After the sparkling performance dished up at home to Nuneaton on Saturday would there be an eggnog induced hangover come Boxing Day? Those 4 goals against our financially strapped visitors, would they be the only presents Santa would be offering up for us or maybe if we looked hard enough we could still find some goodies tucked away under the tree still.

Berkhamsted's ground is wedged in between the local railway line, a canal, a sports centre and some housing. Prime real estate for sure. We have been spoilt clearly with pitches this season, our own fine 3G surface of course and some superb away turf hadn't prepared us for the rather gluey surface and longer than usual grass we found. Think Witham Town but in more affluent surroundings.

There were no changes to the starting line up so we lined up with Bradbrook in goal, Lewis, Olu and Dickens at the back with Brown and Mills out wide, Turner and Hunter in the middle of the park and Joe Neal up top with Romario and Bampoe around him. Napa returned after sickness to take up a place on the bench alongside Cousins, Oteng, Marshall and Tarpey.

The game began in very stop - start fashion, with both teams having little spells on the front foot but the longer the half progressed the more momentum we gained and the further up the field the play became. There were still a few moments of anxiety, especially when watching the game from the other end of the pitch. Charlie Lewis headed one effort from off our own goal line and another attempt appeared to be cleared away from close to the line also with various appeals going on but at no point was Bradders really stretched.
Unfortunately we could say the same at the other end too with the Berko keeper not really pushed into action despite some decent possession in good areas and the ball fizzing across the box quite a bit so when half time arrived you felt that we were on top without really inflicting any damage yet.
Patience is a virtue, and on a heavy pitch, patience we would have to have.

The 2nd half continued much as the first ended with us a gathering force. About 10 minutes into the half we went close for the first time, really close. Rom forcing the home side's keeper into a fingertip save to keep out a dipping header that earned us a corner and from that corner a Turner shot was deflected up and seemingly over the keeper and in but once again despairing fingers clawed the ball away somehow. Surely it wasn't going to be one of 'those' days. Straight down the other end Bradders was forced into a good save low down to thwart a Berko breakaway.
Around the hour mark we made our first change when the previously booked Philip Brown Bampoe was replaced by Malachi Napa. Within minutes we had the breakthrough. A ball into the box by Mills was controlled by Romario who had his legs taken away from him by a pair of home team defenders and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Joe Neal with his usual calm demeanour dispatched the penalty and relief flooded out, we'd made the breakthrough and no VAR decision was going to take that away from us.
Within a couple of minutes Millsy was sent galloping into the left hand side of the penalty area where he could have squared the ball but instead he drove on and fired through the keepers legs to double our lead. Ahhhhhhh yes, that felt good. The shackles were coming off, we were starting to cut loose.
Out of the blue we decided to concede our customary penalty, very charitable, why it was given it was hard to tell, sympathy perhaps? Berko had conceded 6 against Stourbridge only 3 days prior.
Whatever, that sympathy didn't extend to James Bradbrook who flung himself at the resulting spot kick and palmed it behind for a corner. Great work.
2-0 is never the comfortable scoreline it looks, everyone will tell you that but 3-0 feels a whole lot better and that goal came when Millsy ran on to a diag played out wide to the left. Rather than take a touch, the follically challenged magician lifted the ball first time from 35-40 yards over the head of the advancing Berko keeper and before the ball had even hit the back of the net Millsy was turning back to celebrate laughing loudly. "It usually just lands in the keepers hands" he says, well that one didn't and it's another goal of the season contender and his 5th in 10 games back at the Yellows.
By that point Reuben Marshall had replaced Romario Dunne and now Mills was spared the mental effort of trying to go for a Hat-Trick when he was replaced with around 10 minutes to go by Reiss Oteng for his first appearance since an appendix operation. Reisso is a lovely lad but his playing time this season has been very limited so I doubt there was a much more deserving or surprised recipient of goal number 4 than Mr O.
Napa flicked one around the corner into the path of Reiss who galloped into the space left by Millsy and all of a sudden he was one on one with the advancing home stopper. All very calm, all very cool, all very Reiss Oteng as he simply lifted the ball over the keeper and watched the ball bounce into the net. His smiling face said it all and the celebrations go to show what a popular guy he is around this bunch. His first goal for the club, it suited him, he wore it well.

So that was that, 4 goals, 3 points, 2 more for Millsy and ( 1 clean sheet, 1 penalty save, 1 more for Neal and a 1st goal for Reisso ) one hell of a way to celebrate Boxing Day. A result that very deservingly lifts the Yellows out of the drop zone. This result also blew apart Chairman Andrew Long's away day hoodoo as he had missed our previous league wins at Nuneaton, Long Eaton and Coalville. Welcome back chief, you missed some good ones there.

Now attention turns to Needham Market at home on New Years Day. I'd like to think we can start looking upwards rather than checking over our shoulders now as we've played so well over the last couple of months. We are playing some superb football and now getting an end product. Plenty of reasons to be very cheerful this festive period. Step 3 football, you have to learn to walk first, we've done that now and we're beginning to pick up the pace.

Come on you Yellows.

Match Report by Screechy