Having knocked then Calor League Premier Division leaders Hemel Hempstead Town out of the competition with a 4-2 win in the first round, Aylesbury repeated the feat by beating rivals Chesham United – visiting Bell Close on top of the league above – 4-3 on penalties after a gutsy 2-2 draw.
As Hemel and Chesham slog out for the Championship, there was some irony to the hero being a man on loan at Aylesbury from the Tudors – goalkeeper Alex Tokarczyk – who saved three penalties, one in the match and two in the shootout.
Richard Armstrong was the latest injury victim in Aylesbury’s depleted squad, Greg Williams coming in as a natural replacement in the only team change as namesake Keith continued his emergency centre back role.
Chesham, meanwhile, made five changes to their weekend lineup as former Aylesbury youth teamer Daniel Gordon dropped to the bench, but prolific 19-goal striker Drew Roberts – another man of the Ducks of old – started in attack.
In the very first minute one of those replacements, goalkeeper Sam Beasant, was unfortunately leaving on a stretcher as due to a penalty area collision after the unmarked Greg Williams headed Daniel Jones’s inswinging free kick wide, and regular stopper Shane Gore entered the fray.
Aylesbury had started brightly and caught their visitors cold (perhaps literally given the conditions), with Jack Wood volleying wide once the eventual corner kick was taken.
After twelve minutes the Ducks find the breakthrough. John Kyriacou made a hash of clearing, presenting the ball straight to Zack Reynolds who cut inside and produced a perfect shot that bent into the far corner. 1-0 Aylesbury
Two minutes later and, with Chesham awarded a spot kick after the lively James Potton was impeded in the box, the lead looked set to be shortlived, only for Tokarczyk to make a smart stop from Roberts’s penalty.
Reynolds then went close again for Aylesbury when Liam Smyth spread the ball out wide for him to cut inside again but see his well struck drive beaten away by Gore.
Unsurprisingly, Chesham were beginning to show their quality on the ball and putting the Ducks under some sustained pressure which saw Smyth and Keith Williams both booked for rather desperate challenges.
The Generals were struggling to make final third progress though as United’s tenacious performance kept them at bay, Jones charging down a Kyriacou shot an Inih Effiong shot comfortably caught by Tokarczyk on his near post.
A minute later and Tokarczyk was beaten but fortune was on his side as Toby Little’s shot deflected just past the post.
Some alert goalkeeping from the experienced Gore denied Stacey Field who had momentarily run clean through but found Gore at his feet in a flash to smother the ball.
With the pressure mounting it was no surprise when Chesham eventually found an equaliser, a minute before half time. Three minutes earlier Daniel Jones had nearly sliced a low ball into his own net, but Keith Williams did achieve complete that unfortunate act when he could only turn Roberts’s skidding cross into the goal. 1-1
Half-time: Aylesbury 1-1 Chesham
After an intense first half the second began in exactly the same manner, as the worsening conditions only seemed to add to the tempo of a frenetic match – a typical Aylesbury/Chesham affair.
Chesham pressed for an early goal and won a free kick that Roberts crashed over the bar from the edge of the box, but their cause was suddenly made much tougher by the 52nd minute dismissal of Mark Lambert, who brought down Dom Petrucci after the striker had turned him and looked to be in on goal.
The man disadvantage didn’t hamper the visitors too much in the immediate aftermath, with a flowing move seeing Roberts playing in Potton whose low shot was superbly tipped wide by Tokarczyk at full stretch.
Roberts then fed Potton again but Tokarczyk was off his line to save at feet, and once the resulting corner kick was delivered for a second time, giant defender Alex Brown headed wide, before Little should have done better having been played in on a square pass, but placed a shot wide with the whole goal to aim at.
With 65 minutes played, Aylesbury sparked into life with a chance of their own courtesy of Zack Reynolds’s driving run to the byeline and cut back for Petrucci whose low shot was saved by Gore.
With Chesham still looking to have the edge it looked like they would regret wasted chances for Dave Fotheringham, a shot easily caught after Potton’s pass was dummied, and Little, whose effort was beaten away having raided down the left, as Aylesbury had an unbelievable chance to restablish the lead.
Substitute Paul Edgeworth sprung the offside trap to get behind the defence, unselfishly opting to square the ball for Stacey Field who, when it looked easier to score, struck his shot against a defender who had miraculously recovered to get in a block.
Fortunately, that miss wasn’t to haunt Aylesbury for long. Just a minute later Smyth delivered a corner from the left, and Ben Baines dived to power a superb header into the net and give his side the advantage once more. 2-1 Aylesbury
Chesham manager Andy Leese responded with a double substitution, Gordon and Steve Wales coming on to the pitch as the Premier Division side went for a ‘gung ho’ approach to the final fifteen minutes.
Effiong got into the box and saw a shot parried, before the same man shot wide having been played in by Wales.
Smyth’s first time shot over the bar was only momentary respite for Aylesbury, as Alex Brown headed wide twice in a the matter of seconds, before Chesham broke their hosts hearts with an 89th minute, scrappy leveller.
Wilson managed to break into the box and cut the ball back for the off-balance Wales who was just able to scrape the ball into the net past despairing defenders and goalkeeper. 2-2
There was still time for Effiong to unjustly win the game for the Generals in stoppage time when Roberts’s superb backheel released him, but he slotted wide, whilst at the other end Smyth’s low shot trickled agonisingly just the wrong side of the post via a deflection with what was virtually the last kick of the game.
Full time: Aylesbury 2-2 Chesham
With the Red Insure Cup rules stipulating no extra time, the game was straight to penalty kicks and given United’s recent form from the spot, the rowdy Ducks support were rightfully feeling nervous.
They were fearing the worst when Paul Edgeworth took the first penalty, seeing it thunder back off the crossbar, and Little scored to give Chesham the early lead.
Smyth and Wales both scored for their respective teams, as did Jones for Aylesbury, but Effiong’s attempt was kept out by Tokarczyk’s second penalty save of the night, 2-2.
Keith Williams and Drew Roberts both scored to keep things on an even keel, before Ben Baines squeezed his home through the body of Gore, but to Aylesbury’s delight Tokarczyk then completed his hat trick of penalty saves to stop Bruce Wilson’s effort, and the Ducks were through.
A tremendous, dogged effort against the high flying side in a game that reignited passions of the numerous past Buckinghamshire derbies and sets the greens up nicely going into a very tough run of league fixtures.
