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Season Reviews

2008/09

Welcome to the review of season 2008/09, which saw the Ducks go into the start of the campaign harbouring genuine hopes of finally breaking into the top five and make the playoffs.

Tony Thompson had remained as the club's manager and kept a settled squad which had been built around the same players for the previous two years. The squad was bolstered with a couple of choice additions, the ever popular Daniel Mead returning to the club along with another name from the past: Stuart Maynard, whilst winger Aaron Flood switched from Dunstable Town.

Unbeaten United Storm On

The season began with a narrow defeat to eventual champions Leamington, who came from a goal behind to win 2-1 at The Meadow. Following that the Ducks didn't look back and after two further draws, at AFC Sudbury and Bedworth United, Aylesbury got their first win of the season against none other than their biggest rivals Chesham United.

The 2-2 draw in Sudbury marked the beginning of an incredible eleven-game unbeaten run for Aylesbury which included eight wins on the bounce! Chesham, Romulus, Stourport Swifts, Windsor & Eton, Almondsbury Town, Mangotsfield United, Bridgwater Town and Bath City were the sides beaten.

The latter five were in cup competitions as United marched through the early rounds of the FA Cup with ease, before completing a giantkilling of Conference South side Bath City with a full deserved 1-0 win at Twerton Park.

A draw at Soham Town three days later was to be the end of United's winning run, as Thompson decided to rotate his squad for the FA Trophy tie at Oxford City and United were subsequently beaten 3-1 despite new signing Chris Marsh's first goal in green and white.

FA Cup Heartbreak

Aylesbury faced Sutton United in the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup knowing that a win would potentially pair them with a Football League side in the next round.

Sadly, just as the last time the Ducks made it to that stage in 2005, they fell flat when they needed the performance of their lives, and it was Sutton who went through with a 1-0 win.

There was little consolation in an easy 3-0 GX Cup win over Burnham two days later as United's league form began to falter.

On home turf the Ducks were doing ok, a 4-0 win over Dunstable was convincing, but a 1-0 win over struggling Woodford was less so. It was away from The Meadow that Aylesbury's problems came, and four successive away defeats coupled with some dire performances meant an end to Thompson's reign as manager as he resigned following a 2-0 loss at Arlesey Town.

Step Up Mark Eaton

Former assistant manager Mark Eaton was given caretaker control of the team, and although he was absent for a 2-1 GX Cup defeat by Windsor & Eton, his official first game in charge was an undoubted success: inflicting promotion-chasing Chasetown manager Charlie Blakemore's biggest ever defeat with a 3-0 win at The Meadow.

That was swiftly followed with a 5-1 demolition of Malvern Town, but United were still showing inconsistency, winning two and losing two of their remaining December fixtures. There was plenty of Christmas cheer though, as one of those wins was a 3-2 thriller against Chesham as the Ducks completed the double over their landlords.

Aylesbury went through the rain-interrupted January unbeaten, and Mark Eaton was confirmed as permanent manager in February, but it was the same story of inconsistency as the Ducks won two, lost two in that month.

Congestion No Help For Small Squad

March began with a bang and after three storming wins the Ducks were in pole position for a playoff challenge. But after losing in hugely disappointing fashion at home to Bedworth, then winning against Arlesey, United went on to lose five games in a row and their hopes were effectively killed off.

Aylesbury's small squad had been decimated by injury all season, and sixteen games to play in the final two months of the year proved just too much and they capitulated.

By mid-April the Ducks had run out of steam and one win in eight paints the picture. There was some respite though and an entertaining 5-3 win at Atherstone which saw United score an amazing four goals in nine minutes to turn the game on its head.

Troubled Times Ahead

Ultimately it was another season of 'ifs, buts and maybes' and Mark Eaton is right when he said the Ducks might have done a lot better had they kept their entire squad fit throughout the season.

Now though, the club face yet another off-season of rebuilding, rumours and troubles both on and off the pitch.

Eaton and his squad have departed for pastures new, and the club have appointed highly rated Martin Stone who was very successful at his previous side Chalfont Wasps. He has had to rebuild the entire squad from scratch on a pittance but the early signs are promising and it should be an interesting 2009/10.

Luke Brown - July 2009