Aylesbury United made safe progress in the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup with a comfortable win over their town neighbours, in the first meeting between the sides since their latest rename to Aylesbury Vale Dynamos.
Ken Feyi led the way with a brace (though he could have scored double that) on a pleasing night which also saw Ty Deacon score his first in green and white, Jamie Jellis his first since returning to the club on loan, and Jamie Rudd make his long awaited Ducks debut.
With Dave O’Connor suspended, Jordan Jenkins unavailable, Anthony Ball and Mark Riddick injured, Aylesbury’s defence was rather unfamiliar and saw Derek Feyi come in for his first appearance since early October and Harry Jones start in an unfamiliar right back position. Ollie Hogg was fit to start after three games on the sidelines.
The visitors brought in veteran defender Craig Carby for his first game of the season, whilst the similarly seasoned Roy Byron returned in midfield as the Moles looked too add some experience to an otherwise young team.
A cagey start to the game saw little by way of goalmouth action, until the 14th minute when Ben Seaton’s foul and then weak clearance from the resulting free kick gave Dan McAteer a chance for an ambitious shot that sailed wide from range.
United were quickly down the other end with Harry Jones on his first of numerous frightening runs setting up Ty Deacon in the six yard box but he got the finish all wrong, though he did win a corner as the ball span behind off a defender.
A succession of three flag kicks came to nothing, and indeed it was the away side whose own corner nearly proved more profitable when Alfie Touceda was left unmarked at the near post but volleyed just over.
James Weatherill was called into his first action of the night on 20 minutes when Ken Feyi played the ball square to Seaton whose rasping drive had to be tipped wide at full stretch by the keeper.
With the Ducks growing in confidence and forcing another two corner kicks, it was only five minutes before they deservedly took the lead. A typical driving run from Sonny French ended with him passing wide left to Jellis who cut inside and arced a fierce shot towards the far corner that although Weatherill got a hand to, was unable to prevent finding the net. 1-0 Aylesbury United
One quickly became two with French heavily involved again, making a great run into the box before being felled from behind by Joe Fitzgerald. Ken Feyi stepped up and smashed the penalty into the top corner to give United a comfortable cushion with half an hour played. 2-0 Aylesbury United
With United now in complete control they had a chance for another three minutes later when a flowing break led by Deacon saw the ball then played inside where a fantastic dummy let the ball run on for Ken Feyi who could only crash his shot over the bar.
With half time approaching Ken Feyi’s long ranger was easily fielded after more good work by Deacon, before a mazy run from Jones had him beating three men before grazing the outside of the post with a shot.
Half-time: Aylesbury United 2-0 Aylesbury VD
With the vociferous ‘home’ faithful now gathered on the halfway line urging their side on to more goals, United started on a charge and their purposeful start nearly brought a goal within seconds of the restart. French again the architect as his long run ended with a cut back, that VD made a mess of clearing allowing Ken Feyi a shot which was blocked in the area.
Deacon had the ball in the net shortly afterwards after a good attacking move, only to see his first goal for the club chalked off by the linesman’s flag for offside - and after a long consultation between referee and assistant the decision stood.
The former Aylesbury FC striker - one of seven in United’s squad to have played senior football at Haywood Way - didn’t have to wait long for a legitimate goal.
A quickly taken free kick caught the Moles sleeping and when the ball was slipped forward it was cut back low across the box where Deaon had timed his run to perfection to rifle home. 3-0 Aylesbury United
As the game reached the hour mark manager Ben Williams opted for a double change that saw David Manu and Greg Williams enter the action in place of Ty Deacon and Ollie Hogg, and then - two minutes later - Rudd emerged for his first appearance.
Chances continued to come the Ducks’ way with a pot-shot from Ken Feyi having to be turned wide by the keeper, and from the resulting corner Jack Wood came in beyond the far post but was unable to direct his header back across goal.
What turned out to be the only blot on United’s evening came in the 73rd minute, when the previously untested Jack Hopwood found his clean sheet eradicated.
Former United trialist Harry Scott seized on an aerial ball forward and although his first touch initially seemed poor, it actually gave him room to move onto the ball and strike an early shot that wrong-footed the goalkeeper to find the net. 1-3
Any thoughts of an unlikely comeback were soon dismissed by a fourth goal for the greens. Good attacking work by Seaton allowed Ken Feyi the space to place a shot into the bottom corner for his second of the night. 4-1 Aylesbury United
The final ten minutes of the game saw a procession of chances as United looked for a fifth. Jamie Jellis blazed over the bar having scampered onto a ball over the defence, whilst Greg Williams got on the end of a right wing cross with a flying header that missed the target.
A minute from time Weatherill took down Jellis as the young Stevenage loanee attempted to round him in the area, leading to a second penalty of the night. Ken Feyi stepped up again and went the same direction, but this time so did Weatherill and made an excellent save to deny his former teammate a hat-trick.
Weatherill might have done better with the opening goal, but the end of the game was near single-handedly keeping the scoreline respectable as he made another brilliant save to keep out Ken Feyi’s long shot in stoppage time, whilst David Manu had also gone close just before having been set up by Ken Feyi.
The evening was rounded off by a wayward long shot from Harry Scott who cut a frustrated figure as by far the Moles brightest attacking spark as the match ended 4-1 to United.
