The Ammers lost further ground on the rest of the NCEL Premier above, losing 4-0 to Thackley on Saturday afternoon at The Southerns Stadium.
Berchill opened the scoring in the sixth-minute, from the right touchline, midway into the Ammers’ half when he dugout a delivery which landed into the far side-netting regardless of intention.
Ryan Basi doubled the lead from much closer, pouncing in the box to poke in after a free-kick rebounded off the post.
Berchill’s second followed a clever set-piece routine before Tom Greaves cemented the result.
Ammers substitute Ras Diamond Jnr was sent off for two yellow cards, four minutes apart before Ashin Rashid’s penalty save denied Berchil’s hat-trick.
Rashid made his Ammers debut in goal after Luke Mitchell’s injury in midweek whilst Louis Fialdini, James Warwick-Adkins and Wilfred Frimpong returned to the starting line-up.
Thackley took the lead inside the first six minutes from Amir Berchil’s delivery from the right touch-line which flew over Rashid into the far side-netting.
Wilfred Frimpong’s attempt to beat the goalscorer and enter the visitors’ half was intercepted and with Berchil in-behind the Ammers wing-back, he sent the ball into the box, landing the ball into the side-netting, questionably deliberate or not.
Frankie Sinfield sprinted down the visitors’ left to lead Thackley’s counter before rewarding Lewis Waddington’s shouts with a square pass across the edge of the box.
The recipient’s first-time shot flew straight into the hands of Rashid.
Ammers responded with their own counter, Reggie Waud again flicking a high ball into the path of Fialdini.
The forward was caught by the chasing defender but the ball dropped ahead of Fox, running onto it on the edge of the box, to poke, first-time, over the bar.
Kadeem Morton gathered a spill from the ‘keeper, snatching his shot wide of the near right-hand post.
Waud obliged at his own opportunity to attack goal with a header following Frimpong’s cross from the left, stretching to lift the ball high over the bar.
Jake Boyd intercepted Berchil’s next delivery into the box, low to the penalty spot, poked away by the central-defender.
Warwick-Adkins made his place known on Lewis Waddington, seemingly winning the fifty-fifty inside the centre-circle, knocking the ball deep into the Thackley half.
Fox found Frimpong to his left for a first-time effort on 24 minutes, left-footed, curling the ball away from the far post.
The winger did it all himself on his next approach, making ground down the left, beating one and loading his shot, unaware the second Thackley man was about to fall over.
Rashid was forced to get dirty, diving low to his left, to deny Chippendale, edging towards the hour mark.
The effect of Warwick-Adkins’ earlier challenge forced him off on 32 minutes, central-defender Kenneth Effah replacing him in midfield.
Thackley cemented their position in the lead through Rasi Basi finding the loose ball after a Thackley free-kick rebounded off the post on 35 minutes.
Thackley’s free-kick, left-of-centre and all but touching the white of Ammers’ box, curled round the left of the wall, the rebounding off the post, across the 6-yard box with Basi running in for a poke-finish.
That partnership of Waud and Fialdini put the latter through on goal, with some work to do to escape two chasing Thackley defenders.
Luke Wilson won the duel between forward and ‘keeper, his leg deflecting the low shot across goal towards the left corner, away from his box to keep his sheet clean into half-time.
Berchill buried his way through midfield on the hour, away from Jordan Spencer with time to knock the ball onto his right before forcing Rashid to deflect the ball wide of his left-hand post.
Tom Greaves used his strength, inside the right of the Ammers box, to continue Thackley’s possession, turning his marker before drilling a cross aimed at Sinfield at the far post but not finding home.
Chippendale’s delivery is much more accurate, although deeper, flicked on at the penalty spot ahead of the challenge of Curran-Nicholls, evading the attacking runs of Dennyboys at the far post.
Substitute Ras Diamond-Jnr received a yellow for his struggles, defending out wide.
Mitchell Fox’s half-volley across goal flew wide of the woodwork, shot from the edge of the box after Fialdini’s initial effort was blocked.
Diamond Jnr was then dismissed with a second-yellow in four minutes and resulting red card after allowing the Thackley winger to leave him behind before the visitor was grounded.
Berchil got his second, Thackley’s third, after the resulting well-worked set-piece.
Berchil separated himself from the pack crowding the free-kick by running right, initiating the pass into the scorer to shoot low into the near bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Greaves’ left-footed volley, hooked side on to to goal, from a delivery from the right, curled away from Rashid into the bottom right-hand corner.
Rashid denied a fifth by tipping over from a volley after a delivery from the right, this time.
Berchil assisted Thackley’s penalty and after initial deliberation, was handed the ball by Chippendale for his hat-trick.
Rashid denied the Thackley midfielder the match ball by palming it away when diving mid-height to the ‘keeper’s left.
Jamal Stewart almost clawed Ammers a goal back when he rounded ‘keeper Wilson on the edge of the Thackley box.
Keanan Mannings’ high through ball down the left was reached by Stewart first, in-behind the Dennyboys defence.
But in the forward’s efforts to win the duel against the ‘keeper, he lost his footing, mis-hitting the shot as The Ammers failed to find the score-sheet at full-time.
The County cup begins for Ammers with a trip to Wakefield on Wednesday evening at The Post Office Road Stadium, kick-off 7:45pm.