26/10/99: FA Carlsberg Vase First Round Replay

Clacton Town 1 Tring Town 1

(aet, Tring won 4-1 on penalties)

Tring held their nerve to win through to a Second Round tie at Great Wakering Rovers after another tense and exciting 120 minutes failed to separate these two sides.

Most of the first half was something of an anticlimax. The closest either side came to scoring was in the 31^st minute when Clacton's Glen Hepburn fired a long-range shot just over the bar. However, during first half injury time, the Clacton side's increasing temper came to the fore, culminating in Scott McKillop being sent off for his second bookable offence. From the resulting free kick, Steve Bateman's shot was only kept out by the post.

Clacton may have been a man down, but they regained their composure and proceeded to have the better of things early in the second half, taking the lead on 50 minutes. Hepburn latched on to Mitchell Springett's chipped pass and slotted home to finally break the deadlock.

But Tring started to get the upper hand as the home side sat back on their lead. From a 53^rd minute corner Paul Aldridge had a shot blocked on the line and Eddie Gerrard fired just wide from the rebound. Soon after Matt Rawdon was put clean through, but placed his shot just wide. Eventually the pressure told as Tring equalised on 65 minutes. After a slow build-up, Andy Simpson floated a cross to the far post, where Rob McKane ghosted in to head the ball home.

From then on the action was end-to-end, with Keith McLoughlin having to produce a fabulous save with his feet to deny Hepburn, and McKane and Marcus Davis going close with shots at the other end.

But once again extra-time was required. When the 30 minutes were up with Tring having missed three very good chances during the second period, it looked like their chance had gone since Tring hadn't had to take a penalty all season up to that point.

However, it didn't work out that way. Neal Bartlett put Tring's first spot-kick away safely, with David Gray replying for Clacton. Rob McKane put Tring 2-1 up before Mark Farthing blasted Clacton's second over the bar. Teenager Paul Turner kept his cool to net Tring's third, and when McLoughlin saved Sean Campbell's kick, it was left to Tring captain Steve Bateman to net the penalty that gave them a 4-1 win and sealed their progress to the next round.

Team: McLoughlin, Bartlett, Simpson, Bateman, Aldridge, Boad, Gerrard (Turner), McKane, Rawdon (Gladdy), Davis, Dale.