Seven-up for Berko as they rout league’s bottom side

Berkhamsted took the chance to boost their goal difference in Saturday’s clash between the league’s top and bottom sides.
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Table-toppers Berko raced into a 4-0 lead in the opening 15 minutes, while Jonathan Lacey went on to grab a hat-trick.

Hosts Wantage, who have yet to collect a league point and are in rebuilding mode after losing their manager and most of the team that won the Hellenic League last season, had no answer in the air as Berko headed home three goals from dead balls.

Ryan Kinnane opened the floodgates with a powerful header from a Lacey corner in the fourth minute.

Ten minutes’ later Daneil Akubuine played a good long ball over the home defence and they dithered, allowing the speedy Lewis Toomey to win the ball and double the lead with a lob over young keeper Charlie McCready.

Another Kinnane header from a Lacey corner made it 3-0 and it became 4-0 in the 25th minute when Lacey beat his man down the left and cut in to score with a low shot into the far corner.

Saul Williams made several probing passes and in the 55th minute he released Akubuine, who laid the ball back for Lacey to net Berko’s fifth.

Will Summerfield, who has been out with injury for much of the season, continued his comeback by coming off the bench.

Lacey completed his hat-trick in the 65th minute, cutting in to score from the right wing after a cross-field pass from Danny Murphy had cracked open the Wantage defence.

With 20 minutes left The Comrades gave game time to Josh Chamberlain and Stephen Dodd. The latter won a free-kick on the left, which he took himself, crossing for the tall Dodd to thunder in a header for the visitors’ seventh.

Berko remain top of the Southern League Division One Central on goal difference from Corby Town after six games.

The Comrades are hoping for a bumper crowd at Broadwater this Saturday when they host mid-table Didcot Town.

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