Tring Keep Their Title Hopes On Track

Jets 0 Tring Athletic 1

Spartan South Midlands Premier
6th February 2010

Jets suffered a 1-0 home defeat to second placed Tring Athletic in a game that was really an "After the lord mayors show" performance.

Tring and Jets will wonder how the double was done by Tring this season after Jets pushed hard for long periods without rewards.

Just two minutes into the game Lee Armitt went through on a Luke Beardsworth pass and streaked in on the Tring ‘keeper only to slot wide of the post, with a screaming Tim O'Mara at the back post waiting for the open goal square ball.

Minutes later Luke Beardsworth was the opener and Lee Armitt curled a nice ball goalwards but just over the bar.

The first twenty minutes were all Jets but the chances went begging and gradually Tring worked and worked to claw their way back into the game. The games between the two sides always seem to be close. Today it was Jets who were doing the pushing, although getting frustrated and worse as the game went on, against a Tring team that really "grafted a result out".

Tring’s winner was scored just a minute from the break when a perfect cross from the wing was headed in at the back post with a perfectly placed effort by an unmarked Ellis.

Jets had the ball in the net in the first half and twice in the second, with Lee Armitt each time being denied by the Assistant’s flag.

In fairness, Jets were less impressive in the second half and many players seemed to be struggling with the after effects of the heavy and tiring defeat at Conference leaders Stevenage on Wednesday Night.

Jets looked tired and ragged and were further weakened by late withdrawals by four players, so late replacements were scarce. The attitude of some after a defeat by a superior status side needs questioning, but Jets as a whole will need to do a lot better in midweek in the St Marys Cup semi-final against a resurgent Berkhamsted side if they want to avoid more disappointment against a team that has already won at the Jets this season in the South Midlands Cup.