After winning 4-0 at Tring earlier in the season, Aylesbury went one better with a 5-0 victory at Bell Close, helped by a brace from Ben Butler.

With Daniel Jones joining the injured list and Steve Hatch missing the start of the game, the Ducks were forced into two changes that saw Paul Edgeworth and Joey Acheampong reinstated to the team as Greg Williams slotted into central defence.

Having played less than a minute, United got off to a dream start when the ball was spread inside to Butler who coolly slotted into the bottom corner for his 10th of the season. 1-0 Aylesbury

Following that, game took a while to settle with neither team able to find any sort of rhythm. The next chance took eleven minutes to arrive when Zac Reynolds fizzed a low effort across the face of goal and wide.

Butler had another couple of long shots from subsequent half cleared corner kicks both drop just wide, whilst Athletic finally entered the Aylesbury area at the 20 minute mark when they won a free-kick, only to be penalised for manhandling offences.

It was a brief moment of upturn for the visitors, who followed that up with a corner kick soon afterwards which flicked off the head of Acheampong to set up a shooting chance that skipper Graham Hall volleyed over.

Butler was enjoying his afternoon and cut in from the left to fire in another decent effort that was plucked out of the air by Mike Underwood, before a flowing move ended with a blocked Paul Edgeworth shot as United continued to be the dominant attacking force.

It was little surprise when a second goal arrived just past the half hour point, and the game already looked beyond Tring. Edgeworth’s corners hadn’t quite found their mark, until this one was met perfectly by the near post running Greg Williams who volleyed into the net despite Underwood getting hands to the shot. 2-0 Aylesbury

Athletic tried to hit back immediately as a skimming header from Hall was held by Sillitoe, and three minutes later the same player headed a left wing cross over the bar.

Unfortunately for the visitors and their frustrated manager, Julian Robinson, that was as good as things were to get with Tring barely seen as an attacking force again.

United suffered the worrying image of Shane Wood limping out of the action shortly before the break, but he was thankfully soon back in the fray, whilst the first half was closed off by another Butler effort that went over the bar this time.

Half-time: Aylesbury 2-0 Tring Athletic

After such a comfortable opening period, Tring tried to assert some early authority in the second brought the ball forward and saw his shot deflected wide for an ineffective corner kick.

In the absence of Jones, Reynolds has reprised his full back role and revelled in his threatening forward runs. One such move nearly caused an opening as Reynolds fed Field but his low cross was gathered in by Underwood.

Two minutes later though and the Ducks did have their third goal. Field hooked the ball forward for Austin who got the better of young defender James Butler allowing him to run through and finish with conviction. 3-0 Aylesbury

Aylesbury remained dominant and had further chances to add to their score as Williams arrived late to turn the ball over after good work from Acheampong, and a quite superb volley from Edgeworth was blocked en route to goal after Austin had got to the byeline and crossed.

Ben Baines’s cross was turned just wide by Edgeworth, but it was Baines who was to claim United’s fourth goal. Having gone up, Mike Underwood failed to hold a free-kick in the area and Baines poked it goalwards as the ball dropped to him, crossing the line with the aid of a defender’s intervention. 4-0 Aylesbury

Another Edgeworth attempt somehow didn’t cross the line as he chipped the ball across goal, and he was unlucky again when a brilliant volley – having flicked the ball up for himself – was well caught by Underwood.

Tring’s afternoon showed no signs of improvement when substitute Matt Jarvis was shown two yellow cards by the referee and dismissed; assumedly the first for his late challenge, and the second for dissent.

Austin could have made it five when Field released him for a one-on-one, but Underwood made a good save to win the duel, and from a corner soon afterwards he let fly with a shot that went narrowly wide.

Manager Tony Joyce introduced himself for the last three minutes, but it was left to Butler to crown a good afternoon’s work with the pick of the goals, in stoppage time. Collecting the ball some 25-yards from goal, he had no hesitation in cracking a thumping shot which looked goalbound before taking a slight nick off a defender which sent it in off the post. 5-0 Aylesbury

There was time for one more chance as Baines cut the ball back for Austin to fire over, but overall it was another job well done by Aylesbury.