With arguably their best performance of the season, Aylesbury brought an end to Colney Heath?s 10-match winning streak and their own barren spell by running out 2-0 winners at Bell Close.
Following Saturday?s disappointment at Broxbourne Borough, Tony Joyce made a big call in leaving out captain Paul Edgeworth and Ben Baines and bringing in Joey Acheampong and Mickey O?Farrell for his full debut, whilst Mark Toms returned to defence in place of Jamie O?Grady.
It was the second successive Wednesday that Aylesbury had to work extremely hard for their result, as at times in-form Colney were unplayable with their slick passing game. But the visitors wasted a host of chances and had a goal disallowed, before United went ahead themselves and from that point on were able to protect their lead successfully and secure a rare clean sheet.
Inside the first six minutes Colney could have had two or three goals as United struggled under the early pressure. Colney forced three corners from which Dave Corran eventually headed wide, whilst Sillitoe had to scamper across his goal to turn Steve Barker?s flicked header wide from Ashton?s free-kick.
A low shot was deflected wide for another corner, before yet another set play was headed over by Glenn Draper.
Aylesbury survived though, and eventually were able to play their own game and were nearly in on goal when Daniel Jones? clever flick released Coulter only for the ball to be nicked away from him at the last.
In the thirteenth minute United?s first good passing move of the game saw Garcia spray the ball forwards to Coulter who levered it back into Jones? path and his half-volley dropped just past the post.
Colney continued for the next few minutes with their intricate play, but on the whole there was no end product.
That was until Ian Cooper, who had scored successive hat-tricks in his last two games, was suddenly put clean through but his weak shot was easily saved by the advancing Sillitoe.
The visitors followed that up with two poor efforts at goal as Ashwood rode the challenge of Townsend allowing him to turn and shoot well over the bar, before Jamie Eames became the next player to go clean through but he took the ball too wide and when faced with Sillitoe blasted the ball woefully high.
On 25 minutes Colney had a goal disallowed when the ball was headed in having been nodded back across goal from a corner, but the referee deemed there had been a foul on Sillitoe, much to the evident annoyance of the visiting bench who had trouble containing their emotions all evening.
Aylesbury were continuing to survive but as the half wore on they began to grow into the game further and went close again when O?Farrell?s cross in was helped on to Coulter whose improvised acrobatic volley wasn?t far away from the target.
A couple of ambitious efforts followed that from Aylesbury as Coulter tried a long range shot having cut in from the left, and Jones hit a 45-yard effort which was caught comfortably by keeper Tom Blackman after he had miscued his clearance. Acheampong then should have done better with a clear sight at goal but blazed over the bar.
The Ducks opened the scoring on 35 minutes when Jones? pinpoint free-kick was met with a towering header at the back post by Mulholland with the ball nestling into the opposite corner of the net. 1-0 Aylesbury
A minute later the lead could have been extended when Acheampong fed Coulter whose fizzed shot was straight at Blackman.
Further chances came and went the way of the visitors, with a number of dangerous free-kick deliveries from Ashwood causing problems, in particular one which had to be tipped over by Sillitoe, but the Ducks were defending well.
On the stroke of half time, Aylesbury forced four successive corners from which Mulholland twice went close ? the first with a header which was tipped over by Blackman, the second a fierce drive which drew a superb save out of the visiting keeper.
Half-time: Aylesbury 1-0 Colney Heath
Although United started the second half by forcing two corners in succession, Colney were quickly back in the hunt for an equaliser and the Ducks had to sustain more heavy pressure. Cooper wasted another couple of chances as he first fired wide having been put in by a quick one-two, before then being denied by Sillitoe?s save at another one-on-one situation.
Ashwood hit a curling effort wide of the far post, before the same player struck a free-kick straight at Sillitoe after Mulholland was penalised.
Midway through the half a mad few seconds saw Aylesbury have three shots blocked on the line after Blackman spilled an initial effort from Coulter resulting in he, O?Farrell and Jones all trying their luck but seeing the ball stopped by combinations of keeper and defence.
Both sides were creating chances as Colney pushed forward leaving gaps for the Ducks to exploit on the break, and Blackman did just about enough to keep out Garcia?s stinging low shot, whilst Cooper?s night didn?t improve as he went for goal with a shot which ricocheted off Mulholland and just over the bar.
In the 78th minute Aylesbury killed off the game with a second goal. Fantastic work by substitute Ben Baines on the near touchline saw him control the ball and turn his man before releasing Warren Garcia for a run on goal. He unselfishly square to Coulter in the area whose first shot was blocked, but the striker showed great pace and persistence to chase the ball down and still score from an impossible looking angle. 2-0 Aylesbury
With the result safe the Ducks managed to play out the last twelve minutes safely and although Colney Heath saw plenty of the ball, Sillitoe?s goal remained largely untested although Cooper shot wide again, as did former United winger Paul Armstrong whose shot flew all the way across goal.
In the dying seconds Edgeworth, on as a substitute for Townsend, lofted a long range chip just over the bar in coming close to what would have been a flattering third goal, but it was a fantastic result for the Ducks.
