21/8/99: FA Cup Preliminary Round

Kingsbury Town 2 Tring Town 1

Tring's poor start continued as they went out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle to the side that finished above them in the league last season only on goal difference. Mick Vipond has some new signings in the pipeline, but they would not have been eligible to play in this match.

Tring dominated the early stages of the game, but the closest they came was after five minutes when Matt Rawdon's cross flashed across the face of goal, but nobody could get a touch to it. Tring forced numerous corners and kept the home side pinned in their own half, but didn't force a serious save out of the Kingsbury keeper.

Preedictably, Kingsbury took the lead on 34 minutes from their first meaningful attack. Tring found themselves outnumbered at the back as the ball passed between several players before finding Terry Dunning with the time and space to shoot past Keith McLoughlin, back in the Tring side after injury.

Things got worse for Tring three minutes later when Jason Asquith was adjudged to have pushed Kingsbury's Jeb Hughes in the back as both went up for a ball in the area. Hughes got up to take the penalty himself, and although McLoughlin saved, Hughes followed up to net the rebound and put Kingsbury 2-0 ahead.

Kingsbury changed their goalkeeper at half-time, and the new custodian Lee Clark did not make an auspicious start to the half. Five minutes in, Tring's Andy Simpson floated a free kick into the box. Clark went up for the ball under pressure from Asquith, but neither touched the ball as it went straight through into the net to put Tring back in the game.

That should have been the cue for Tring to pile pressure on the Kingsbury goal, but it never materialised. They came close on 65 minutes when another free kick into the box caused problems. After several rebounds the ball fell for Asquith, but his shot from point blank range was blocked on the line.

Tring's clearest chance for an equaliser came nine minutes from the end when Rawdon's pass put Rob McKane clean through on goal, but McKane's shot was straight at the keeper. In fact Kingsbury looked the likelier side to score, and McLoughlin had to pull off a couple of great saves late in the game to prevent them increasing their lead.

Team: McLoughlin, Underwood, Simpson, Dale, Turner, Asquith (Kinsley), Gerrard (A.Corcoran), McKane, Rawdon, Godbould (McGuire), Sangster.