Having ended Northwood’s perfect start to the league season, Aylesbury United had reason to be confident as the sides met again in the Emirates FA Cup, but, as the Ducks lacked sparkle, the Woods claimed revenge – coming from behind to win 2-1.
With both sides’ managers absent, United opted to make no changes to their winning team. Meanwhile, the visitors were boosted by the return of skipper Steve Brown at centre half, whilst Joakim Ehui, who had a decent cameo seven days earlier also started, but they were forced to call on reserve keeper David Moran to debut between the sticks.
Moran made a shaky start, and in the seventh minute Stacey Field nipped in ahead of his dithering attempt to claim the ball but saw his shot agonisingly roll wide past the empty net.
The goalkeeper was to go on and become hero when he saved Eoin Casey’s penalty, something of a gift from referee Mr Ratherman, but United still hauled themselves into a winning position with a late goal, only to surrender at the very end.
Moran’s opposite number Alex Tokarczyk was also called into some early action as Michael Murray helped the ball on to Louis Stead whose low shot brought a superb low save from Tokarczyk to tip the ball wide.
Northwood were making most of the early moves as some more of their neat passing football evident in the first game ended with Murray crashing a long shot wide, and then when a throw in was allowed to bounce in the box George Nicholas also slide an effort the wrong side of the post.
A fine raking pass from Jack Wood – once again utilised at right-back due to the form of Steve Hatch and Alex Collard in the heart of defence – gave Aylesbury a sight of goal but Taylor Collins’ shot on the run was high and wide, and Billy Adcock’s finish gave the same result moments later having been teed up by Casey.
More good football from the visitors midway through the half ended with Robbie Hastings dispatching a shot over the bar after a quick one-two gave him the shooting opportunity.
Aylesbury then failed to make the most of two direct free kicks in succession – Taylor Collins firing straight into the wall and then Shaun Owens putting the ball narrowly over, and Adcock was off target again when Hatch won the ball back and played it up to him on the edge of the box.
Greg Williams got in the act when his rising drive, a snapshot out of the blue, cleared the bar, and with neither side unable to find their range it remained goalless at the interval.
Half-time: Aylesbury 0-0 Northwood
Second half moments of quality were sporadic, but early on Shaun Owens sprayed a lovely pass out wide to Stacey Field who cut inside but fired straight into Moran’s waiting arms.
A minute later and Northwood also wasted a good opening when a pass over the defence found a forward who in turn played it back to Nicholas who could only bend his shot over the crossbar.
A Lee Grace free kick delivery from the touchline was only headed wide by Collard, before a moment of magic very nearly finally broke the deadlock as Casey teed himself up with some chest control before volleying just over.
What was a bitty game already then began to get further disrupted by substitutions, but Aylesbury kept probing without finding the target; Casey hooked over after Collard headed across the area and Field shot over the bar with only Moran to beat having been picked out by a searching ball forward from Hatch.
At the other end, the Ducks had Grace to thank for keeping their visitors at bay when a ball over the top initially caught him out, only for his superb recovery enough to slide in and divert Hastings’ goalbound looking shot.
The resulting corner kick lead to an Aylesbury breakaway that had veteran Williams leading the charge, and as he reached the penalty area he collided with a Northwood player in an incident that had the referee immediately pointing to the spot.
The award was soft at best, so when Casey’s effort from the spot kick was met by a correct guess from stand in keeper Moran, it was a case of ‘justice done’ as far as Woods were concerned.
Another excellent defensive block, from Hatch this time, kept substitute Myles Stephenson from making an instant impact, and just as thoughts were increasingly turning to a Northwood Park midweek replay (and subsequent cancellation of Bank Holiday Monday’s derby with Aylesbury FC) the Ducks struck.
A rare moment of attacking quality was finally enough to break through the away side’s well-drilled defence, and a left wing cross was flicked on by Field into the path of Adcock who had ghosted in to head home his first Aylesbury goal. 1-0 Aylesbury
Unfortunately, it was a lead that lasted less than two minutes. A free kick from Murray was well saved by Tokarczyk, but in the scramble that followed Nicholas did enough to smuggle the ball over the line despite Jack Wood’s best efforts. 1-1
Thoughts were once again back to a replay, but worse was to come five minutes later as Northwood completed their late turnaround. Stephenson made good progress to get to the byeline, where he cut the ball back for Murray, and Woods’ top scorer simply wasn’t going to miss the chance for his sixth of the season. 2-1 Northwood
Before that, Aylesbury could still have edged in front themselves when a long cross came all the way to Field whose shot was saved by the legs of the now elevated Moran.
The Ducks were to go close one last time when Williams’ shot in the box was blocked en route to goal, and Joey Acheampong was thrust into the action, teeing up fellow substitute Sonny French but he snatched at his shot and with that went United’s FA Cup hopes for another season.
