Tring Athletic 1 - 2 Bury AFC

WEMBLEY DREAM OVER FOR ANOTHER SEASON

There was a touch of déjà vu when this FA Vase Cup tie was settled in the 88th minute from a corner, unfortunately we were not the beneficiaries this time unlike the previous week when Godlove Oppong scored the decisive goal away at Walsall Wood 2 minutes from time and from a corner.

Any disappointment at being denied our opportunity of making history by reaching the Quarter Finals of the FA Vase for the first time should be weighed against our young players magnificent achievement in getting so far in this prestigious national competition.

Certainly Ryan Sturges and his coaching team can be proud of the journey their team embarked upon nearly 4 months ago that saw them overcome 4 formidable clubs to get to this stage.

Our guests for this 5th Round match had to make a round trip of 380 miles from Lancashire but that didn’t prevent their fans from turning up in droves to push the crowd attendance up to 840 and provide a good old fashioned cup tie atmosphere.

A look at Bury’s record this season clearly shows that they would be formidable opponents having won their last 6 games, scoring 12 and conceding just 1 goal. They lie 4th in the North West Counties League (Premier Division) but have lots of games in hand and so they will be odds on favourites for the title and promotion to the next level of the Football Pyramid.

They were established in December 2019 as a phoenix of Bury FC who were expelled from the Football League in August 2019. Their Manager is Andy Welsh who played at various clubs including Sunderland, Leicester City and Blackpool so they are a club with some pedigree.

After a minute’s silence for the victims of the earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria the game got off to a cracking start with the atmosphere buzzing. The Shakers (as Bury are known) nearly got off to a perfect start when they were awarded a free kick just outside our area in the 2nd minute. Connor Comber’s superbly struck effort hit the post and was eventually scrambled away to safety.

The play was flowing nicely from end to end but we had another narrow escape in the 19th minute when we failed to clear a free kick and Harry Brazil nearly took advantage with a header that bounced off the top of the bar and over. But the Shakers were not to be denied and 3 minutes later they took the lead. Oscar Frost got his hand to a shot from the dangerous Lewis Gilboy but unfortunately for us his colleague Ben Wharton was on hand to tap home the loose ball from close range. Score 0-1.

We had a great chance to level things up in the 27th minute when a Godlove Oppong latched onto a through pass and clipped the ball past the keeper, but unfortunately it bounced agonisingly just wide of the post. Nine minutes later Goalkeeper Jack Atkinson was out quickly to smother a chance for Josh Chamberlain after some great link up play with Guiseppe Delgaudio.

With half time approaching we nearly gave ourselves a mountain to climb when a defensive error allowed Lewis Gilboy a run on goal but fortunately Oscar Frost rescued us with a superb save by sticking out a foot to deflect the shot wide. At the break we were still very much in the game and we would kicking towards our favourite end in the second half. HT Score 0-1.

Seven minutes after the restart defender Joseph Denman headed a corner which clipped the top of the bar. The game was finely balanced and we brought on Club Skipper George Carbery, returning after a period out injured, and promising youngster Harrison Mead who made an immediate impact by setting up the equaliser within two minutes.

Latching onto a loose ball Meady clipped a superb pass over the Shaker’s defence to Godlove Oppong who rounded the keeper and then coolly slotted the ball home. The goal said a lot about the team – a goal set up by a 16 year old and finished by someone just 2 years older. Score 1-1.

It was now game on and Oscar Frost got down well to save a shot from Bury’s playmaker Harry Brazel. Then came the moment in the 81st minute when we thought we might get the winner. Godlove Oppong and Leo Farruch linked up superbly to carve their way through the visitor’s defence and when Godie laid the ball across to Leo our supporters must have been ready to celebrate but Leo’s carefully placed shot was superbly saved by keeper Jack Atkinson who got down low and got his fingers to the shot and tip the ball round the post. It was a match saving save.

But it was our guests who were to grab the winner with just 2 minutes left to play of normal time when sub Niall Cummins stooped down to head a corner high into the net. Score 1-2.

We pressed forward looking for a late equaliser but the nearest we came was when Frankie Hercules free kick from just outside the area forced the keeper to tip the shot round the post but there was to be no late rescue act and our guests ran out close and deserved winners. FT Score 1-2.

Its games like this that make Non-League football so great and enjoyable and both teams can take a lot of credit from their performances. We would like to congratulate Bury AFC on their victory and we wish them all the best for the next round and for the rest of the season. We will certainly be watching their results with interest.

We can be proud of the performances put in by the players against a very strong, experienced side and by the fact that we pushed them to the wire. They certainly left everything on the pitch and no more could have been asked of them. After the match Greg Deer was voted our Man of the Match for the second game running. There were also a lot of nice comments about the Club on Twitter which was nice.

But we have no time to dwell on this result because we have another massive game coming up on Saturday and probably another big crowd when we entertain big spenders and probably title favourites Leighton Town. Our Near neighbours surprisingly lost 2-0 at home to Cockfosters on Saturday but they still remain 2nd in the table, 4 points behind Stotfold but with 3 games in hand. After dropping points on Saturday Leighton will not want to lose 2 games on the trot and they will certainly be well motivated for this game.

We have slipped down to 10th in the table and we need to start collecting points after not having played a league game since 7th January when we narrowly lost 2-1 at Stotfold. Local derbies are always competitive so hopefully we will see a big turnout from our supporters to cheer on our lads.

Finally we must thank Tring Rugby Club for their help and support, without their assistance we would not have been able to cope with such a big crowd.

Teams:

TA: Oscar Frost, Eli Hearn, Adam Sawyer, Lenny Armstrong, Harrison Cornick, Greg Deer (Capt), Frankie Hercules, Leo Farruch, Godlove Oppong, Guiseppe Delgaudio (Harrison Mead 74), Josh Chamberlain (George Carbery 65). Subs not used: Davide Pobbe, Reily Churchill, Jake Morris, Charlie Miller.

BAFC: Jack Atkinson, Matt Williams, Jack Tinning, James Moore, Jonathan Hunt, Joseph Denham, Lewis Gilboy, Kristean Holt, Ben Wharton, Harry Brazel, Connor Comber. Subs: Sean Higgins, Jack Hewitt-Hill, Anton Smith, Jake Kenny, Niall Cummins, Sam Unwin.

Scorers:

TA: Godlove Oppong (76)

BAFC: Ben Wharton (22), Niall Cummins (88)

Crowd: 840