Tue 29th Sep 2020
Spartan South Midlands Premier Division
Sponsored by B Smart Dry Cleaners
TAFC First team 1-2 Aylesbury Vale Dynamos

TAFC goals: Oliver Butler
At the end of the day, they say the table doesn't lie. Once again a combination of a bit of inexperience, a bit of bad luck and maybe a couple of decisions which went against us.

Playing down the slope and should have scored in the very first minute when Ollie Butler missed the target with a far post header from a Callum Shortt corner

Our opponents, as we are rapidly discovering, akin with most teams favour a longer ball which in fairness they did with some quality but our back 5 generally dealt with this threat.

On 15 min there was another acceptable chance from a corner but Kev McManus also failed to hit the target. Ollie Butler had a cross shot clear the bar, Joe Naylor the same when cutting in from the left and Stephen Ebinone had a strike saved on the near post.

On 34 mins some tidy football from midfield allowed Ollie Butler to go on a typical mazy run and with Gareth Terblanche providing a decoy run he cleverly finished with a chip over the keeper.

With our habit of letting back in the game we hoped to keep Aylesbury Vale at bay till the break. Unfortunately on 38 mins a poor headed clearance resulted in a cross into the box where unfortunately Kev McManus ,with a forward behind him, managed to divert the ball into the net.

Playing up slope we gave as good as we got and biased I might be but on at least 2 occasions we suffered from poor decisions in the penalty area.

On 76 mins, for all the tea in China, a cross cum shot clipped our bar and rolled out for a goal kick. To the amazement of all on and off the pitch the official gave a corner and of course this led to what proved to be the winning goal.

We made substitutions but once again were unable to rescue a valuable point.

As a management team we are as disappointed as everybody that things are turning round more slowly than we'd hoped, but in fairness we have competed in every fixture to date and what is essentially a very young & inexperienced team. The lads are learning and improving visibly and this will make our first victory so much sweeter.

On Saturday we are at last seasons high fliers Biggleswade Utd and on Tue 6th away at Potten United.

Your support is welcome and important to this squad.

=========================================================
Following Report taken from Aylesbury Vale Dynamos Website

TRING ATHLETIC 1-2 AVDFC 1ST XI
L Workman (39'),D Lambeth (64')

Dynamos win local derby at Tring

Tring Athletic 1-2 AVDFC

Team: Dan McAteer; Josh Adjei, Jake Baldwin, Sam Austin, Dan Wilson; Ben Stevens, Alfi Touceda, Charlie Jackson, Lamar Mason-Williams, Lewis Workman; Dan Lambeth

Subs: Archie Davis, Ollie Lemon, Kevin Owusu, Darnell Ramsey, Alfie Gaspar

After the disappointing home defeat against Edgware, Phil was forced into making some changes for the trip to Tring on a cold, Tuesday night. Club Captain Ben Stevens was available again and went straight into the starting line-up. Phil also changed keepers giving Dan McAteer his first start of the campaign. Dan Wilson was also recalled to the starting team in the absence of Ben Gill.

The first action of the first half was on 4 minutes as Lewis Workman was fouled 25 yards out. Charlie Jackson stepped up and his free kick hit the wall and was cleared. It was Lewis Workman again that created the next chance as he collected Ben Stevens ball and fired in a low ball to Dan Lambeth, but his shot was saved by the keeper.

Alfi Touceda then intercepted a through ball, and sent a ball over the top to Ben Stevens who was through on the right side. He cut in and hit his shot low and hard at the keeper who cleared his lines. The ball fell to Ben Stevens again and this time his cross was just over Lamar Mason-Williams at the back post. The Dynamos were having all the pressure and Ben Stevens was the architect next as his sublime ball over the top found Lewis Workman through on goal, but the keeper was equal to his effort and saved well.

On the quarter hour mark Tring had their first meaningful effort as a low corner caught the defence out and their player hit a low shot towards the near post. Dan McAteer managed to get a foot to the shot and deflect it wide. On the right side, Josh Adjei was having a solid start and it was his ball over to Dan Lambeth, that sent him through, but again, his shot was straight at the keeper.Tring had some pressure as they settled down and a Dan Wilson clearance and a shot over Dan McAteers bar were the only notable chances. However, on 34 minutes, Ollie Butler was allowed to run through the away defence and chip the ball over McAteer as he came out and made it Tring 1-0 Dynamos.

39 minutes and the match was all square again. Alfi Touceda played the ball to Dan Lambeth on the left side of the pitch and he beat his man and sent in a perfect cross for Lewis Workman to head home. Great goal. 1-1. Within a minute and Aylesbury could have taken the lead. Ben Stevens steamed in and won the ball cleanly and it fell to Jake Baldwin who sprinted off down the left wing and sent his cross to Dan Lambeth who headed inches over the bar. The half ended with a yellow card for Tring who took out Lamar Mason-Williams with a poor challenge.

Half Time 1-1.

Within the first minute Ben Stevens squeezed the ball through to Lewis Workman who spun and hit a first time shot into the side netting. At the other end Dan Wilson was on hand to make a last ditch tackle to thwart a Tring attack. 52 minutes and Tring cleared a Dynamos attack and were through on goal, .Jake Baldwin managed to get back but fouled the Tring player in the process, getting a yellow card. The free kick came to nothing as both teams searched for the winning goal.

Lewis Workman again used his pace to dispossess Tring and set Dan Lambeth away on the right wing, he cut in and hit a low shot which zipped across the face of the goal and away from danger. 63 minutes and a long ball from Tring was dealt with by Sam Austin and he cleared to Charlie Jackson, who up to now had been quiet by his standards, he took a couple of players on and won a corner, which he took himself. He swung the ball in and Dan Lambeth rose the highest to head past the helpless keeper to put Aylesbury in control. 1-2 Dynamos.

A couple of minutes later and Josh Adjei won the ball and played it into the feet of Alfi Touceda. He skipped past a challenge and hit a rocket of a shot which the keeper just got fingertips to and tipped it over the bar. Tring were now getting back into the game as they searched for an equaliser. On 74 minutes, their midfielder hit a rasping shot goal bound, only to find Dan McAteer standing firm to catch the effortand with a wry smile, calmly hit an inch perfect ball 60 yards to the feet of Lamar Mason-Williams.

77 minutes and time to freshen it up a little. Charlie Jackson was replaced with Kevin Owusu. It was Alfi Touceda and Kevin Owusu who created the next opening for Dan Lambeth, but his shot was well blocked by a sliding tackle. 83 minutes and another attack was stopped, this time by Lamar Mason-Williams who was adjudged to have pulled the shirt and was subsequently yellow carded.As time was nearly up, Aylesbury had the best chance to get a third goal. Jake Baldwin found himself on the right wing after a corner and went on a trademark run towards the Tring goal. He was taken out, but the ball ran onto Kevin Owusu, with only the keeper to beat the referee blew and decided to give us a free kick, much to the disgust of the Dynamos management team who all remonstrated with the referee, to no avail. Alfi Touceda stepped up and hit the free kick which was blocked by the wall. Poor refereeing!!!

The referee managed to find 5 minutes to add on, but some good defending by Dynamos kept the score at 2-1 and record a decent away victory.

(No photos on file)