Berko dispatch bottom side

Berkhamsteds Courtney Massey got an assist and had a close effort in Berkos 2-0 win. (Picture by Ray Canham)

Marcus Campbell won a recall to the Berko starting line-up and he went closest in the early exchanges when his shot came off the foot of the post in the 19th minute.

For the visitors, Brendan Oddy put a shot just beyond the back post.

Berkhamsted took the lead on 30 minutes when Courtney Massey found Matt Bateman in space and the forward headed past Sam Worrell, the visitors’ captain and keeper.

The home side’s Ibrahim Lukulay then had a shot blocked and Max Farrelly was ruled to be offside from the rebound.

Worrell then had to come out and punch the ball away from Bateman’s head shortly after.

Before the interval Oddy was shown a yellow card for kicking the ball away and after the interval Farrelly received the same treatment after doing the same.

In the second period The Comrades continued to press as they searched for the killer goal.

Massey went really close on 52 minutes with a dipping, curling shot that the keeper did well to stop with a flying save to tip it away for a corner.

Dan Jones came on and Berko began to pass the ball well and find their wingers.

He found Lukulay and his cross came over to Massey, but he could not control it after arriving at speed.

Berkhamsted doubled their lead on 81 minutes when Lukulay crossed well for Bateman to get his and Berkhamsted’s second goal with a nice finish to settle the home fans’ nerves.

Kidlington had a chance to pull one back with a penalty on 89 minutes for hand ball but substitute Ben Willoughby put the spot-kick wide, to leave the visitors still to score a goal in the league.

It was Berko’s third clean sheet of the season.

Berko v Kidlington: Weatherill, Towell, G Jones, McCrohan (Adams), Kinnane, Folarin, Massay (Summerfield), Farrelly, Bateman, Campbell (D Jones), Lukulay.

Subs not used: Austin and Mannion.

With their originally slated opponents Didcot still playing in the FA Cup, there is no first-team game for Berko this weekend.

They are next in action on Saturday, September 29, when they travel to old SSML Premier foes Welwyn Garden City, who were last season’s league champions after outlasting Berko in the title race.

Both sides ended up earning promotion to the Evo-Stik Southern League Central Division One.

Both sides have acquitted themselves creditably to the higher division, with Welwyn in sixth place in the table after six games while Berko are in 12th after five matches.