Berkhamsted 2 v 3 Hemel Hempstead Town

Saturday 17th July 2021, Kick-off 15.00
Pre-season Friendly
Broadwater, Berkhamsted
Admission: £5.00
Programme: None
Attendance: 150 (estimate)

After originally planning a trip down to Swanage today to fully make the most of the warm sunshine forecast on the coast today, their game was one of the very many that were cancelled today due to Covid isolation requirements, and so instead I headed for the western fringe of Hertfordshire for this local derby.

Broadwater is situated adjacent to Berkhamsted train station behind one end, and the Grand Union Canal behind the other, and indeed I decided to get off the train a stop early at Hemel Hempstead and walk for four miles along the canal to reach Broadwater. After passing a small patio area outside the clubhouse, entrance to the ground is gained through a brick turnstile block along one length. To the right and stretching the the corner flag is a small and well maintained uncovered terrace with three steps and a low wall to the rear and both sides, whilst straddling the half way line is quite a long brick stand with three rows of seating inside. A tea bar hatch is located on the side wall adjacent to the entrance. Behind both goals there is cover over three terrace steps, whilst along the remaining length there is just hard standing, closely lined by a brick wall. It is a pleasant ground to visit, neat and well maintained, with the feel of a more rural location than it actually is, and it is always a bonus when there are no metallic identikit stands and the like are present.

Unfortunately, there are grave concerns about the long term future of Broadwater, with the ground's landlord, the Berkhamsted Sports Ground Charitable Association Limited, indicating last December that they propose to sell off the land for housing and use the money to fund a new sports hub three miles outside of town, which would include an adequate ground for Berkhamsted to call their new home. Berkhamsted are angrily protesting these proposals, understandably so with their more than adequate century old existing ground in a perfect town centre location, and an online petition opposing the plans has been signed by over 3750 people so far.

Since their promotion to Step 4 football in 2018, Berkhamsted have been challenging towards the top of Southern League Division One Central in each of the three following seasons, leading the table when the 2019/20 season was abandoned. Hemel Hempstead Town play two steps higher, in the National League South, where they have been since 2014, and have usually been there or thereabouts in making the play-offs.

Ahead of kick-off there was a minute’s applause for former Hemel Hempstead midfielder Spencer McCall, who very sadly passed away at the age of just 26 having been diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Considering the very hot and sunny conditions this afternoon, it was quite remarkable that this was a very entertaining game to watch, played at a decent tempo with plenty of quality on show. Both sides created chances in the opening twenty minutes, but within a minute of Hemel Hempstead forcing the keeper to tip a low shot around the post, Berkhamsted scored on 28 minutes. Alie Bangura ran onto a diagonal ball forward over the top, and kept running for a one on one with the keeper, but he showed remarkable composure in rounding the keeper, then dribbling across goal to find some space, before eventually striking the ball home. They should have scored a second on 36 minutes when a Hemel pass was intercepted, leaving the Berkhamsted forward to run through on goal, but he took too long in making up his mind and a defender got back to nick the ball away. On 39 minutes, a bullet header from Hemel's Kyle Ajayi following a corner forced a great tip over by the keeper. Two minutes later it was Berkhamsted's turn to go close, and excellent drop of the shoulders losing a defender out wide, before the ball was fired low across goal, but just evaded a tap in. 

Hemel Hempstead certainly upped their game after the break, creating chances increasingly at will, and they finally scored on 68 minutes. After the referee played advantage for a foul in midfield, Samir Carruthers drove forward, skipping around defenders before threading the ball through into the path of triallist Freddie Hinds, who went round the keeper and struck the ball home. Sub Alfie Cerulli then forced the keeper to make two excellent saves, before the visitors scored their second on 77 minutes. Josh Castiligione chipped the ball forward for Hinds to run onto down the left, and he ran towards goal before striking the ball inside the keeper's near post. And Hemel scored their third on 82 minutes. A ball down the right saw Hinds beat the offside trap, run towards goal before shooting past the keeper, to claim his hat-trick - not a bad way for a triallist to make an impression, following his release from Bristol City this summer. Berkhamsted did manage to claim the goal of the game though five minutes from time when a free kick from a slight angle by James Verney was fired in off the underside of the bar.

Line-ups:

Berkhamsted: 1. Xavi Comas Leon 2. A Trialist3. C. Toomey4. Daniel Jones  5. A Trialist6. Max Farrelly 7. Jervon Campbell8. J. Chamberlain9. J. Verney10. Lucas Kirkpatrick 11. A.Bangura

Hemel Hempstead: 1. Nick Hayes, 2 Gus Scott-Morriss, ? Jack Williams 20 Nathan Cooper, 6 Cole Kpekawa, 10 JJ Lacey, 8 Sam Mantom, 4 Stephen Gleeson, 11 James Dobson, 7 Samir Carruthers, 9 Matty Bateman