Aylesbury were unable to end their season with a final hurrah, as they went down to a Berks & Bucks Cup final defeat at the hands of Maidenhead United, who gave their outgoing manager Johnson ‘Drax’ Hippolyte the perfect send off.
Ultimately, the Ducks found the two league difference between the sides – Southern League Division One Central playing Vanarama South - too much to cope with, and once the Magpies had scored a goal early in the second half the game was over as a contest.
Tony Joyce named two changes from their final league match, with Steve Hatch ruled out through injury and replaced by Shaun Owens, whilst leading scorer Stacey Field came in up front for Lea Coulter.
With barely a minute on the clock, it was Field who had the ball in the net when he beat keeper Elvijs Putnins to the ball and lobbed into the net but the linesman’s flag had long been raised for offside.
It was something of a false dawn for the Ducks, Maidenhead quickly on the front foot with striker Jacob Erskine seeing a shot deflected wide for the first of many corner kicks, whilst Paul Edgeworth was in the right place to clear a shot off the line moments later, coming after another corner kick.
Aylesbury’s closest effort came on the 20 minute mark when a free-kick was swung in from the right, and as Jack Wood diverted the ball back across goal Edgeworth somehow managed to divert what looked like a goalbound effort over the bar from inches out – thus in the process having cleared off the line at both ends!
That gave the Ducks some new found confidence and seconds later Jason Blackett’s direct run carried him into the box where Owens was just unable to turn home his square pass, as Putnins smothered.
Action was soon back at the other end of the field, however, and a probing run from the impressive Adrian Clifton ended with him teeing up Danny Green whose shot was high and wide from the edge of the box.
Yet another Clifton run saw him find Dave Tarpey this time, but he found Jake Bewley in his way with a superb saving block to send the ball spinning behind for a corner kick.
It was at least the sixth Magpies corner, so came as no surprise that they should take the lead. What was both surprising and disappointing in equal measure was that Danny Green’s flag kick was allowed to sail straight into the net past his namesake goalkeeper Dan Green for the opener. 1-0 Maidenhead
Clifton was inches away from adding a second almost immediately when he strode inside, seemingly untouchable by the Ducks’ defence, and fired in a low shot that beat Green but hit the base of the post before being deflected behind, from the resulting corner of which a free header flew wide.
After an Edgeworth corner was headed back across goal by Jordan Frederick where nobody was able to get a touch, Aylesbury then came a whisker away from drawing level when Stacey Field’s snapshot from outside the box nicked off a defender and flew just the wrong side of the upright.
Frederick was again left unattended from the corner, but found himself unable to get a shot away as the ball wouldn’t fall quickly enough for him.
Both sides ended the half with good chances – Leon Soloman receiving a quick free kick before driving the ball across to Erskine who nodded his free header wide on the far post, before Field latched onto a long ball in stoppage time but snatched at his early shot and Putnins was able to claim the ball easily.
Half-time: Maidenhead 1-0 Aylesbury
Maidenhead looked keen to get the match settled as quickly as possible as they started the second half in determined fashion. Green was called upon to make a good fingertip save after just two minutes, whilst Bewley was clearing another shot off the line and then Clifton had an effort held by Green.
On 50 minutes a strong shout for a penalty when Jason Blackett appeared to be barged in the back was waved away by Mr Piggott, and within three minutes the Magpies had the killer second goal they needed to end the game as a contest.
A cross in from the right caught out the over-employed Aylesbury defence, and Green met it with a rifled finish of some style that gave the goalkeeping Green no chance for his ninth of the season. 2-0 Maidenhead
Erskine’s luck in front of goal showed no signs of improving, as Clifton set him up again for another wayward effort that was volleyed high over the bar, and he was then just unable to get on the end of Danny Green’s teasing low cross after great play by the winger.
An increasingly rare foray into the Maidenhead area from Aylesbury saw Ryan Upward and Putnins collide in doing just enough to prevent Greg Williams turn home Blackett’s chipped cross, but Hippolyte’s side were dominant and Harry Pritchard had a shot beaten away by Green, whilst another cross into the box was turned wide by David Hunt.
A deserved third goal arrived on 72 minutes when this time Dave Tarpey took a corner kick, and amongst some more loose marking Clifton rose to power the ball home for a goal his performance merited. 3-0 Maidenhead
The Magpies introduced substitutes in the shape of winger Sam Barratt and Jonathan Hippolyte – son of the departing manager – and both were soon involved. Barratt flashed a shot into the side netting, whilst Hippolyte should have done better when he was played through but produced a poor attempt that skewed well wide.
Hippolyte – who previously had a brief spell on loan with Aylesbury FC in 2014 – wasn’t to be denied though, and five minutes from the end the manager’s son touched home Green’s cross from the right. 4-0 Maidenhead
Aylesbury introduced youngster Alex Little for the closing seconds but it was Maidenhead who might have added to the scoring as Clifton blasted a long shot just wide, and Barratt mishit another effort wide as yet another ball into the box found its target.
As it was, the scoring ended at four, matching the last time the sides met in the Berks & Bucks Cup final – on the same ground back in 2003, on which occasion the Ducks lost 4-1.
A fitting end to the eight-year Maidenhead career for Johnson Hippolyte, and whilst for Aylesbury a sense of disappointment that the chance for silverware was missed, no disgrace in losing to the better team overall.
