Aylesbury kept up their recent excellent form with a 3-0 win at Potters Bar Town, as manager Tony Joyce claimed his 100th win in charge in comprehensive style, against a very capable team.

Given that it was the Ducks second game in two days, the manner of their all-action performance – the defence rock solid, midfield covering every blade of grass, and forwards clinical – was even more impressive as United racked up their 12th goal of 3 successive wins.

The only personnel change saw Stacey Field replaced Lee Grace in the starting eleven, and it was his first half brace that gave Aylesbury a commanding lead, before Grace scored his first goal for the club having come on as a half time substitute to wrap up the points.

Both sides threatened from set pieces in the early exchanges; Potters Bar’s Daniel Millard fired over from Finbarr Robins’s corner kick but was penalised for fouling Jack Wood in the process, and Cole Penny blazed over the bar after a half cleared free kick three minutes later.

Aylesbury forced four corners in two minutes without seriously testing the home custodian, but did make an early breakthrough when Field found the net after twelve minutes.

Jason Blackett showed good strength to retain the ball and play in Zack Reynolds down the left, who spotted Ed Thompson had drifted from his goal line, and duly lobbed the ball over the keeper where Field got up to head into the unguarded net. 1-0 Aylesbury

Over the course of the night Potters Bar won plenty of admiration for their passing style, and United were on the backfoot immediately after the goal. A clever reverse pass from Penny found Matt Clifford on the overlap whose ball in flashed across the face of goal with no one on the end of it, and a low ball came into the box where a shot was blocked.

Neat interplay is worthless without end product though, and the Scholars were regularly repelled by United’s superb defence, marshalled by Jack Wood and Morgan who were both outstanding again.

At the other end Field went close again when a Williams free kick was returned across goal to him where he cut inside and curled just over the beaten Thompson’s goal.

He then turned provider when, after Liam Smyth had successfully tackled a defender to retrieve the ball, he fed Reynolds whose shot was beaten away by Thompson. The Aylesbury pressure continued through Blackett who dissected the middle of the defence before sending a low shot skimming just past the upright.

Earlier, left-back Clifford had thumped over a 25-yard drive and he should have done better after a move down the wing ended with him receiving a return pass inside the box but driving wide of the near post.

That was as close as the hosts were to come in the opening period, with Josh Urquhart smashing an ambitious 30-yard effort well over at the end of the half, but by that point his side were two goals down.

Blackett twice went close to adding to his five goals this season, heading over from Smyth’s free kick and then linking up with Field and seeing a shot saved after the Ducks intercepted a poor attempted home clearance.

It was Field who finally did add the second though as his form continues to warm up nicely after the ankle injury sustained in pre-season. A free-kick was spilt by Thompson as Richard Armstrong jumped – legally – in front of him, and although Armstrong’s header appeared to be too high, it dropped nicely for Field to head home from three-yards. 2-0 Aylesbury

Thompson was booked for charging from his goal to vociferously protest to the referee, and although the incident fell into the ‘seen them given’ category, most inside the ground concurred that no infringement occurred and United had a two-goal cushion to take into half time.

Half-time: Potters Bar 0-2 Aylesbury

Grace entered the fray in place of Keith Williams at the interval, and he took just three minutes to make his mark on the game. Field sprung the offside trap to race clear on the right, and Grace fired home his square ball from close range. 3-0 Aylesbury

Having conceded six on their last league outing, some might have expected Town to roll over, but they put United under further pressure immediately following, forcing three successive corners, but the Ducks backline was in such a mood they weren’t to be beaten.

On a busy night for the corner flags, Aylesbury themselves then forced a string of four set pieces, started by Armstrong’s shot from the edge of the area being deflected behind. Field went close to a hattrick from the second as he shimmied his way through the box but saw his shot nick wide, and from the fourth Baines headed over Grace’s delivery.

Both sides tried their luck with long shots as Millard shot well over and, after another round of Potters Bar set pieces which were continually well defended, Smyth wide for Aylesbury.

The game wound down as the minutes ticked by, with the hosts receiving cautions for a couple of late challenges borne of frustration as was Jason Blackett who was growing angrier at the rough treatment he was being subjected to, and he was wisely replaced by Dom Petrucci.

It was Petrucci who missed a gilt-edged opportunity for an Aylesbury fourth when he beat the offside trap to go clean through, but slotted wide of Thompson’s goal.

Substitute Daniel Ailey should have done better when he pushed a shot over the bar having been picked out in the box, but his side were grateful to Thompson for keeping the score down with two good saves denying Field and then Grace in the last minute of the game.

Full time and Potters Bar were condemned to their first home league defeat of the season by what was a tremendous all round team performance from the Ducks, the win lifting Aylesbury to 11th in the league with landlords Leighton Town up next.