TRING ATHLETIC 0-2 BERKHAMSTED: FULL REPORT & IMAGES...

Comrades Strike Late Twice To Leave Tring Despairing

Tring Athletic 0-2 Berkhamsted FC

Berko won this local derby FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round tie at Cow Lane with two very late goals which came as some surprise, for the Comrades had proved to be rather disappointing offensively, except for the efforts of frowning striker Marcus Campbell. A penalty decision against Tring replacement Billie Busari allowed Courtney Massey to fire his team ahead then two Berko substitutes combined to add a second killer goal and break Athletic’s resolve. Certainly Tring attacked more, certainly visiting ‘keeper James Weatherill made a couple of vital second period saves, certainly home defender Carl Mensah threatened aerially and certainly busy Tring midfielder Luke Dunstan went close on occasions but Ashton Campbell, Berko’s top goalscorer last season and now playing for the Cow Lane outfit, will rue his finishing on this auspicious day.

SOMETHING WRONG HERE.
DANNY MURPHY ISN'T SPEAKING...

"HEY, BALL... WHY DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH, MAN?"

The game, between two local rivals lacked atmosphere and thrills to be truthful but the harsh, dead grass on the hard pitch probably didn’t favour the players. From the outset, it appeared that the lively feet of Comrade Ibrahim Lukulay would be a danger to Tring but the winger was largely controlled by the excellent defending of Athletic’s Joe Fitzgerald. Similarly, Tring’s left-back Chris Vardy played well against Massey and much of the early offense created by Dara Dada and the foraging Jack Stevens for Berko was realised by the strength and pace of central striker Marcus Campbell. Twice he was denied by home goalie Mark Richardson during the opening half but he was rarely served tasty morsels to work on after the interval when his team was playing down the Cow Lane slope with the breeze behind them. Indeed, apart from the two late, cruel goals, only a low Austin shot which Richardson picked up easily caused Tring any particular concern at all during the second period. 

TRING DUGOUT...

BERKO DUGOUT...

A lack lustre opening half of little excitement saw set-pieces or crosses offering the few opportunities which did interrupt the yawns of spectators. A Berko free-kick dropped over home skipper Sam Joliffe and was awkwardly turned goalwards by Marcus Campbell but Richardson patted the ball down. Joliffe then actually did well to block a low rebound drive by Massey. Later in the half, a good centre by the shy (not really) visiting skipper Danny Murphy (no, not the miserable TV pundit) looked like offering Marcus Campbell a free close range header over Joliffe but the forward nodded the ball against his own shoulder, the ball looped upwards and Richardson calmly tipped it over his crossbeam. Those efforts apart, Dada wasted a shot but really, that was all Berko managed, despite some hard work by Anthony Ball and midfielder Dada.

LUKULAY (11) ON THE TURN...

ASHLEY YOUNG IMPRESSION...

Tring however were obviously going to carry an aerial threat with Mensah’s height but an early header, off balance and much too high then a looping effort from Joliffe’s nodded assist which Weatherill caught with a dive were all that the effective Tring defender could effectively muster in attack. Dunstan was really strong for the hosts but he too headed a chance too high and also saw a near post flick arrow past the goal frame. Ashton Campbell worked hard against markers Kyle Anthony and Liam McCrohan however but only one rush caused the Comrades any real hassle before the break and that was nullified by Weatherill’s advance and Jack Stevens’ covering retreat. Kieran Turner’s 24 yard free-kick for Athletic dropped just too late as the time for tea and biscuits neared.

FITZGERALD COVERS MARCUS CAMPBELL...

FOURFINGERS...

MURPHY WALKS AWAY GRUMBLING.
AND IS CALLED BACK BY THE REF...

After half-time however, Ashton Campbell would look aghast and exasperated by the results of his five goal attempts. Tring pushed forward, probably feeling as surprised as most observers that Berko were unable to fashion much danger and chances began to fall to the hosts. A nodded assist by Mensah saw Dunstan head too high, the industrious Turner fed the often lively Alex Campana on the right and his byeline centre led to a challenge by Ashton Campbell, a feed by Elliott Goward and a low drive by Dunstan from 12 yards which Weatherill did so well to parry, diving low and left, although Ashton Campbell was surely held onto during the build-up play…

MENSAH AND RIDDICK: SOLID FOR TRING...

RICHARDSON: NOT OVERWORKED...

