The curtain came down on a disastrous season for Aylesbury United, as Maidenhead United booked their place in the new Conference Two setup with a 4-2 victory. The Ducks made their hosts work for the win though, and the possible last game in the Isthmian League wasn't all doom and gloom.

The home side took an early lead, through Lawrence Yaku, and it appeared as though they would quickly add to their score with plenty of pressure. The Aylesbury defence stood firm though, and instead the away side scored a goal - Aylesbury's first for well over 300 minutes, from Ryan Wiffin.

The second half could have gone either way, but it was Maidenhead who re-took the lead - Yaku netting again. The home side further increased their lead with goals from Ryan Ashe and Danny Bolt, but the best was saved for last.

Substitute Alvin Bubb rounded of a miserable season with a goal of true class. Picking up the ball on the left-wing, he skipped past three defenders before finding the back of the net.

Full report to be found by clicking the link below.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Team were unfortunately relegated to Division One of the Suburban League this afternoon. Needing a 5-0 win to even have a chance of avoiding the drop, the team followed the Seniors in losing 4-2 to Maidenhead.

Match Report

AUFC Annual Presentation Evening, Friday 14th May 2004, 7:30pm in Buckinghamshire Suite.

CALLING ALL SUPPORTERS

We have come to the end of another season, maybe not as one would have hope, but why not come along and support AUFC in their last match of the season. A great night is planned with an opportunity to chat with 1st team players as well as getting a chance to meet AUFC ladies, who will be playing in a cup final two days later.

As always we aim to entertain, so why not come along and listen to some funny stories and dressing room gags that us supporters don't get to here about.

Come along and see

? who has won the supporters player of the year
? if anyone in an Aylesbury United shirt has scored more that 6 goals this season
? who will win this year's leafy green houseplants award
? who will win in the raffle with some excellent prizes to be won (purchase of raffle tickets for club funds mandatory!!)

A night hosted by 21CD and presented by Simon Lacey, is bound to provide some light entertainment. Food and drinks will be available to buy from the bar, with proceeds going to the club.

Admission is free and by ticket only. Tickets are required for numbers, as the Suite can only hold a certain number of people. Tickets will be available on Saturday from Andy Foster, or email andf@talk21.com to reserve your tickets today.

Come along and support the club, we can promise you plenty of laughs.

Alistair MacLaren has been in touch with Paul Curtis to get his thoughts on Saturday's defeat by Kettering Town:

"I was disappointed with the result, as we had quite a lot of the game but were just unable to score a goal, although we created more chances than in recent games. The defence again played very well with Matt Hayward keeping Darren Lynch under control.

Matt Brandish played very well in a more defensive role for the game, he managed to keep Aaran Cavill under control which meant he had less involvement than in recent games for Kettering. Basically he made it hard for Aaran, as I knew he would be a key player.

None of our players really stood out from the rest of the team, as it was a good team performance. There were two tactical changes with Matt Brandish marking Aaran Cavill, and Ryan Wiffin and Alvin Bubb effectively switching flanks.

Kettering's first goal was very well taken, and gave Jack Rashid no chance, and I can have no complaints with the penalty decision. The penalty was pretty unstoppable, although Jack Rashid made a good effort. I wasn't surprised with Lynch's celebrations afterwards with all the stick he'd been taking, and not being at his best.

Greg Williams' season is over, after he suffered a serious broken arm following a fall. He's had to have an operation, and bolts put into the arm.

The last match of the season is only a few days away at Maidenhead, and will see Erkan Okay and Leigh Meddows playing for us. This will of course mean that Adam Garner and Matt Brandish will have to be left out.

Hopefully, Matt Brandish will be back next season, as he will be available. Both Adam and Matt have enjoyed their time with the club, and believe it's improved them as players, and professionally."

A coach has been provisionally booked to go to Aylesbury United's last game of the season at Maidenhead this coming Saturday. With the Ducks set to field two debutant scholars in Erkan Okay and Leigh Meddows, and the fact that it's the last chance to see the team in action before July, why not book a place to go?

