Berkhamsted 0 Ware 1

What a day. The last of three consecutive away games against in form teams, the most in form being Berkhamsted who sat at the top of the table with an unbeaten record. Perhaps then not the day to rest your main striker and be without Marcus Milner and Dan Rumens but that was Paul Halsey's decision and he obviously believed in it because he stuck with his starting line up throughout the game.

Did he have doubts in a first half that was dominated by the home side as Ware struggled to keep up with their opponents? Well, if so he had something to be cheerful about just a minute before the break when Tom Bruno lofted a ball through the otherwise impeccable Berkhamsted defence and Taufee Skandari took it forward to score what proved to be the only goal of the game.

Up until then the home side had looked invulnerable, playing with all the confidence you would expect of unbeaten league leaders. They read the game better than Ware, were quicker onto the ball and as a result applied pressure for long periods.

They also had two wide men who gave the Ware defence trouble all through the first period. As early as the seventh minute Alie Bangura skated past two defenders before laying the ball across the Ware area to James Verney who was denied by a good save from Brad Robinson and the goal post. The resultant corner was the first of many for Berkhamsted whilst Ware had none throughout the game.

As the half wore on Ware did start to mount some coherent attacks and in this time Albert Adu saw a good shot go narrowly over and delivered a cross that Liam Dulson couldn't quite get his head to.

But Berkhamsted were still looking the more dangerous of the two sides and almost took the lead on 39 minutes. An opportunistic volley by Lucas Kirkpatrick from a position nearer the centre circle than the penalty 'D' seemed to offer no danger. That appeared to be Robinson's opinion too as he let it go past only to see the ball kiss the outside of his left hand post.

From the restart the second half presented a different proposition. Ware looked more confident and started to make considered passes from the back as opposed to the rushed clearances of the first half.

The home side were different too, making poor decisions on passes and, as time progressed, looking more rattled and ragged compared to their confident performance before the break. The home crowd was also getting concerned about the situation and seemed to convey their anxiety on to the pitch.

It began to seem possible that Ware could score a second goal and Chris Arthur almost did, working across the edge of the penalty area before unleashing a shot that cannoned off the cross bar. Liam Dulson also fired in a shot that Xavier Comas Leon scooped away at the foot of his post.

Still, it was far from one-way traffic and twice Robinson tipped shots over the bar - the second one in the third minute of added time - as the game swung from end to end before the referee's whistle ended the contest.

A win that ends your opponents' unbeaten record is always worth a celebration but more importantly Ware closed off a run of three testing away league games with six out of the nine points available. After Tuesday's defeat, getting back to winning ways against the strongest of the three sides represents a significant and positive step forward.

Ware: Brad Robinson, Chris Arthur, Pat Adamson, Leigh Rose, Louis Rose, Dave Kendall, Robbie Buchanan, Tom Bruno, Liam Dulson, Albert Adu, Taufee Skandari. Unused subs: Liam Hope, William Dupray, Rechan Esprit, James Mulley, Joel Jacobs.