Aylesbury bounced back from the relative disappointment of a draw at Harefield with a resounding 3-0 win against Haringey Borough following a delayed match at Bell Close.
Traffic problems due to the M1 closure meant a number of Borough’s squad not arriving before the 7.45pm kick off time. With the match starting twenty minutes late, two subsequent lengthy injury stoppages lead to a final conclusion of time of 22:12 for the hardy souls braving the freezing conditions.
Late finish aside, it was a near perfect evening for the Ducks, who were able to change their squad around by introducing Liam Smyth for his first start since beginning his second spell at the club, and Louis Austin, whilst still winning comfortably. There was also a place on the bench for Craig Townsend who has returned after a short stint at Buckingham Town and then injury.
Austin’s attacking influence was much missed in the match two-days earlier, and it was he who headed Stacey Field’s great cross with eight minutes played, before Field himself couldn’t keep a shot down seconds later, bending the ball over with his left foot after Shane Wood had found Paul Edgeworth who in turn passed to Field.
The opener, and another early United goal, arrived as the clock ticked onto ten minutes. Controversial from Haringey’s point of view, but correct nonetheless, replacement referee Mr Stevens overruled his linesman’s offside flag as the ball had come through to Austin via a defender’s touch. With Borough halted awaiting a whistle, the ball was pinged into the area where Edgeworth was in the right place to guide it into the net. 1-0 Aylesbury
Two minutes later and Haringey survived a strong penalty appeal for an apparent handball appeal in the box, but the unsighted referee was unable to give the decision and waved play on.
As the visitors pressed hard, new central defensive partnership Bill Morgan and Jack Wood were both called upon to make a number of crucial interceptions and blocks as the Ducks defended well, restricting Haringey to just the one shot in the first quarter of the game which Dimitri Gbo hammered over the bar.
Play was soon back at the other end with Greg Williams slicing a shot wide, whilst Zac Reynolds had a great chance to double the lead when Shane Wood on the offensive found Field and his miss-hit effort came to Reynolds who somehow skewed wide of the open goal from four-yards.
Edgeworth was unable to add to his tally, with a long range curler and a 20-yard free-kick both hit straight down keeper Austin Byfield’s throat, but it wasn’t long before Aylesbury found their way through again.
Jack Sillitoe’s long punt downfield caused confusion in the Borough backline and as Louis Austin challenged for the bouncing ball, it ran through for Field to pick his moment and stroke it past Byfield from ten-yards. 2-0 Aylesbury
Veteran former Chesham United striker Darrell Cox saw an acrobatic snapshot fly just wide of the target in what proved to be the visitors’ closest attempt of the half as the half hour mark passed, but with the Ducks comfortably in command the half fizzled out with only a tame Williams long shot the remaining notable action.
Half-time: Aylesbury 2-0 Haringey
The second half began just as lifelessly, with Aylesbury seemingly already happy to wind down with the three points looking secure.
On 55 minutes Ben Baines made a storming run down the right only to see his low ball into the six-yard area not met by the waiting striker it deserved, and two minutes later Shane Wood intercepted the ball before squaring for Austin whose shot took two deflections, taking the sting out of it allowing Byfield to easily catch.
After the game was held up by an injury to another former Chesham player, Steve Obeng, both sides elected to make changes as Dean Fenton entered the fray for Haringey. Joey Acheampong then replaced Stacey Field, who had been struggling with a swollen and gashed ankle sustained when scoring his goal, the latest unwanted addition to the casualty list.
On 75 minutes Jack Sillitoe was called into meaningful action for the first time when, out of nowhere, Bradley O’Donovan found himself clean through only for the Ducks stopper to spring quickly from his line and smother the ball down low.
Sillitoe’s evening soon took a turn for the worst when, having claimed the ball, he suffered a nasty collision with a striker and looked to be momentarily out cold. After another long stoppage in play, and with Matt Timberlake stripped off and ready, he was deemed fit enough to play on, albeit groggily.
Aylesbury had the better of the action in the last five minutes of normal time, and what turned out to be eleven minutes of stoppage time.
An edge of the box free-kick from Reynolds hit the wall before dropping just wide, and from the resulting corner kick Jack Wood headed over the bar.
Edgeworth then spurned another chance when the ball was headed on by substitute Butler allowing his midfield colleague a run into the box, but he smashed his shot over the target, before Haringey had one further attempt of their own when Mbo outmuscled the defence but shot wide.
At the very end of a long half, it was the Ducks who finally troubled the scoresheet again, this time from the penalty spot. Andreas Loizou was penalised for handball, and Butler stepped up to find the bottom left corner convincingly from 12-yards. 3-0 Aylesbury
A minute later and Cox, who netted four times in Haringey’s last outing, rounded off a muted evening in front of goal by firing over having been teed up by Fenton’s marauding run down the left.
It proved to be the last action of a very successful evening’s work for Aylesbury, who now turn their attentions to their big match against their main rivals for second place, Oxhey Jets.