WEATHERILL: TWO FINE SAVES...

FITZGERALD PLAYS PAT-A-CAKE BEFORE HALF TWO BEGINS...

Following cautions for the two number 10s, Turner and Ball, after a poor Ball challenge on Turner and spiteful pushes into chests by both, Weatherill again came to his team’s rescue, diving low and left again to save a 20 yarder by Fitzgerald. Late on, both Dunstan (following neat skills by Busari) and then Fitzgerald would shoot well off target but Ashton Campbell’s missed chances would subsequently prove to be more costly. He somehow shot over the bar from 2 yards as he raced onto a fine centre from the left by Goward, then following an error by Anthony, he poked an instant low 18 yarder as Weatherill advanced but the ball rolled past the right upright. He was later superbly tackled by McCrohan inside the 18 yard box, headed Turner’s fine free-kick too high and then in the closing moments, a low 25 yard effort which bobbled way off target probably summed up his frustrating afternoon. 

MASSEY, LEFT: WOULD LATER SCORE A PENALTY...

TURNER PREPARES TO SHOOT TOO HIGH...

JOLIFFE & MARCUS CAMPBELL: GOOD CONTEST...

NOT DEAD THEN...

"DIDN'T MEAN TO KICK THE BALL AT AN OPPONENT REF,  I'M JUST SHIT AT SHOOTING..."

BALL & TURNER ARE CAUTIONED...

ASHTON CAMPBELL RUES A MISS...

The unfortunate Busari would gift Berko the lead though and when the ball bounced up awkwardly at the edge of his own penalty-box, after a headed clearance by Mensah, the Tring replacement pulled Lukulay’s arm and the referee penalised him. Massey drove a smart, fast penalty low into the right side of the net and the Comrades hugged their comrades.

0-1: MASSEY...

Soon afterwards, Berko struck again and the goal was courtesy of some real determination shown by Mileno Sanches, who had only been on the field for a very short time. He outmuscled the impressive Tring midfielder Mark Riddick to get inside the penalty-area, collided with the outrushing Richardson, kept possession and his balance veering right, got the better of a challenge by Vardy and shot from a slight angle, whereby the ball was bundled over the goal-line by the lurking and ever so gleeful Austin.

0-2: AUSTIN, THIRD RIGHT...

Richardson bellowed at his team to fight on and with Jack Read on the pitch in attack they did so but to no avail and thus the Comrades won the day. 

DUNSTAN: STEELY IN MIDFIELD...

The Tring back-four were decent throughout the tie, whilst Dunstan and Riddick worked impressively in midfield. Turner was often a threat, moving forward from deep but Ashton Campbell will doubtless enjoy many more productive days. Goward was lively in attack too but Campana, another ex-Comrade will surely bring some success to the Cow Laners.

There were several panicky moments in the Berko defence but McCrohan and Anthony survived, along with the full-backs Murphy (never short of a word or two for the officials) and James Towell (who never threw in the towel, I know…) but things were a little untidy in midfield if truth be told and wingers Massey and Lukulay were too often scorned or inaccurately passed towards. Marcus Campbell kept up his thirst for work on offense, despite the poor service provided for him. It mattered not though, for the victory had been hard fought for and won by the new look Comrades, the success being something to build upon for the league season ahead… 

No goose on the pitch at Cow Lane then, but a number of swallows swooped across the dry, yellowy grassland…   

TEAMS:

TRING ATHLETIC:

MARK RICHARDSON, JOE FITZGERALD, CHRIS VARDY, MARK RIDDICK, LUKE DUNSTAN, CARL MENSAH, ALEX CAMPANA, SAM JOLIFFE (CAPT), ASHTON CAMPBELL, KIERAN TURNER, ELLIOTT GOWARD.

SUBS:

DALE O’CONNOR, JACK READ, ROY BYRON, BILLIE BUSARI, BEN JOHNSON.

BERKHAMSTED FC:

JAMES WEATHERILL, JAMES TOWELL, DANNY MURPHY (CAPT), JACK STEVENS, LIAM McCROHAN, KYLE ANTHONY, COURTNEY MASSEY, DARA DADA, MARCUS CAMPBELL, ANTHONY BALL, IBRAHIM LUKULAY.

SUBS:

MAX FARRELLY, MILENO SANCHES, GARY JONES, ROSS ADAM, RYAN YOUNG, LOUIS AUSTIN, SEAN COUGHLAN.