28/11/98: Ryman League Division Three
Tring Town 2 Lewes 4
Tring were looking good for their first league win when they led 2-1 at half time against Lewes, but another poor second half showing saw them finish up pointless again.
Only 6 minutes had gone when Tring took the lead in spectacular fashion. There seemed little danger until the ball broke for Adam Dale, who struck an instant shot from 25 yards that gave Lewes' ex-pro keeper John Keeley no chance.
It could have been two on 12 minutes when Ben McGuire delivered a cross which Wayne Gladdy made good contact with, despite the attention of several defenders, but Keeley saved.
Lewes then began to come back into the game. On 14 minutes Paul Turner twice had to clear off the line to keep out a close range header from Andy Johnson and the follow-up shot. A minute later Keith McLoughlin produced a good save to deny a shot from Johnson, but from the resulting corner Jon Lockhart equalised with a glancing near-post header that looped into the net.
On 36 minutes Tring were back in front. Dale's pass set Tristan Heywood clear, and when Keeley saved Heywood's shot with his leg, Dale was on hand to blast home the rebound for his and Tring's second goal.
Late in the half Peter Owen had a header from a corner cleared off the line as Tring ended the half in a good mood.
It didn't last too long into the second half, though. On 49 minutes Lewes' Peter Brackley delivered a deep cross which was headed back across goal for Andy Johnson to head the equaliser.
Four minutes later McLoughlin kept out a shot with a spectacular save, but from the corner Tring were caught out when the ball was played out to Lockhart on the edge of the area, who blasted home a shot to put Lewes in front.
Suddenly everything that Tring had been doing right in the first half had vanished, and the visitors were well on top. From then on Tring rarely threatened, with their best moment coming with a surging run from his own half into the opposition box by Ben Williams, which came to nothing.
Lewes made sure of the points on 82 minutes when Johnson completed his hat-trick, finishing from close range after a neat passing move.
Team: McLoughlin, Williams, McGuire (Lay), Jones, Jashek, Turner, Wells, Dale, Owen, Heywood, Gladdy (Kinsley).