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Aylesbury travelled the short distance to Barton Rovers without a win in three, and in wet weather and on an increasingly muddy pitch, things were always going to be difficult.

The match appeared to have started positively for the Ducks when Enzo Silvestri picked up the ball and drove a shot wide, but disaster struck when they found themselves a goal down after just four minutes.

A through ball by Francis Harkin took United's defence out of the game, and as Tom Vincent advanced from his goal the ball slipped through his legs, where the grateful James Hatch was waiting to stab the ball into an empty net. 1-0 Barton

Aylesbury looked to get on level terms immediately, and Kevin Mealor sliced wide after the ball was squeezed to him a minute later.

The match was a dull affair for the majority of the first half, Barton had a goal disallowed in the 20th minute in what as the only action for some time.

Alex O'Brien had another chance to double his side's lead when the ball fell to him just inside the area, but his shot was easily held by Vincent.

United dragged themselves back into the match seven minutes before half-time, with the scrappiest of goals. A Daniel Mead free-kick wasn't dealt with by Barton, sticking underneath a fallen player, before Gutzmore pounced to roll the ball home from 5-yards. 1-1

The equaliser gave Aylesbury confidence and they began to attack with purpose not seen previously. It paid off when they scored again three minutes later - a throw-in quickly crossed in for Mealor, who had timed his run perfectly to head home his first for the club. 2-1 Aylesbury

United had barely finished celebrating when more suspect defending allowed Barton in to equalise again. The ball was crossed in from the left, and the unfortunate Vincent couldn't get any distance on his punch, the ball falling kindly for Francis Harkin to fire in across goal. 2-2

In a flurry of activity the previously dull game had exploded into life, but as torrential rain continued to fall, the referee blew for half-time.

Half-time: Barton 2-2 Aylesbury

With the conditions worsening further after the break, and a considerable amount of standing water present, players were finding it difficult to stay on there feet, providing more entertainment than the football being played.

On the whole the ball was more often in Barton's half, although clear cut chances for either side were nearly as rare as a dry piece of turf.

Luke Melisi fashioned a good move by breaking free down the left, but he mis-placed his cross, collected by Matt Butler who shot well over.

The Ducks had a faint penalty appeal turned down when Gutzmore went over the challenge of goalkeeper Robbie Timms, although the ball was probably already out of play.

Four minutes later Melisi had a great chance when a deep cross evaded the defender in front of him, and he dived on the ball, but could only head wide.

Barton had a good chance of their own moments later when Niall Lynch connected with a free-kick, but could only direct his header down where it was dived on by the waiting Vincent.

Timms was called into action on 75 minutes when Melisi found the ball at his feet in the area and cracked a shot towards the bottom corner, which was well tipped wide by the Barton stopper.

As the minutes ticked by, the match seemed destined to end level. Silvestri curled a shot narrowly wide of the post, before Gareth Linnard replaced Luke Melisi with Mealor moving up front for the closing stages.

But Aylesbury dug deep, stuck at their task, and to the delight of their travelling contingent, came up with a winner. With six minutes remaining Silvestri dribbled into the area, took a swing at the ball and watched as it struck a Barton defender, wrong-footed Timms, and literally trickled into the goal - stopping in the mud a foot over the line. 3-2 Aylesbury

By no means a classic winner then, but it was job done for the Ducks, and they enjoyed being able to see out the remainder of the match by keeping the ball safely, and were rewarded with an important and hard fought three points.