistakes and Ware were not.

Tring were behind as early as the fourth minute to a goal out of nothing. Having won the ball in the middle of the Tring half, Ware's Billy Wingrove struck a speculative shot from 30 yards which found Tring keeper Mark Whittamore off his line. The ball flew over Whittamore's outstretched arm and dipped just enough to go in off the underside of the bar.

Tring soon got themselves going, though, and had a ten minute spell in which they should have scored. On 15 minutes Kevin Chakaodza received a ball over the top fromWayne Barber and sidestepped a defender before hitting his shot just wide of the near post. Seconds later Chakaodza was in again, and although he was tackled before he could shoot, the loose ball went to Alex Kinsley, whose shot was blocked on the line. The rebound fell for Dean Hutchinson six yards out, but with the net gaping, Hutchinson's shot hit the bar. On 19 minutes a long-range effort from Barber brought a great save out of Ware keeper Lee Robinson.

Having failed to capitalise on their period of pressure, Tring found themselves two down on 25 minutes. Tring were outnumbered on the left hand side of the penalty area, and Adam Furness drilled home a low shot from the angle of the six-yard box.

Soon after that, Tring lost Brian Johnson to injury, and on 42 minutes conceded another mistake-ridden goal. Gary Clark gave away possession in the Ware half, and the ball was played quickly forward to Furness. Rob Woolfrey came in to tackle but slipped over to leave Furness with a clear run on goal, and he made no mistake with the finish to put Ware 3-0 ahead.

There was a glimmer of hope for Tring as Ware were needlessly reduced to ten men. As the teams were walking off the field for half time, Ware's Nicky Burt stupidly threw the ball at Wayne Barber's face. Burt had been booked only seconds earlier, but got a straight red card for his inexplicable actions.

The second half was played almost entirely in the Ware half. Tring got their composure back and passed the ball around as well as they have done all season. However, Ware defended in numbers and made it difficult for Tring to create clear-cut chances, and Tring missed a few opportunities when they could have chased up loose balls in the penalty area. An early goal could have made all the difference, but in the end Tring did not break through until three minutes from time. After another patient build-up, Hutchinson hit a clean first-time shot from 20 yards that flew into the top corner of the net.

Tring were not finished yet. In the last minute of normal time Kinsley floated in a free kick from near the touchline. Robinson misjudged the ball and it went over his head straight into the net. Tring were now right back in the game, but it was just too late, as they could not find another opening in the three minutes of stoppage time, and were left to rue the fact that the game had effectively been lost in the first half.
Tring Town: 1. Mark Whittamore, 2. Rob Woolfrey, 3. Wayne Barber, 4. Joe Gibson, 5. Brian Johnson, 6. Paul Turner, 7. Sean Sangster, 8. Mike Hemmingway, 9. Kevin Chakaodza, 10. Alex Kinsley, 11. Dean Hutchinson. Subs: 12. Gary Clark (for Johnson 33 mins), 14. Steve Groves (for Hemmingway H/T), 15. Andy Sissons, 16. Gary Lawson (for Sangster 63 mins) GK. David Clark.

Ware: 1. Lee Robinson, 2. Andy Edmonds, 3. James Abbott, 4. Dave Greenwood, 5. Shayne Mangodza, 6. Kevin Kilroy, 7. David Hunt, 8. Adam Furness, 9. Kevin Cooper, 10. Nicky Burt, 11. Billy Wingrove. Subs: 12. Greg Moy (for Furness 81 mins), 14. Matt McArdle (for Hunt 90 mins), 15. Dean McAteer.

Bookings:
40 mins - Ware - Furness (delaying free kick)
45 mins - Ware - Burt (foul)
89 mins - Tring - Hutchinson (foul)

Sent Off:
45 mins - Ware - Burt (throwing ball at opponent)

Referee: Richard Sidlin

Attendance: 62