Berkhamsted V 1 - 1 Hertford VI

We managed to whittle down the squad to 14 as Ian and Adam pulled out unfit on Friday and Chris Dean moved up to help the 5s out. With a bit of improvisation to staff midfield (Graham White and myself spending a bit of time higher up the pitch) and a rather creative substitution rota we enjoyed a gently paced game in pleasant sunshine on our first visit to the RAF Halton ground.

We didn't hit the standards we achieved last week, but were just about good for a 1 - 0 half time lead, Chris Duncan striking again after Daryl chased down a long ball to the byline and pulled it back. We had other chances, mostly working through the right and down the middle, but were never quite on top at the back, giving the ball away regularly and being thankful for some rather weak finishing from Berkamsted.

We really should have wrapped it up in the 3rd quarter as we finally noticed the space Aodhan was finding on the left and began to press them down all three channels and make use of both corners. However (how often do I say this) far too many of the crosses went flat across the goalmouth and we never found the final touch. Berkamsted rallied in the last quarter and the inevitable happened when we missed several chances to clear our D and they levelled with 7 minutes left. We bust a gut trying to get one last break, but time ran out on us.