EXPERIENCE proved to be the key factor at Broadwater on Saturday as Berkhamsted Town progressed through to the quarter-finals of the Herts Senior Cup at the expense of a young Watford Reserve side.

With the Hornets' first team away at Grimsby Town, reserve boss Ray Lewington's team selection was limited with regard to senior players at his disposal, but he probably also had one eye on Monday night's (October 22) trip to Chelsea.

Although Watford had a number of reasonable attacking opportunities, they failed to extend keeper Sean O'Connor, while his opposite number, Bradley Hughes, had to make several excellent saves to prevent the home side adding to their narrow lead.

Jamie Hand had the first attempt on target after seven minutes, but Berkhamsted were unfortunate not to take the lead two minutes later. Former Hornets reserve Danny Brathwaite's corner was flicked on by Andy Mullins, and Paul Lowe stabbed the ball just wide at the far post.

On 16 minutes, Mullins managed to beat Hughes following a surging run into the area, but the ball was cleared, and then the impressive John Richardson was too deliberate with a shot after the referee had missed a handball when the striker controlled Marvin Morgan's flick on.

The decisive goal arrived in the 26th minute, and it owed much to Richardson's strength and strong running down the channels. Lowe's good ball down the left found Richardson, and he did well to hold off Jerel Ifil before squaring the ball back for Luke Brockett to beat Hughes with a rising deflected drive from 15 yards.

Hughes had to be alert to hold a close range header from Morgan, but the Hornets' keeper then made two fine saves, pushing a Richardson shot on the turn round the post, before tipping over Graham Hall's curling free kick.

Watford's best chance of the opening period came after 33 minutes when Jack Smith set Jason Norville scampering free on the left. He laid the ball back for Hand, whose low cross-shot just eluded Fabian Forde at the back post.

Six minutes before the interval, Neil Saunders fired a low 25-yard drive narrowly wide of O'Connor's right-hand post.

Forde was again inches away from a Tom Neill cross on 51 minutes, but Watford had Hughes to thank for keeping them in the tie three minutes later when he tipped Brathwaite's header over the bar after Paul Aldridge had headed a John Pedder corner back into the danger zone.

But Hughes' best save of the game came on 62 minutes when he excelled to push over Pedder's 25-yard deflected free kick, after Matt Langston had been booked for foul on Richardson. The Hornets keeper was at it again with 20 minutes left, pushing Mullins' drive round his near post following more good work by Richardson on the right.

Watford's only remaining chance of forcing extra time slipped by in the 76th minute. Substitute Barrie Matthews stole a march on his marker in the box, but he failed to make a sufficiently strong connection with Forde's whipped in centre.

October 27, 2001 14:34