Members
of the Molten Spartan South Midlands League
Members
of the Southern Counties Floodlit Youth League
|
| Match Report |
| Saturday 12th
April 2008 |
Molten Spartan South
Midlands League Premier Division |
| Tring Athletic |
(0) |
2 |
Humphreys 70, 82 |
| Leverstock Green |
(1) |
3 |
Arthur 41, 88, Jowle 86 |
| at Cow Lane |
Two goals in the
last five minutes settled this thriller
of a local derby. Leverstock Green had
thrown away a half-time lead to trail 2-1
to Tring’s ten men, but late strikes
from Frankie Jowle and Allan Arthur
turned the game back in their favour and
ensured that Green completed their away
fixtures with a win.
The early stages of the game belonged to
the home side as Leverstock were pinned
inside their own half, however the Green
defence held out under pressure, and
actually had the ball in the Tring net
from a quick break on 12 minutes. Frankie
Jowle’s pass put James Armstrong
through to score, but the linesman had
already flagged Armstrong for offside and
the goal was chalked off.
Tring threatened again on 14 minutes when
Dave Whicker slid in to meet Ty
North’s cross at the near post, but
it went into the side netting. Green
eventually started to play their way into
the game, and a speculative dipping
effort from Steve Flain almost caught
Tring keeper Sam Styles off his line on
35 minutes, but Styles claimed the ball.
The turning point of the game came on 37
minutes when the home side were reduced
to ten men. Whicker had earlier been
booked for retaliating to a foul from
Steve Hawes, for which Hawes was also
booked. Whicker’s tackle from behind
on Matt Wardle earned him a second, if
somewhat harsh, yellow card and an early
bath, to the extreme apoplexy of Tring
manager Phil Casserley.
Four minutes later, Jowle floated a free
kick from the halfway line into the Tring
box, and Allan Arthur connected with a
superb header that looped over Styles to
put Leverstock into a 1-0 lead. The lead
was very nearly doubled two minutes later.
Flain’s corner was headed away to
the edge of the box, but only as far as
Hawes, who met it with a fierce volley
only for Styles to pull off a brilliant
save and tip it over the bar.
Casserley continued his protest to the
referee as the teams were coming off at
the break, and his mood was not improved
in the opening minute of the second half
when Danny Gray had the ball in the net
for Tring, only for the goal to be
disallowed for offside. On 51 minutes
Green almost added a bizarre second when
Armstrong rushed in to charge down a kick
from Styles. The ball could have gone
anywhere, but deflected just wide of the
goal.
Despite being a man down, Tring went for
it, and Casserley brought on two more
strikers to boost their forward line. One
of the subs, Andy Humphreys, went on to
turn the game around. On 70 minutes Green
keeper Carl Tasker came out of his area
to clear, but slipped and missed the ball.
It ran through for Humphreys, who still
had plenty to do, but he kept his
composure to slot the ball through the
intervening defenders into the empty net
to level the scores at 1-1.
Leverstock could have gone back in front
on 75 minutes when Jowle curled a superb
cross into the box, but Wardle headed
over the bar. Instead they ended up
behind on 82 minutes. A clearing header
was missed to leave Humphreys through on
goal, and again he finished expertly,
taking Tasker wide and slotting the ball
in at the near post for 2-1.
Mick Vipond responded with a double
substitution of his own, bringing on
Steve Boad and Dale Sears, and his side
pulled themselves together to rescue the
game. On 86 minutes Wardle and Arthur
were among four Green players chasing a
bouncing ball into the Tring box. Neither
could get a shot away, but the ball broke
for Jowle, who forced a shot between
Styles and the post to level the scores
at 2-2.
It wasn’t over yet. Two minutes late
Hawes’ pass from the halfway line
put Armstrong clear of the chasing
defence. Armstrong was forced wide, but
managed to square to the far post where
Arthur came in to hook the ball home and
put Green into a lead that had looked
unlikely five minutes earlier.
This time Leverstock held onto their lead
for three points which take them above
Tring into ninth place, and with three
home games left to play, they can perhaps
hope to rise a few more places before the
season is over. |
| Team: Tasker,
Hull, Flain, Parsons, West (Boad), Page (Sears),
Wardle, Hawes, Armstrong, Arthur, Jowle. |
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