To book a place on the Maidenhead coach, e-mail Wendy Brandon on wendybrandon@supanet.com

Meanwhile, a coach will hopefully be going to the Ladies Team Cup Final (against Reading Royals) at Thatcham Town on the 16th May. Hopefully, this will help to get as many fans to the game as possible. If you've never seen the Ladies in action, why not go to the Cup Final and cheer them on?

For more details about the coach, contact Ian Austin on I.Austin@pindar.com

Kettering Town left Buckingham Road with the three points they deserved, and booked their spot in Conference Two, but they were made to work hard by Aylesbury in a well contested match.

After a goal-less first half, in which both sides had chances to score, the Poppies took the lead early in the second period. However, they looked nervous at times, as United went looking for an equaliser.

Kettering did finally score a second, with an 89th minute penalty from ex-Duck Darren Lynch, although the award did seem harsh by the referee.

Full report now online.

Click here: Kettering Report

Once again Alistair MacLaren has been in touch with manager Paul Curtis, getting his thoughts on our match at Basingstoke, and the big one on Saturday:

"Despite the result, I thought we played quite well on Saturday. The defence didn't look quite as good in the first half as in previous matches, but improved in the second. The front two played very well, although they didn't score any goals.

I couldn't single out any individual for man of the match, but I thought the front two performed very well - Byron Bubb had a good game, and Ryan Wiffin won some good headers. They were both substituted late on - with one reason being to give Danny Gray his first run out for three months.

Once again, we don't seem to have picked up any injuries from the Basingstoke game, so should go into the next match with only our long term absentees.

I am looking forward to the game with Kettering on Saturday. The players will be really up for it, following the events earlier in the season. On a personal level I am familiar with Kettering as a club, having played for them some time ago, and I know Kevin Wilson from my time at Northampton.

Although I was involved with Northampton at the start of Kevin Wilson's spell there, I never actually had a close working relationship with him. I am aware that he has a much larger budget to work with than I do - they aren't at the level they should be. With their potential fan base they should be in the Conference still.

I also know one of their players, Aaran Cavill, very well. Aaran was at Northampton for a number of years while I was involved with them, and of course he played for Aylesbury on-loan earlier this season.As far as I know it has still not been confirmed which league we'll be playing in next season, there are a number of factors relating to where teams finish in leagues, and where they are geographically. It's likely, however, that we will move into the Dr Martens League.

All our players are now involved in discussions regarding their situations for next season. I also have a number of players in mind I would like to bring in. Hopefully we'll have an improved budget to help in the building of next season's squad.

Contrary to some transfer reports, Erkan Okay has not signed on a permanent basis, but is on a sholarship deal with us, along with Leigh Meddows. It's likely that these two will be given the opportunity to play in the last game of the season."

In awful conditions Aylesbury United Ladies Team came out top of an exciting game between two sides scrapping for the upper positions in the table.

Sarah 'Twiggy' Davis scored an equaliser, after Carterton had taken the lead, but the Ducks went into the break a goal behind. In the second half Aylesbury took control of midfield, and two goals from Sally Green swung the game in Aylesbury's favour.

For a full report, click below.

The details of the League Cup Final have been finalised. The Ladies will take on Reading Royals Reserves, at Thatcham Town FC on the 16th May. Kick-off will be at 2.30pm.

Click here: Ladies Report

The Non-League Paper has this week launched the inaugural Non-League Paper National Game Awards sponsored by Carlsberg. The awards span a range of categories, from player of the year, to the unsung heroes.

Over the coming weeks, in the Friday and Sunday editions of the paper, various categories will be highlighted with suggestions of winners. However, voting is down to the public.

The make the awards as successful as possible, it's important that lots of people get involved and vote.

The categories are as follows:

With Paul Curtis on a short break, Alistair MacLaren this week spoke to Assistant Manager Danny Nicholls following the Bank Holiday programme:

"Our pre-match preparation was very good at Hornchurch, but Greg Williams had to withdraw due to an allergy problem, and then Matt Hayward suffered a groin injury, so had to be substituted early on. The game was played on a very heavy pitch, which suited Hornchurch more than us. We gave away a very sloppy goal, which led to a Hornchurch victory.

