Corby Town completed their pre-season programme with a 3-1 Steel Park defeat at home by Berkhamsted. Back in 2020 both teams were challenging at the top of the Betvictor Southern League Eastern Division and were due to play in a promotion six-pointer on Saturday March 14th but two days prior to that fixture the league was suspended and eventually abandoned due tio the Covid-19 pandemic.
Berkhamsted, now a Southern League Division One Central side, went into the latest friendly fixture without their captain Matt Bateman while Corby were missing Jordan O.Brien and Jack Keeble.
In the opening minutes Fletcher Toll had a header from a Tristan Thompson-Matthews corner comfortably held by Comrades goalkeeper Josh Bowler before the visitors took control of the match by scoring twice inside the opening fourteen minutes - both goals being scored from the right wing by summer signing Roger Jones with assists by Louie Collier. Jones was injured in the act of netting his second and was immediately replaced by substitute Sam McClelland.
In the 20th minute Corby were awarded a free kick just outside the Berkhamsted penalty area and before you could say "this is within Danny Gordon's range" the Steelmen's set-piece expert had fired in a shot which took a deflection off the wall to wrong-foot Bowler.
Shortly before half time Reuben Marshall fired a shot high over the bar
Just a minute into the second half, however, Kye Tearle scored an excellent third for the Comrades after being set up by Luke Andrews.
Callum Milne had an opportunity to reduce the deficit after Bowler had fumbled a centre but he was unable to get enough of a contact on the ball to direct it over the line.
There was little fluidity to the second half, mainly due to four skirmishes as the players took advantage of the referees reluctance to hand out any cards - although several would have been justified. Towards the end of the game Gary Setchell gave Corby's youth team players Kyle Hutchinson and Ryan Martindale some time on the pitch while Berkhamsted manager Chris Devane introduced his own under-18 prospects McMillan, Sherwin and Swift.
All in all it was a highly competitive contest with the league season moving ever closer.

CORBY TOWN:- Ross Durrant; Alfie Wren, Danny Gordon; Spencer Edwards, Callum Milne, Rory McAuley; Matthew Slinn, Tristan Thompson-Matthews, Fletcher Toll, Reuben Marshall, Joe Butterworth. substitutes Jack Noble, Ryan Martindale, Kyle Hutchinson, trialist.

BERKHAMSTED:- Josh Bowler; Kye Tearle, Ben Walster: Jordan Frederick, Lewis Thorpe, Dan Newton; Roger James. Adam Watkins, BJ Christie, Luke Andres, Louie Collier. substitutes: McLelland, McMillan, Sherwin, Swift.