We Are The Stags Online

So early in the season and the Stags have already hit their second double of the season in beating Berkamsted on their own turf. This was, however a much harder battle than they had in the previous double over Aveley.
The game was always going to be a physical one and so it started when  neither the referee or his assistant reacted when Ashby pushed Wes Thomas off the ball in the opening minutes.
By the 8^th minute, the Stags had already carved out two good scoring chances them Leon McKenzie  sped down the inside right channel and crossed a lovely ball which eluded defenders and ‘keeper alike, unhappily the Stags were also inches away from goal number one.
By 15 minutes Berkhamsted had settled into a rhythm of play which meant playing the long ball at every chance and using the long throw whenever occasion demanded. The problem with this kind of play was that it made almost every ball forward a fifty fifty ball which the defender was always favourite for.
The Stags went through a phase where attacking became difficult with Alex Brown, at the heart of Berko’s defence coping well with the threat of Thomas and McKenzie.
Berko’s first chance of the game came on 27 minutes when they won a free kick just inside the Stags’ half of the field. A long kick from Cowen was met by Hibbert but his header rebounded off the top of the crossbar, out of harm’s way.
The Stags came out in the second half looking much more composed and could have gone ahead on  48 minutes when Thomas slotted home from an acute angle but was judged off side.
Pressure told and, on 58 minutes Didier Batunga joined the attack for a corner. The ball came out to the edge of the area where Batunga’s first strike was blocked: he made no mistake with his second try and slammed the ball 35 yards into the top of the net.
Berkhamsted could have equalised on 78 minutes when Sonner found himself free in front of goal but his shot went wildly over the bar.
Matthew Judge sowed up the game for the Stags on 85 minutes when he ghosted in at the back post to plant home Darren Duporte’s free kick from close range.
The game ended with the Stags almost netting twice more from a Duporte free kick and a corner. A late appeal for a Berko penalty, after Ardiles went down in the penalty area, was disregarded by the referee and thre points came home to the east end.