HERTFORD TOWN 2 TRING ATHLETIC 4
Molten Spartan South Midlands League - Premier Division
Saturday 12th December 2009
Once again Hertford Town will feel a little unlucky not to have got anything out of this game. As seems to be the norm in matches between these two sides there were plenty of goals, though unfortunately for the Blues, the majority were scored by the visitors. It could be said that the game was decided by substitutions: Hertford came back from two down after an inspired double substitution, but a Tring substitute put the game out of reach with two late strikes. Teams- Hertford Town: 1. Lee Robinson, 2. Matt McArdle, 3. Tom Neill, 4. Ryan Gordon, 5. Michael Cooper, 6. Joel Maybury (capt), 7. Jason Coughlan, 8. Owen Beale, 9. Pablo Ardiles, 10. Attila Korsoveczki, 11. Rob Luya. Subs Used: Ryan Redford (for Korsoveczki), Dominic Musafiri (for Coughlan), Lee Roberts (for Beale).
Tring Athletic: 1. Mike Underwood, 2. Dave Salmon, 3. Rob Duncan, 4. Graham Hall (capt), 5. Brett Court, 6. Henry Thomas, 7. Dave Whicker, 8. Chris Salmon, 9. Vinnie Iannone, 10. Darren Franklin, 11. Tony Fields. Sub Used: Ashley Addison (for Iannone).
The home side took the game to their visitors from the off and dominated for the first couple of minutes though things soon evened out. Tring won a corner in the fifth minute, though Dave Whicker's effort came to nothing. Three minutes later Hertford were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position after Rob Luya had been brought down. Jason Coughlan took the kick but his well-weighted effort curled just over the bar. In the thirteenth minute the home side won a corner; Owen Beale played the ball short to Pablo Ardiles, but it was cleared when he played it into the box. From that clearance the visitors immediately mounted a counter-attack, though that was brought short by a foul. Lee Robinson saved well from the resulting free kick.
In the eighteenth minute Attila Korsoveczki tried a shot from distance for the hosts, but it was saved by visiting custodian Mike Underwood. A minute later there was controversy at the other end. Hertford left back Tom Neill tackled Dave Whicker well inside the 18-yard box and won the ball. However, he also collected the Tring player as well and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot. DARREN FRANKLIN blasted the penalty kick into the net to give the visitors the lead.
The home side responded well and began to put pressure on their visitors. The scores should have been level on 26 minutes. Underwood came out to field a back-pass but completely missed his kick, leaving Korsoveczki with the ball in front of an empty net. However, his hesitation in controlling the ball allowed just enough time for a Tring defender to recover and put him off his shot, which was wide. Three minutes later the Blues were again on the attack and won a free kick, though Beale's effort was just wide. The visitors soon forced a corner, though the ball was safely held by Robinson after bouncing off a number of heads in the box.
With play back at the other end, the home side then had another chance; the ball was threaded through to Luya but he shot just wide. The visitors then began to apply the pressure. A good move saw a powerful shot excellently saved by Robinson diving to his right. Tring continued to look dangerous from the resulting corner, though play was eventually stopped for a foul and a free kick awarded to the home side. It was soon time for Tring to miss a golden opportunity as it seemed that Whicker would surely double their lead having beaten the Hertford defence, but he inexplicably shot wide. With four minutes of the half remaining the visitors won a corner, though this was easily cleared and after a few minutes of uneventful play, the referee blew the half time whistle.
Half Time Score: Hertford Town 0 Tring Athletic 1
It was the visitors who attacked from the off at the beginning of the second half, bringing an excellent save out of Robinson in the opening seconds. Within two minutes of the restart they doubled their lead. From the resulting corner after Robinson's save, the ball found CHRIS SALMON, who headed in for 2-0. It then looked like the home side would be overrun as the visitors turned up the pressure. A Tring corner came to nothing but they soon won a free kick. This was taken by captain Graham Hall and cleared the Hertford wall but fell just wide of the target.
The home side weathered the storm and a short while later and at the other end, Korsoveczki found himself unmarked in the Tring box but shot wide. That was to be Korsoveczki's last contribution of any note as Hertford made a double substitution on the hour mark. Coughlan and Korsoveczki left the field to be replaced by Ryan Redford and Dominic Musafiri. After a couple of Tring corners the substitutions began to take effect as the home side started to dominate. A Hertford corner was played short by Luya to PABLO ARDILES, much to the displeasure of the home supporters who had seen so many corners wasted in this way in recent matches. However, Ardiles took the ball into the danger zone and from the edge of the box fired a superb shot into the back of the net.
The hosts continued to dominate and soon won another corner, though Luya's cross was easily cleared. A Tring corner at the other end was also cleared and Hertford mounted an immediate counter-attack. ROB LUYA picked up the ball just inside the Tring half and using his pace and skill beat the opposition defence before slotting the ball past Underwood for the equaliser.
More substitutions followed fifteen minutes from the end. The home side sent on Lee Roberts for Owen Beale and Ashley Addison replaced Vinnie Iannone for the visitors, a change that would have as big an effect as the Hertford double substitution quarter of an hour before. Within four minutes of coming on, ADDISON had restored his side's lead with a spectacular overhead shot that went in off the bar. The home side looked far from beaten and pushed for another equaliser. As the game went into the final five minutes of normal time Roberts shot from distance, but his effort was comfortably held by Underwood.
On ninety minutes Hertford won a corner but it was cleared and Tring immediately countered. With some of the home defence still stranded upfield the ball once again fell to ADDISON and he made no mistake in rifling past the unprotected Robinson to secure the three points for the visitors. A minute later Robinson pulled off an excellent save to ensure the visitors didn't score a fifth. The home side continued to battle and deep into stoppage time forced two consecutive corners. It was not long however, before the referee blew the full time whistle.
Final Score: Hertford Town 2 Tring Athletic 4