Four-midable Tring storm past Enfield in the FA Vase

Playing on a 3G pitch, Athletic settled quickly and they took the lead in the 25th minute through Sam Joliffe.

Ollie Butler hooked the ball into the middle just as Joliffe ghosted into the area to rise above the defender and head home off the crossbar.

Nine minutes later, Athletic doubled their lead as a long throw was only partially cleared to the edge of their area where Trevor Gibbs was waiting to thump in a shot.

The keeper managed to make a save but couldn’t retain the ball and Chris Vardy slotted home from close range.

The home side went close to reducing the deficit two minutes later when Scott Williams forced Matt Evans into a good save, and a turning point in the game came in the 40th minute when Charlie Akintide was denied by Evans’ flying save.

From the resulting kick, the ball was helped on by Ollie Butler for Vardy to fire home his 12th goal of the season.

The second half was a bit of a non-event as Enfield struggled to make any impression on a solid Athletic defence and the game became scrappy.

Athletic brought on Stewart King and he nearly capitalised on a defensive mix-up with a back pass, but the keeper managed to get back and make a save.

However, King was to play a part in deflating any hopes of an Enfield recovery when he was pulled down in the area, allowing Greg Deer to convert from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute to round off the scoring.

This was Athletic’s biggest win in the prestigious national competition, and they will hope to better last season’s run which saw them get through four rounds.

The team now have a two-week break from action, with their next game being a trip to St Margaretsbury on Saturday, November 15.