A mixture of illness, exams, weekends away and raves meant Tring u23s fielded a changed team for their fixture against bogey team St Albans City. The legions of fans who made the trip really got their moneys worth as the lads triumphed 4-3 in a truly epic encounter.
We started slowly and were punished. 16 year old Blake Argent got robbed of possession and a rapid counter poked holes in our defence and it was 1-0 to the Centurions.

Tring rallied and began to assert their authority in the final third. The ever dangerous Osborne missed a couple of chances and the pressure mounted. Reward came on 30 mins - we advanced down the right and a ball was whipped over for Argent to head home with aplomb. 1-1. Typically we were caught napping 2 mins later and a shot went under Destiny in the Tring goal and we went into the break 2-1 down somehow.

Charlie Gatehouse had been replaced by Albion Beka - whose excellent work rate was beginning to help reap dividends with Matias in the centre of the pitch. Assistant James Cotterill turned up from I don't know where and this appeared to inspire the lads. The mercurial Argent in the number 10 role poked and jinked into the box and was hauled down in the box - penalty. Rhys Allaway stepped up and his stop kick was saved but as quick as a flash, Bailey Osborne atoned for his earlier profligacy by burying home from an acute angle.

Unbelievably, we conceded again to go 3-2 down with 20 left and the Tring Army thought it was going to be one of the days. But Captain Jamie de Beer rallied the lads for 1 more effort...... and what an effort it was. Argent was unplayable at times and he jinked again before crashing a beauty into the net from 20 yards with his left peg. Then it was time us to catch St Albans on the hop. Allaway pounced on a defensive error to crash the ball home from the edge of the box to send players, management and fans alike into raptures. 4-3!

Could the lads hang on? Deschamps did his knee in and we had to play out the last 10 mins with 10 men. But the lads worked their socks off to a man and defended brilliantly to earn a well deserved 3 points.

We have played more games than other teams at the top but the sight of the 23s topping the league was a wonderful one to behold - however long that may last.

Team - Edema, Gatehouse (Beka), Sales, Todd (Al Karim), de Beer, Deschamps, Osborne, Iacobuta, Browne (Duberry), Argent, Allaway. Sub not used - Phillips