Report by Peter Berman

In what was seen by many as a warm up for Monday's St Mary's Cup final, in which we take on Oxhey Jets, Leverstock Green came agonisingly close to signing off the league season with a point at home to Tring Athletic. But it wasn't to be, as ex-Leverstock Green player Stewart King came back to haunt us.

Considering both teams were already safe, this was in no way your usual slow end of season game with nothing for either team to fight for. Instead, it was lively from the start, and it was the visitors who were asking most of the questions early on.

As early as the first minute Chris Vardy hit the bar. However, Green quickly got themselves organised, and aside from a 9th minute Graham Hall free kick that had to be saved by Kieron Jimmy, Tring struggled to make many subsequent chances early in the game. Green had a penalty shout in the 10th minute, as Chad Pinching crossed the ball into Callum Wright, who went down after contact with the keeper, but the ref waved play on.

This forced the visitors into shooting from range; something which Taylor Collins tried in the 16th minute, but Jimmy's goal went unthreatened. After surviving plenty of early pressure, Green had their first big chance in the 29th minute, but Callum Wright was off target.

Unfortunately though it was Tring who made the breakthrough, as three minutes later Collins found Stewart King in space, and the latter produced a header that put his new club ahead of his old one.

Undeterred, Green kept on pressing, and their biggest chance of the first half came when in the 41st minute as Gareth Long's shot was deflected but found the feet of Pinching, who fired it back at Dan Saunders, who saved it, but looked a little uncertain in the process.

Just before half time Elliot Braithwaite picked up an injury, and Luke Warner-Eley came on in his place. It turned out to be a game-changing substitution, as the young defender went on to put in an excellent performance. Green had one more chance before half time, as Dan Lake nearly managed a link up with Pinching, but again Tring were able to clear.

When the game restarted, Green began the second half as they had finished the first, and they were very much on the front foot. A free kick by Warner-Eley caused pinball in the penalty area, and when it fell back to his feet he sent it back in at a difficult angle and with such speed that all Tring defender Dan Stedman could do was turn it into his own net. An own goal, but one that Warner-Eley can take a large slice of the credit for.

Five minutes later Pinching could have put Levy ahead with a header, but Saunders was on hand to keep the scores level. Over the course of the following half hour, any clear chances were few and far between, but Levy did have the ball in the back of the net in the 84th minute. However, Shaq Agada was ruled offside and the goal didn't stand.

The looked to be heading for a draw, but with a last gasp effort Stewart King again broke the deadlock, streaking clear of the home defence to make the score 2-1, and that was that.

This was still a good performance from Green though, and there are many positives to take into the Cup Final on Monday.