Aylesbury left the Bell Close pitch for the final time as the ‘home’ team empty handed, as they went down to a slender defeat against playoff hopefuls Barton Rovers. The Ducks are on the move again to Thame United in the summer, but were unable to sign off with a flourish with Paul Barnes’s 17th minute goal proving decisive.

The result saw Rovers finish fifth and reach the league playoffs for the first time in their history, although results elsewhere – their only challengers Rugby Town losing at Royston Town – rendered what might have been a critical game unimportant.

Lea Coulter was rewarded for his goal against Beaconsfield SYCOB a week earlier with a start in one of three changes, as Bill Morgan and Jason Blackett were also named in the team.

Once again, this was the archetypal end of season affair with the rock hard surface doing nothing to help the entertainment on show.

Barton made the early running when the lively Rhys Hoeness latched onto a flicked on goal kick but could only direct a cross well over the bar, before a Lucas Perry bending shot was deflected behind for the first of a number of corner kicks two minutes later, the best of which was headed wide by captain Paul Andrews.

The home side’s first chance was a difficult one for veteran Paul Edgeworth, who was unable to direct a challenging volley wide of the post as the ball fell his way after Jordan Frederick had seen a shot blocked in the box.

What proved to be the winner arrived after 17 minutes. An opportunistic long shot from Connor Vincent was spilled by Dan Green, and Paul Barnes was quickest to react and fire home his first goal having returned to Rovers recently after a long injury nightmare. 1-0 Barton

Aylesbury fashioned a good opening when great work from Blackett saw him tee up Edgeworth for a shot he just couldn’t keep down, and Edgeworth turned provider shortly afterwards when he set Coulter away but he only produced a tame shot straight at Forster.

After his earlier misdemeanour, Green, still very much in the infancy of his Aylesbury career, produced a flawless performance, and he showed good fielding to deal with a 35-yard bottom corner bound free kick from Joe Reynolds.

Some good fortune as Jack Wood’s headed clearance hit a Barton player to fall kindly into the path of Hoeness gave Rovers another sight of goal, only for Wood to make a fine last ditch challenge to clear the ball, with Green making a good punch to get the resulting corner kick away.

The Ducks had given a good account of themselves in the first half and were slightly unfortunate to be trailing, and it remained that way when Jake Bewley’s long range free kick saw him go direct, with everybody expecting a cross, and the ball flew just wide.

Half-time: Aylesbury 0-1 Barton

Unfortunately the second period was a complete non-event, and in the end the outcome was a comfortable one for the visitors.

There was little on offer for spectators as the clock ticked past the hour mark, other than four Barton Rovers corner kicks, the last of which was met with a towering Paul Andrews header that he put over the bar.

Tony Joyce opted to introduce top scorer Stacey Field, but there was little even Aylesbury’s leading goalscorer could do to influence proceedings and as a Ben Sawyer shot in from wide was easily caught by Green and then substitute Tuki Tayali saw an effort chalked off for a foul on Steve Hatch in the build up, it was Rovers who looked the more likely to score.

Nine minutes from the end a deep free kick delivered by Bewley was headed into the side netting by Morgan, and there was finally some excitement for the home supporters when a near post corner kick was met by Jack Wood but saved on the line by Forster.

Just prior to that Vincent saw a shot held having been found on the edge of the box, but it was really a 45minutes that really won’t live long in the memory.

Barton Rovers will now travel to Royston Town in the playoff semi finals, and we wish them well.

The Ducks, meanwhile, have a May Day Bank Holiday Berks & Bucks Cup final to look forward to against Vanarama Conference South side Maidenhead United and one last chance to end their season with on a high.