We had a number of chances to score, and had we taken them, could have won the game, but I think a draw would have been a fair result. I thought our player's effort was faultless, and we competed very well.

The game against St. Albans was a very different story. It was very much men against boys for the first 45 minutes, with the St. Albans team bigger and more physical than our starting eleven. The score at half-time was 1-0 to St. Albans, but it could easily have been 5-1.

Matt Hayward, Ryan Wiffin and Greg Williams came on during the second half, and made a massive difference to our physical game. However, St. Albans scored another goal, and the result was very disappointing.

People have been talking about just how poor the match was, certainly the first 45 minutes were the worst since Paul and I took over.

Regarding players Adam Garner has indeed been offered a new short-term deal with Oxford United. However, we are still hopeful that we can sign him on-loan next season. Matt Brandish will be offered the chance to sign for us permanently, as he is to be released by Oxford."

Aylesbury United slipped to another defeat, going down 2-0 at the hands of Basingstoke Town. A bright start was soon forgotten, as the hosts raced into an eigth minute lead, and appeared to be ready to dish out a thrashing.

However, the Ducks worked hard, and were on top for much of the second period, without seriously threatening Basingstoke's goal. Indeed, it was the home side who added a second midway through the second half.

One other bright moment was the return to action of Danny Gray, who has been out injured for three months.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Team crashed to a 4-1 defeat at Whyteleafe.

Tomorrows game at Basingtoke has been confirmed as going ahead, despite various reports and indications to the contrary. Graham Read has been busy all day liasing with the Ryman League and the FA, and has come to a compromise to allow Aylesbury United to complete their fixtures this season.

Reports from the Seniors and Ladies Team games have been added to the website. Click the appropriate links below.

Click here: St. Albans Report | Ladies Report

Aylesbury's miserable season continued, as St. Albans recorded a fairly straightforward win at Buckingham Road. The Ducks rarely troubled their opponents, although Byron Bubb showed glimpses of skill on the ball.

St. Albans took the first half lead through Declan Perkins, and Miguel De Souza wrapped things up in the second half. Saints could have had more, had it not been for an excellent display from Jack Rashid, making a number of good saves.

Full report to follow.

The Ladies Team booked their place in the League Cup Final with an excellent 3-1 win away at Launton. In a decisive display, the Ducks showed clinical finishing and defended strongly to go through.

S. Green gave United a first half lead with a fantastic free-kick which couldn't have been any more into the top corner. Despite some early Launton pressure, the defence stood firm.

Sarah 'Twiggy' Davis scored a spectacular second-half volley, from a corner, in the second half, and Carly Newman made the game safe with a predatory strike after a mistake by the keeper. Launton did get a late consolation, but never seriously threatened Aylesbury's win.

An excellent result and performance which the team should be proud of. The Final will be played on Sunday 16th May - Opponent and Venue to be confirmed, but on this evidence Aylesbury have a real chance of silverware.

The Easter Weekend sees a mouthwatering prospect of football, with the First Team and Ladies Team both involved in important games over the three days.

Later today the First Team travel to Upminster to take on Hornchurch. Rather like ourselves last season, the Urchins are paying the price for their cup success with a disappointing (according to their board anyway) league placing. Managerless, and without anything to play for, the home team will be playing for their places next season.

The Ducks meanwhile, are still searching for their first win of 2004, but it will surely take a minor miracle for it to come at Hornchurch. All those that can go, please do. Your support really makes a difference to the team, and it is probably our last trip to Hornchurch for some time.

Then on Sunday the Ladies Team travel to Launton (just outside Bicester) for their big semi-final. With a place in the League Cup Final at stake, and the last two encounters having been 4-3 thrillers, the signs all point to an exciting game in store.

Both sides are on an excellent run of form - Aylesbury's only two defeats in the last nine games have been against Launton though, so the Ladies will have to be at their best. If you can, get down to the Launton playing fields (directions here) and give the team your support. Kick-off is at 2.30pm.

The weekend is rounded off by a home match on Bank Holiday monday, against our near neighbours St. Albans City. Such a game was a prestige fixgture not so long ago, but fortunes have dramatically changed for both teams, as we both find ourselves at the wrong end of the table.

