23/11/99: Vandanel Trophy Second Round

Tring Town 0 Southall 1

Tring have enjoyed many memorable moments in cup matches this season, but there were no more to be added last night as they exited the Vandanel Trophy with barely a whimper. Tring turned in an abject performance against a Southall side that had lost its last eight matches and is under its third manager of the season.

Things started brightly enough, as less than two minutes had gone when Steve Bateman rose highest at a corner, but his header was just cleared off the line. However, Tring's game inexplicably degenerated, and Southall were allowed into the game. Tring's build-up play was poor, and their only threat was coming from set pieces. On 19 minutes Mark Underwood met Andy Simpson's free kick at the far post, but lifted his shot just over the bar, and just before half time, Paul Aldridge hit the bar with a header from a corner.

If the Tring followers were hoping for an improvement in the second half, they were to be sorely disappointed, as it simply got worse. Tring were lifeless, clueless, incapable of stringing two passes together, and unable to cause any significant concern to Southall keeper Ken Lavender. What little football was on view was being played by the visitors, whose young side was always quicker and more enthusiastic.

The only way this wretched contest was going to be decided before a penalty shoot-out was by a scrambled goal, and it was Southall who got it on 63 minutes. When a header from a corner came back off the bar, Michael Barima was quickest to react and netted the rebound. That was the goal which sent Southall on their way to a third round tie at Tooting and Mitcham.

Team: McLoughlin, Underwood, Simpson, Bateman, Aldridge, Woolf, Gerrard, Boad (Turner), Rawdon (Kinsley), Walters (Groves), Bartlett.