4/9/99: Ryman League Division Three

Clapton 1 Tring Town 0

Tring failed to carry their form from the midweek win over Edgware into Saturday's league match at Clapton. The absence of a couple of players from that win through injury and illness didn't help, neither did a dreadful bumpy pitch with sand-filled holes the size of golf bunkers.

This was generally a poor match with few chances for either side. Tring's first attack of note came in the 16^th minute with Andy Simpson's ball over the top to Matt Rawdon, whose pace took him clear of the Clapton defence, but Rawdon's attempt to lob the advancing keeper went over the bar.

The only goal arrived on 30 minutes as a result of a poor punch by Keith McLoughlin, which went straight to a Clapton player. The ball was put back into the penalty area, where Paul Murphy eventually scrambled the ball home. Tring came close again on 37 minutes when Rawdon pulled the ball back from the goal line to Rob McKane, who shot just wide.

The second half was no improvement on the first. Tring's top scorer Kevin Godbold, who was not fully fit, came on midway through the half in place of Mark Ayres, who had not made much of an impression on his debut, and Tring were unlucky not to rescue at least a point. Seven minutes from time a close-range shot from McKane was kept out by the goalkeeper's foot, and a minute later a deflected shot from Godbold produced a great save from the keeper, who stopped the ball right on the line.

Team: McLoughlin, Underwood, Simpson, Turner, Aldridge, Dale, McGuire, McKane, Rawdon, Ayres (Godbold), Sangster.