A burst of three goals in 12 minutes was comfortably enough for Berkhamsted to make it 22 consecutive home wins for the season and beat Watford 3-0 to reach the Herts Senior Cup Final.

On a bitterly cold night at the Glencar Community Stadium, the generally older, more experienced and physically stronger non-league side made those three factors tell against a Watford Under-21 team that didn’t lack for ability and effort, but was simply undone by a group of players that was more street wise.

Watford missed a penalty in the last quarter of an hour and saw a couple of shots go close, but in reality the contest was over once Berko scored their third goal and they saw out the remaining hour or so of play without ever really looking under threat.

It was a game that once again raises the question of whether there needs to be some sort of competitive league or competition that fills the void between Under-21 football and the first team.

The young Hornets were technically sound, moved the ball around the pitch well and were very willing. But how often in Under-21 football will they have come across a truly giant central defender like Berko captain Ryan Kinnane?

He won virtually every aerial challenge he was involved in and then caused alarm at the other end by his sheer size every time Berko had a set piece. Indeed, he was directly involved in two of the goals and was unlucky not to score himself.

Similarly, the defence had to deal with two strikers in Adam Watkins and Bradley Wadkins, who were tough, talented and knew how to hold, tug a shirt and make the odd barbed comment. There’s nothing wrong with any of that, but it’s something not many Under-21 games contain.

There are so many elements of senior football, from non-league right up to the Premier League, that are part of parcel of every game, and yet the current structure means there is no transition: players move directly from games against their peers to suddenly running into the likes of Kinnane, Watkins and Wadkins.

Berko are a very effective, organised and well coached side who play to their strengths extremely well, and it’s easy to see why they are romping away with their league. Hopefully the young Watford players will take this as a positive learning experience while seeing what the future holds when they progress into the senior ranks.

For 20 minutes it was a reasonable contest. Ryan Neufville had the ball in the net from a third-minute corner but the effort was ruled out for offside, and Zak Fraser-Grant struck the side netting with a shot on the angle down the other end.

However, the home side took the lead after 22 minutes when Kinnane nodded down a corner, Watford didn’t clear and Wadkins hooked the ball into the net.

A minute later it was 2-0. Watford lead coach Omer Riza will probably be disappointed that Lynton Goss was able to accelerate away down the right without any Watford defender getting near to stopping him, and when he centred Jonathan Lacey rose to steer a header inside the far post.

The third goal was a real lesson in how a team can undo you by using their assets to the best of their abilities. Ben Walster hit a free kick from the left to the back of the box and the giant Kinnane knew exactly where the ball was heading.

He sent a largely unchallenged header back across goal and the ball hit the inside of the far post, bounced into the six-yard box and Neufville reacted first to head home.

Three down at half-time was pretty much game over, and the second half was largely uneventful until Walster was adjudged to have tripped Ryan Andrews in the box by referee Mr Bates.

Adian Manning stepped up and sent the penalty soaring over the bar towards the platform at Berkhamsted station behind the goal.

Dawid Hamiga and Fraser-Grante both sent shots just wide before the final chance of the night saw Luke Andrews drag the ball back for fellow substitute Josh Chamberlain to fire an effort across the face of goal.

Much for the Hornets to take away as a learning process, while Berko have the chance to add another trophy to a league title that is only a matter of time away from being confirmed.

Having seen them again first-hand, it’s going to take something special from anyone left to visit the Glencar Community Stadium to stop them winning every home league match this season.

Berkhamsted: Groom; Neufville, Tompkins (Chamberlain 71), Toomey, Kinnane, Walster, Lacey, Watkins (Andrews 59), Wadkins (Bangura 71), Goss, Silford. Subs not used: Coker, Blake.

Watford: Macaulay; Andrews, Manning, Coyne, Mullins (Holding 35), Abbott, Adu-Poku (Hamiga 71), Delyfer (Harrison 59), Adeyemo, Touray, Fraser-Grante. Subs not used: Browne, Fankwe.