Former Southern League rivals Aylesbury and Dunstable met on the field for the first time since 2009, and after a dramatic game it was the Ducks who took maximum points for a morale boosting first league victory of the season.
This certainly wasn't a match for the football purists, but was a great one for the neutrals and packed with entertainment value. Seven goals, a penalty kick, sending off and many other talking points culminated in United eventually sealing the win with goals in four minutes of the second half, despite having played two-thirds of the game with ten men.
Aylesbury made the perfect start with a goal in the fourth minute. Jack Sillitoe's long clearance caught Steffan McNeilly floundering and the ball bounced through to Lea Coulter who raced through, took his time, and finished with aplomb for his first goal for the club. 1-0 Aylesbury
Dunstable came into the game well placed in the league having won both their opening fixtures, and having scored six goals in the process were always likely to be a goal threat.
Jonathan Barnett, briefly of Aylesbury's town rivals last season, was an early menace as he sliced a shot straight into Sillitoe's hands on eight minutes, before he might have done better two minutes later but could only head well over from a cross.
More wasteful finishing from Dunstable, a sign of things to come, was in evidence again shortly afterwards when Darrell Elliott was allowed to run straight through the defence but could his fierce shot cracked against the station behind the goal.
Aylesbury's second, then, came rather against the overall run of play - and once again was something of a gift. Dunstable twice failed to clear their lines with the ball ricocheting around the penalty area, before it fell for Edgeworth who produced an excellent hooked volley into the net. 2-0 Aylesbury
That inspired the Ducks to push on and they had their chances for a third with Coulter firing wide from Smith's cross, and Edgeworth going close again with a near post flicked header which flashed past the upright.
A third arrived before the half hour mark to put the Ducks in dreamland, once again coming in the midst of woeful defending from the visitors. Warren Garcia made a surging run down the right but his low ball into the box appeared of little danger until an attempted clearance by a defender was miscued. The ball span kindly into the path of Edgeworth who couldn't miss from near the penalty spot. 3-0 Aylesbury
The three goal lead didn't last long though, as Aylesbury looked desperate to get involved in the dodgy defending themselves. The ball was lost cheaply in midfield and one ball over the top left Darrell Elliott in all kinds of space and he made no mistake. 3-1
Yet another catastrophe in the Blues' penalty area should have given the Greens a fourth but Coulter somehow placed his shot wide from four-yards out, just after Edgeworth had blazed a free-kick well over the bar.
It was Dunstable who were next to be gifted a goal though, when Elliott cleverly back heeled the ball into Carney's path and the experienced striker tempted Mullholland in for a challenge he was never going to make stick. Carney was crudely hacked down from behind, leaving the referee little option but to award a penalty and send off Mullholland, Barnett converting the spot kick with consummate ease. 3-2
It was the fourth game running Aylesbury have conceded a penalty kick - perhaps a new (unwanted) club record being written\'
Facing up to two-thirds of the game with ten men, and their lead cut to just one goal, Aylesbury fans were justified in fearing the worst, but the expected assault never really materialised before the break although Darrell Elliot should have levelled proceedings with the goal gaping but he blazed a first time shot over the bar.
Half-time: Aylesbury 3-2 Dunstable
The Ducks were thankful to get to the dressing room at half-time with their lead intact, and they managed to regroup and started the second half on top with headed efforts from Baines and Edgeworth both going close.
Sillitoe then had to be alert to claw away a goalbound cross-shot, before Aylesbury lost the services of now stand-in defender Paul Edgeworth, who appeared to be struggling with injury, and was replaced by Justin Gordon.
Gordon was instrumental in the second half and made a number of important interceptions and blocks, as Aylesbury showed a steely resolve in protecting their lead against mounting pressure from the visiting side.
Dunstable weren't able to make their spell of dominance count, and Lee Burgoyne miss-hit a shot which still only just dipped over the bar, before the same player's free-kick delivery was headed across goal and wide by Damen Pickering. Substitute Birch then produced a complete air-kick in the area to compound his side\'s frustration in front of goal as McNeilly's misdirected shot came his way.
When they did finally trouble the goal, Dunstable found Sillitoe in their way as he made a save of the highest quality to tip Barnett's fierce effort from just inside the area around the post. He then had more of a routine save to make from Birch's effort which was straight at him a minute later.
Sillitoe's save eventually proved to be decisive, as just three minutes later Aylesbury had scored again. O\'Grady's cleverly dinked free-kick was inadvertently helped on by a defender into Jack Wood\'s path, and from an impossible looking angle he fired home United's fourth. 4-2 Aylesbury
Four soon became five as Dunstable were caught out pushing forward and Aylesbury capitalised on another defensive error, this time Birch presenting the ball straight to Leon Gordon whose touch rolled nicely for Jack Wood who fired an easy second goal from 8-yards out. 5-2 Aylesbury
That was curtains for the visitors, but to their credit they still didn't lie down and in the closing stages Carney went close having been released by Burgoyne's through ball, but his shot rolled past the target and in stoppage time Sillitoe made a good smothering save to deny Whittaker from close range and preserve Aylesbury's three-goal advantage.
A rollercoaster ride of a game was eventually brought to an end after Leon Gordon headed a glorious opportunity wide, as United collected the three points which can hopefully kickstart their season.
