MK Irish continued their impressive run with a dominant 3-0 home win over Tring Athletic, extending their unbeaten start to the season.
Irish set the tone early with relentless pressure on the Tring goal. In the 11th minute, their efforts paid off when Callum Hirst, pressing high up the pitch, dispossessed a Tring midfielder and calmly slotted the ball past the onrushing keeper to give Irish an early lead.
Just three minutes later, Irish doubled their lead with a well-crafted team goal. Beecher won the ball back on the halfway line and played a delightful clipped pass down the line to Mason Spence. Spence drove into the box before squaring the ball to George Shrieves, who unselfishly set up Ryan Smith for an easy tap-in to an open goal.
Shrieves continued to cause problems for the Tring defence, seeing a low shot saved after a flowing move started by Coleman in midfield. However, a rare loose pass from Zawe on the halfway line allowed Tring to break forward quickly. The Tring forward slipped in behind the Irish defence and rolled the ball past Ladyman, but his effort crept just wide of the post.
Irish responded well to the scare, with Ryan Smith coming close to adding a third just before halftime. A well-worked free kick was rolled off to Smith, whose powerful strike was heading for the bottom corner, only for the Tring keeper to pull off a superb save to keep his team in the game heading into the break.
HALF TIME: MK Irish 2-0 Tring Athletic
The second half began with Irish maintaining their control. Ryan Smith, a constant threat throughout the match, had a header saved early in the half. Tring, however, showed some fight as their forward—who had been a handful all evening—got in behind the Irish defense down the right. He cut the ball back to a teammate on the edge of the box, but the resulting shot flew harmlessly over the bar.
As the game progressed, Irish’s substitutes made an impact, with JJ Meadows entering the fray and making an immediate impact. Just two minutes after coming on, Meadows latched onto a flick-on from Spence following a long goal kick by Ladyman. With his first touch of the game, Meadows smashed the ball past the Tring keeper to make it 3-0.
Tring had one last chance to grab a consolation goal, flashing a dangerous ball across the six-yard box with two players lining up at the back post. Somehow, the ball evaded both, and the opportunity was lost.
In the dying moments of the match, Meadows came close to adding his second and Irish’s fourth. Shepherd won the ball in midfield and played it to Meadows, whose well-struck shot was saved by the Tring keeper. With the final kick of the game, Meadows again found himself come close after a cross from Spence, but his half-volley spun just wide of the post.
FULL TIME: MK Irish 3-0 Tring Athletic
Goalscorers: Callum Hirst, Ryan Smith, JJ Meadows
Man of the Match: Callum Hirst
Irish’s strong performance saw them continue their flawless start to the season, with a fifth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions and three more points. Goals from Hirst, Smith, and Meadows underlined the team’s attacking depth, while the defence once again proved impenetrable.