Monday will be a good chance of recording the magical win, but no doubt Paul Curtis will be taking nothing for granted. Kick-off for this match is 3pm, and with the weather forecast looking good, why not enjoy the sunshine at Buckingham Road?

Aylesbury United returned from possibly their last Essex trip for a while with a creditible 0-1 defeat by Hornchurch. The Ducks defended admirably, and kept their hosts at bay for much of the match.

It was a game of limited excitement, punctuated by Hornchurch attacks which were rebuffed by the away side, with Danny Gordon, Adam Garner and John Winter particurlarly impressive, but the whole defense should take credit.

Hornchurch eventually took the lead with seven minutes remaining of the first half, a cross headed home at the far post by Jamie Southon. The second half saw Aylesbury see plenty of the ball, but the few chances created weren't taken, and Hornchurch won the match.

Full report now online.

Click here: Hornchurch Report

Ian Austin has resigned from his role with the Reserve Team, following Saturday's win over Basingstoke. He will continue to focus his efforts on the Ladies Team, however.

Reserve Team manager Simon Lacey: "My thanks go out to Ian. It's been a really tough time over the past couple of months and without Ian's input it would have been next to impossible to get a team out."

Once again Paul Curtis shares his thoughts after our last game, the 0-0 draw with Braintree:

"Saturday was a typical bottom of the table clash, with neither team playing well, but it was probably our most disappointing performance since I took over. Having said that our defence all played well, and we were very organised, but we still aren't good enough going forward. The only time Braintree had looked threatening was from set pieces, and some long throws, and they seemed to rely on these.

Looking ahead to next season I'm confident that Adam Garner and Matt Brandish will be involved with us. It depends how Oxford United see their futures. If they are to remain on their books, I'd like to have them on loan. If they're released, I'd love to sign them permanently.

I was at Friday's Press Conference, and glad to see the club moving in the right direction. I think the proposals can only help the club to get more people involved, which can only be a good thing."

If you have any questions you'd like answering by Paul Curtis, please either e-mail me, or leave a question on the messageboard, and we'll try and get an answer. For now though, we have posed a couple of issues from the messageboard for Paul to answer:

It has been suggested that Buckingham were signing players from a higher level than us, despite their budget being less than ours:

Buckingham's budget actually is slightly better than ours. At this stage of the season it's always easier to attract players to a team who are top of the league, than one who are at the bottom. They have a couple of player's I have been looking at though, and I'd consider good signings for next season.

It has also been suggested that your lack of contacts is an issue when it comes to signing players:

I agree that I don't have the best contacts in non-league football, as most of my connections are in the football league. However, there are good non-league connections within the club, so I am confident we will succeed with future signings.

Finally, a word on the subject of radio coverage which has been discussed on the messageboard:

As I don't live locally, I don't really listen to the local radio of Aylesbury. However, coverage by local radio is very important as it can boost the interest in the club, in the local community, so if radio coverage grows, it can only be a good thing.

The Ladies Team produced their best display of the season to beat 5th placed Caversham 3-0. Goals from Sophie Green, Carly Newman and Twiggy Davis settled the match, with the Ducks now having completed the treble over Caversham (2 league and 1 cup win).

For the full report, click below.

Click here: Ladies Report

In the battle of the basement teams, Aylesbury and Braintree played out a lacklustre 0-0 draw at Buckingham Road this afternoon. Although conditions weren't great, there was no disguising the lack of quality on show from both sides.

The chances were few and far between, although Daniel Mead saw a few testing drives cause worry for Braintree, and Alvin Bubb missed a good chance. The visitors also created a few openings at the start of the second half, but there was little to shout about.

Full report now online.

Click here: Braintree Report

At the PE and Sports Development Conference held at Stoke Mandeville Stadium on 23rd March 2004, promoted by Active Sports Bucks and Bucks & Milton Keynes Sports Partnership, the award for Young Football Coach of the Year was won by Anna Stevens (18) of Aylesbury.

Anna qualified as a Level 2 FA Coach on the 2-year NVQ course run for Cottesloe School by Peter Wright. She makes no secret of the fact that she was a bit of a tearaway, not interested in schoolwork until she found her way into football coaching.

