Aylesbury moved to within a point of the playoff positions with a home win over struggling Rothwell Town. That in itself is a remarkable achievement considering the Ducks went into the game still without seven first choice players owing to injury, as has been the case for most of the season.

Step forward, then, Roni Joe, who came in to make only his second start of the season, and showed some touches reminiscent of yesteryear, and set up the decisive second goal for Nathan Graham.

A goal apiece is a good return for United's strikers also, the Graham/Hawkins partnership flourishing since they were brought back together for the Chesham game as both worked their socks off against the third-bottom opponents.

In the freezing conditions Aylesbury made the early chances, Mead shooting wide of the target on four minutes then a fierce cross in from the left desperately scrambled over his own crossbar by Adam Bridgeford before it reached Joe a minute later.

In the ninth minute, the fresh-faced Kyle Locklin was booked for a clattering challenge from behind. With the look of a player who's been picked straight from schoolboy football, he was shown the game's first yellow card for what was a naive rather than malicious challenge.

With the crowd on that side of the pitch now giving him plenty of stick, Locklin seemed fired up and was soon hugely involved in the game.

On fourteen minutes he struck a poor shot which was going wide but fell kindly into the path of Fazel Koriya who saw his effort superbly saved by Tom Vincent, but it mattered not as he was in an offside position anyhow.

A minute later the Ducks grabbed the lead. Mead played the ball through perfectly for Hawkins to run onto and with his left-foot he buried a fierce shot past Cameroonian stopper Alex Malong. 1-0 Aylesbury

Locklin was proving a nuisance down the Rothwell left, but every time he brought the ball forward his only available option was to go for goal. His first effort came in low and had to be gathered in by Vincent, before his second three minutes later went wide of the post as the ball dropped to him on the edge of the box.

A superb saving challenge from Simon Underwood kept the score to one on twenty-eight minutes as he stretched to nick the ball away from Nathan Graham. David Glass was next to deny the Ducks, well positioned on the goal-line to clear away Marsh's curling effort with Malong beaten all ends up.

Glass was then in action at the end, curling a free-kick over the bar.

The action packed first half came to an end with both sides wondering how the scoreline remained at 1-0 going into the interval. As Aylesbury were unable to clear their lines, the ball dropped invitingly for Kevin Byrne, his effort took a nick off a defender and hit the post before going out of play.

The resulting corner kick saw Glass take it short to Koriya and receive the ball back before swinging in a deep cross which was met by Underwood. Vincent made a superb save to deny his header from close range, and as the ball rebounded the Rothwell man unbelievably crashed his shot against the underside of the bar from all of four-yards before Saulsbury cleared upfield.

With the Aylesbury fans stunned into silence at the miss, the ball was quickly worked to Marsh who slid Hawkins through, his shot across the face of the goal rebounding off the face of the post. The ball then fell to Graham whose near-post shot was saved by Malong to complete an incredible passage of play; exactly 54 seconds from Underwood's miss to Hawkins striking the post, and with that the players left the field for a well earned rest.

Half-time: Aylesbury 1-0 Rothwell

The visitors had shown that Aylesbury's one-goal lead was anything but secure, and with the Ducks making a slow start to the second half and Rothwell seeing plenty of the ball, a comeback certainly appeared to be on the cards.

But before they could even muster a decent chance at goal, Aylesbury put the game beyond their lowly opponents. A fine move of intricate passing eventually ended with Roni Joe passing to Nathan Graham who beat his marker for pace and slotted past Malong. 2-0 Rothwell

Once the second had gone in, there was clearly no way back for Rothwell and the pace of the game visibly slowed as the temperature dropped further.

Rothwell's first effort of the second period was a blazing high shot from Boyle-Chong, then five minutes later Marsh drove for the byline before firing in a cross-shot which grazed the outside of the far post.

The visitors missed yet another sitter on the hour mark when Aylesbury were caught cold at the back, a right-wing cross finding Byrne all alone but he smashed wildly over the bar on the half-volley.

The crowd were certainly getting value for in a game full of talking points, and they were served up another comical moment when Chris Marsh beat Underwood far too easily before going for goal with a rasping effort which Malong flamboyantly beat away. Hawkins looked in just the right place to fire home the rebound, but got the ball caught between his legs and the chance was gone.

Another good Rothwell chance was spurned, Martin Flanagan the guilty man this time, heading a deep free-kick wide, before Joe left the field to be replaced by the returning Jason Castello.

The final fifteen minutes drifted by slowly, punctuated by occasional efforts from the Ducks. Chris Marsh had two decent dipping efforts from long range which both went over the bar, and Graham saw an effort skip up off the turf into the grateful arms of Malong.

Marsh had the game's best remaining chance when he was played through one-on-one with Malong, but his finish lacked confidence and the keeper came out tops with a save down low.

In the last five minutes Castello, now playing up front following Graham's withdrawal, was quickly onto a hashed backpass by Underwood and beat Malong to the ball, but his lobbed shot dropped over the empty net.

The full time whistle eventually sounded on a deserved win for United and a perfect start to 2009.