Colney Heath focused and ready says Blunden as Tring success moves them further clear at top
Colney Heath V Tring Athletic - Chris Blunden celebrates scoring for Colney Heath 1-0. Picture: Karyn Haddon - Credit: Archant
Chris Blunden says the prize at the end of the season was all the inspiration Colney Heath needed to push for and grab victory over Tring Athletic.
The forward struck in the first-half and two second period strikes from Spencer Clarke-Mardel eventually got Magpies a 3-2 win in the battle of the top two in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division.
It moves them eight points clear and with a game in hand and you could tell the from the moment you stepped into a focused and determined Recreation Ground, a far cry from the usual jovial atmosphere, that this was a game they knew they had to win.
"It was a massive game," said Blunden. "We knew if we won we'd be eight points ahead and all the boys were up for it.
"We let one in at the end of the first-half but came back and the late goal from Spencer has got all the boys buzzing.
"We were focused, we were ready. We knew how important this was and that we needed to keep our run going."
Tring have had their issues since the turn of the year, with both the manager and most of the squad departing Cow Lane, and they arrived for this one with a young squad.
Most Read
- 1 The latest court results for the St Albans area
- 2 Hybrid Charter Market agreed for St Albans
- 3 Community green spaces at risk of development on St Albans estate
- 4 St Albans woman defies odds to become oldest with Rett Syndrome
- 5 What the fox? Mystery shoe thief revealed!
- 6 'Spellbinding performances' in St Albans Musical Theatre Company's production of Rent
- 7 St Albans care teams win big at annual awards ceremony
- 8 Remembering 'Mr Harpenden' - the indomitable Michael Weaver
- 9 Hospices announce plans to join forces
- 10 Churches group organises meeting for Ukrainians and host families
But they still did enough to make Colney work extremely hard, equalising twice through a Joe Naylor brace and had it not been for a couple of individual errors they may have left with at least a point.
"They are a young good side," admitted Blunden. "All the players have gone but they have brought in their reserves and they are all hungry.
"They gave us a very good game but our experience showed late on in our game management after getting that third to keep hold of the lead."
Blunden's first-half strike was his 12th of the season, six of them coming in a brief spell with Harpenden Town, in the latter part of last year, and only his second since returning in January.
And while personally he would have liked the season to be better, he is simply loving the togetherness being generated by the high-flying Magpies.
He said: "Individually it hasn't been a good season for me and I'm buzzing with the goal but buzzing with the win more.
"I've never been in a changing room like it. All the guys are legends and I love Tommo [Ryan Thompson]. He's probably the best gaffer I've had.
"As soon as I said I wanted to come back he got me involved.
"It's great to be back and hopefully we can now win the title."