Until recently, Anna played in midfield for Aylesbury United Ladies, but won the award for her coaching work. This encompassed coaching schoolgirls on a Kickstart programme promoted by Active Sports, and having gained the interest of a number of girls, she quickly formed them into thte first Aylesbury United FC Girls Teams playing in the South Bucks League.

She now runs an under-11 development squad, and under-12 and under-14 teams. Next season there will be two under-12 teams, as the club look to expand their links with Girls Football.

"From today onwards we move forward..."

This evening a Press Conference was held at the club, hosted by current owner Bill Carroll, managing director Graham Read and director Brian McCarthy. The intent of the evening was to outline the future direction of the club.

Over the coming weeks an attempt will be made to re-launch Aylesbury United, as a community club. The club is already very involved at grass roots level, but community work is ever expanding. From the merger with Aylesbury Town FC, to the possibility of youngsters advancing to the Chelsea FC Development centre.

Next season Aylesbury United will be expanding their Youth capacities, as 21 new teams will be playing under name of the club, including an under-16 youth team. There are also plans to run a PASE side of the first time, which will combine football development with education.

The club also needs to function as a Community Club with its commercial activities. Opportunities exist which make now a good time for a re-launch, and there are four key aspects of the re-launch.

The first is the production of a new business plan. The final details of this plan are still being drawn up, but the vision of a financially viable club will be a the forefront.

Secondly is the much publicised re-structuring of non-league football. As has been previously mentioned on this website, the club will most likely be playing in the Southern Premier League as of next season. This will provide fresh impetus for the club, with a range of new opponents to play and new locations to visit.

The league is also envisaged to be less competitive than the one currently being competed in, which should see the club able to mount a realistic challenge next season.

The third point is the proposed growth of Aylesbury over the coming years. There are plans for 3800 new houses in the North of the town, with further development also planned. With the right promotion, any new residents could boost the support of the club.

Finally, and perhaps most significantly, is an end to the long-running saga of ground ownership. An agreement has been reached with the landlord of The Stadium, Verada Properties Ltd to purchase the ground. Purcashing the stadium would not only produce the stability required for the future, but could enable the facilities to be developed as part of the revised business plan. This, in course, would make big differences to the annual income of the club.

Managing Director Graham Read spoke about the financial situation at the club, and potential developments in relation to the re-launch.

In the short term ?17,000 has recently been invested to re-develop the kitchen facilites around the stadium. Further investment is planned to enable the use of the Buckingham Suite, Corner Bar and Boardroom as Conference Rooms, equipped with the latest technology. This would provide a whole new revenue source, competing with similar Conference venues in the area.

A new all weather pitch is to be constructed behind the far stand of the stadium. It is anticipated that this can be used for training for the team, as well as hiring out for competitions and the like in the future.

The long-term plan, dependant on the ground purchase, is to redevelop the country end of the ground. This development would comprise of a permanent stand with seating, and containing a Gym, treatment room and changing facilities.

Recent changes have been made in management staff at the club. Incoming are Michael Read, who will act as Operations Manager (initially under the guidance of Graham), and John Newman, who will be the new Commercial Director.

The club are planning to issue 20 * ?50,000 shares in the near future, in order to raise funds. The plan is for 20 local businesses, or individuals, invest in a share, raising ?1million for the club. The ?1million is the sum needed to purchase the Stadium, and the club from Bill Carroll.

Each investment then secures a share of Aylesbury United, and the option of becoming involved in the running of the club. Formal proposals will be finalised next month, but so far 5 have been sold, raising ?250,000 for the club.

To maintain senior football in the Vale it is absolutely vital that the re-launch of Aylesbury United is successful. It's simply laughable that a supporter should have to go to MK Dons or Wycombe to enjoy a decent standard of football. With ownership of the ground, and new local Directors, the club should be very viable.

Support of Youth Development, and the ultimate goal of a Community Club will be achieved. The club will then be in a position to climb up the league ladder to the higher level of football we know we should be at now.

Questions/comments? E-mail luke@aylesburyunited.co.uk, or call the club (01296) 436350.