Aylesbury travelled to deepest, darkest Flackwell Heath, something of an adventure for some supporters. It took me and Leon half and hour to find the ground on foot, after walking past the 'concealed' entrance once, and nearly a second time. Once inside though, Flackwell had a surprisingly nice clubhouse, and a reasonable ground.
Steve Cordery made several changes to the team, whilst still fielding a strong side. First starts of the season were handed to Matt Rolfe and Stuart Corbould, and both had good games. Also in were Phil Dicker and Sam Sloma, both regaining their places, Gareth Risbridger returning from injury, and an unfamiliar front pairing of Kezie Ibe and Roni Joe. Cordery opted to play a 5-3-2 system, with Sloma and Dicker operating as wing-backs.
As I always seem to write in these reports, the game started brightly for the Ducks. A pacey Roni attack down the left resulted in a whipped ball right across the face of the goal. Unfortunately no-one was waiting to bury the chance.
Nothing really happened after this, as the Ducks struggled to come to terms with the poor surface and their opposition's determination at times. A Flackwell free-kick routine after 25 minutes saw the ball headed down and across goal, before being cleared by the Ducks backline. Sam Sloma received the ball from a free-kick soon after, and broke clear down the left, but instead of playing a simple cut back, he hit a wild cross-shot on the volley.
Kezie Ibe left the game after 30 minutes, to be replaced by Fiston Manuella.
Flackwell started to take the game to the visitors, and a swift attack on the half hour mark had the defenders worried. The eventual shot was deflected for a corner. The Ducks tried not to get frustrated, but were being reduced to long range efforts. Steve McGrath hit a 'speculative' 40 yarder, which sailed well over.
McGrath came closer with his next effort though, as a corner was swung onto head, and was heading for the top corner, but for a save by Flackwell keeper Knott.
Half-time: 0-0
The Ducks came out for the second half looking positive for probably the first time in the game. The ball was spread wide to Baker who released a drive, which went just wide, early in the half. A minute later a sliced Flackwell clearance fell to Baker, but he mis-hit his shot and it went nowhere.
As Aylesbury started putting the pressure on their hosts, a goal-mouth scramble saw shots flying in from all over the place, before the ball eventually fell to Sam Sloma, who's cleanly hit half-volley hit the bar and bounced over.
Flackwell's best chance of the game came against the run of play soon after. A deep corner was too deep for the player at the far post, but he sent the ball back in, and Gregg Murphy connected with a strong volley, which thankfully went just over.
The Ducks further increased the pressure, and finally got their reward after 64 minutes. A beautiful flowing move that went from one end of the pitch to the other resulted in Stuart Corbould being put through, and his left footed shot was cleared by a combination of goalkeeper and post for a corner. In a carbon copy of his earlier chance, Steve McGrath rose and nodded the ball into the top corner, his first Ducks goal. Relief was the main response from players and fans alike. 1-0 Aylesbury
Aylesbury took just 6 minutes to double their lead. A typical Roni Joe run saw him brought down just inside the penalty area. After much discussion, Joe Baker stepped up. His penalty hit the post and looked to be going out, but it rolled across the line and crept in. 2-0 Aylesbury
With 15 minutes to go, Roni Joe and Steve McGrath were replaced by Adam Campion and Mark Burgess.
The Ducks were now running the show, and found another gear after the introduction of Campion. Another excellent move was the basis for the 3rd goal. An overhead kick from Joe Baker in the middle of the park (not the first time he's done that this season) released Sam Sloma, and he raced away before firing home a poweful shot from a tight angle. 3-0 Aylesbury
In the end it was a good win, even though we had to work hard for it. Reminded me of our outing to Port Vale last year, where the underdogs made the bigger side work hard for their result, before finally succumbing to the pressure and true order of things.
