Berkhamsted Men’s 3s pulled off a thrilling 3–2 victory against Oxford in what proved to be a rollercoaster of a match.

Things didn’t start well for Berko, who looked to be on the back foot in the opening five minutes. Oxford came out fast and dangerous, and despite some early resistance, they broke the deadlock with a swift counterattack, finishing neatly to make it 1–0.
That early setback seemed to wake Berko up. From then on, they looked the stronger and more composed side the defence seizing all attacks, midfield settling into their rhythm and controlling much of the play. Their patience was rewarded just before half-time — Owen delivered a superb cross into the D, and Robbo was perfectly placed to slot it home and level the score at 1–1.
However, just when Berko seemed to be building momentum, Oxford earned a short corner late in the half. Their first attempt didn’t go to plan, but a second opportunity saw them squeeze in a scrappy goal after a poor connection — harsh on Berko, who went into half-time trailing 2–1.

The half-time talk was clear: Oxford had a few dangerous players who needed to be man-marked, but Berko knew they were the stronger team. After the tactical pep talk, the 3s come out firing.

Finally remembering to play off the feet for short corners (this has taken weeks!) we started to earn them with the pressure paid off when Matt found the back board a brilliant finish to level things at 2–2.

With time ticking down, Berko pushed hard for a winner.

Oxford’s defence and keeper held firm letting nothing into the goal, but Berko kept knocking on the door. In the dying moments, they earned a short corner — the tension was sky-high.
The first on target attempt struck a defender’s foot, which could easily have been a penalty flick, but instead they were given another short.
As the final whistle blew, the corner had to be retaken all players attacking — one last chance to win it.
The ball came out to Matt, who coolly slipped it to Kyle. Kyle then found Owen lurking on the back post, and with perfect timing, Owen pushed it in. The sound was pure bliss —

Berko had done it! A stunning 3–2 comeback victory, sealed with the final play of the game.