It has been quite a few years since we met Berkhamsted regularly, as fellow members of the Isthmian League and most of those meetings have long since faded from my memory, except one.
By Charlie Ward
It came when we traveled to their ground in mid-April 1995, to try and win three points as we desperately fought against relegation
The season was significant for us, as it was the final season we would play as Leyton FC and the last season we would play at our former home in Leyton, the Hare & Hounds.
We had agreed a merger with local club Walthamstow Pennant and would be plying our trade at our current home, Wadham Lodge as Leyton Pennant.
It was also the season the FA decided, in their wisdom, to introduce the experimental ‘kick-in’ as al alternative to the throw-in, and the Isthmian League was the guinea pig chosen to carry out the experiment.
To no one’s great surprise or sorrow, the experiement was shelved after one season.
The situation was hardly ideal on the field, with player/manager, Paul Taylor struggling to get us away from the bottom three places in the table. All season long, we had defended pretty well but it was a severe lack of goals that was the reason for our struggles.
Berkhampsted were hardly doing much better, sitting a few places above the drop zone, looking over their shoulder at the clubs positioned below them, so this game definitely qualified as a “six pointer”.
In March, before the transfer deadline, Taylor made two significant signings; strikers Ben Barnett and David Flint.
Flint was a former team mate of Taylor’s, as were several of the side already assembled, with plenty of experience.
In recent weeks we had started to turn and thanks to our new signings, we had begun to win games regularly and we were confident travelling to Berko, despite a 1-0 loss in our previous League game against Tooting and Mitcham.
Unfortunately, two days before our League outing against Berkhampsted, we had to fit in a cup game against Fisher Athletic and even more unfortunately, it went to extra time an we went out.
On the day of the Berkhamsted game it was quite warm and the pitch was bone hard.
The pitch itself had a very pronounced slope from one goal to the other (they may have used the heavy roller on it to flatten it out by now) and in the first half we were playing up the slope.
To be honest, we were awful in the first half, sluggish, leggy, outfought and generally, second best to everything.
Mind you, the home team were barely much better, just not as bad as us and they deservedly went into half time with a one goal lead.
At half time the supporters were at the tea bar despondent, but, trying to put a brave face on it and suggesting that it did not really matter if our new club started life in Isthmian Division Two and it would not effect attendances.
Included in the conversation was club official, Mike Roberts and he was very much of the opinion that defeat today would not be a disaster.
As soon as the second half started, it was obvious we were a team transformed, encouraged, no doubt, by a more than quiet team talk from the manager.
In just a few minutes we were level, I cannot remember for the life of me who scored the goal but, I believe it was Barnett who scored. [Editor’s note - close! It was Pat Staunton].
What I do remember is that within another ten minutes we were ahead after Martin Coates slotted home a penalty.
With the game still in the balance, we needed a third goal and we got it when Flint chased a through ball and despite him being on the wrong side of thirty, he still had electric pace and got to the ball, held of a defender’s challenge and slotted it home.
Cue a run towards the corner flag in celebration, closely followed by his team mates and suddenly, on the terracing side of the perimeter fence, running parallel to Flint was Mike Roberts matching him stride for stride.
Looks like the result did matter after all.
The three points on that day and three more victories in our remaining games saw us move out of the relegation places to safety with two league games left, incredibly, ending the season in fourteenth place (out of twenty two)
I lay claim to playing a small part in our survival, as I was lucky enough to have enough in the bank at that time to be the one funding the wages for Barnett and Flint.
The story had a happy ending for Berko as well, they avoided relegation by one point.
I spoke to manager Taylor a few days after the game and asked him if the reason we had been so sluggish in the first half was because we were trying to save energy for the second half after the exertions the previous Thursday and his reply made me smile.
He said “No, it was just that we were rubbish” (only he did not use the word rubbish).
