Aylesbury boosted their hopes of a second placed finish in the league by comprehensively defeating main rivals Oxhey Jets 3-0 at Bell Close, and in the process equalled their 1986 club record of 23 games unbeaten.

United’s team showed two changes from Wednesday’s same scoreline victory over Haringey Borough, with Steve Hatch and Ben Butler both back in the starting lineup at the expense of Bill Morgan and Liam Smyth.

A storming start to the match saw United two goals ahead and well in control within the first ten minutes, although it was Jets who had the first shot when a cross in from the left was wildly volleyed over by Gavin Hart.

With just three minutes gone though, it was Aylesbury who struck first. Stacey Field was set away down the right, and his low ball into the box was scuffed goalwards by Austin, wrong-footing goalkeeper David Jacks. 1-0 Aylesbury

Field beat a defender and shot over moments later, but it wasn’t long before he found the net, the goal coming from the resulting goal kick. Jacks’s clearance was intercepted and played quickly to Field who had all the time in the world to pick his spot. 2-0 Aylesbury

It was an unbelievable start to the game, and next to go close was Greg Williams who hooked over the bar as Jets struggled to clear their lines.

At the other end Jets had their decent attempt at goal when the ball was spread into the path of full back Andrew Lomas whose swerving shot was comfortably saved by Sillitoe, and this was followed six minutes later with a Lewis Putman right wing cross headed back across goal and just wide by his strike partner Luke Beardsworth.

Aylesbury were soon back creating chances though, with Ben Butler drilling narrowly over after Edgeworth’s free-kick was cleared out to him, whilst Field lashed into the side netting after Williams moved the ball quickly into his path.

Only a saving challenge from Steve Brown denied Louis Austin his second after Edgeworth’s ball over the defence set him away, and from the corner kick an unmarked Jack Wood headed over.

Oxhey threatened again as Putman played the ball into Lee Inch but he fired straight at Sillitoe.

It proved to be the last action of Putman, scorer of a well documented 69 goals so far this season, as two minutes later he was shown a straight red card for a dangerous, late challenge that left Steve Hatch in a heap.

The first half offered little more action, but it had been a near-perfect opener from Aylesbury’s point of view as they held a two-goal advantage against a side forced to play with ten men for fifty minutes.

Half-time: Aylesbury 2-0 Oxhey Jets

Oxhey suffered another blow early in the second period when keeper David Jacks landed awkwardly and sustained an injury which was to further impair his already haphazard kicking.

The history books have often seen the Ducks struggle against ten men, but not so on this afternoon as the second half turned into a procession of attacking football by United.

For their part, Jets worked hard and continued to play good football, but without their talismanic striker had no bite in the final third against an imperious and impenetrable Jack Wood and Steve Hatch.

The 56th minute saw Field release Austin who made tracks into the box but saw his shot cannon off a defender behind for a corner. Then, with Jets wide open again, Field ran clean through before Jacks got the slightest of touches as he raced out. The ball fell to Austin whose shot towards the empty net was blocked by a defender, before Jack Wood lobbed the rebound over the bar.

Seconds later and a fine third goal did arrive. Reynolds sprung free onto Edgeworth’s pass, rounded Jacks and kept his composure superbly to cut in and curl the ball into the far corner of the net. 3-0 Aylesbury

Jacks then made a brilliant save to deny Louis Austin’s curler from six-yards, plunging full stretch to his left and turning the ball wide. The corner kick came to nothing, but when the ball was passed to Edgeworth soon afterwards he produced a magical moment of control to beat his defender and fire in an effort which was well saved by Jacks again.

Both sides introduced substitutes which disrupted the flow of the game, but it was the visitors who threatened next when they forced their first corner of the game that was headed wide beyond the far post.

The last ten minutes of the game belonged to Aylesbury though and Austin went close again when he was found with a throw-in, waited an eternity for the ball to drop before pulling his shot just wide.

Another poor kick by Jacks fell straight to Field whose shot was saved by the legs of the keeper for a corner kick.

It was Shane Wood who went closest to being unlikely goalscorer in the final stages when he saw a shot blocked in the 83rd minute, and then had efforts twice saved by Jacks on the near post.

Ultimately a 3-0 win was more than satisfying afternoon’s work for the massed ranks, as most of Aylesbury’s biggest crowd for three years were sent home delighted.