Aylesbury’s loyal band of travelling supporters were sent home happy by a dramatic late comeback from their team which saw them become the first side to beat Dunstable Town at Creasey Park this season.
Unfortunately this was ‘merely’ the Premier Division Cup so will have no bearing on the title race, but was an excellent result nonetheless and a step closer to some long awaited silverware for
United.
The Ducks were without injured duo Greg Williams (knee) and Ben Butler (hamstring), but John Mulholland returned from suspension and Paul Edgeworth was back in the starting lineup. Dunstable themselves showed two changes from their weekend win over Colney Heath.
An evenly contested first fifteen minutes saw neither side able to make a breakthrough, though Aylesbury threatened strongly as first Mulholland headed over Daniel Jones’s second minute corner. Zac Reynolds should have scored when he was picked out by Louis Austin’s through ball but sidefooted wide having come in from the left.
Dunstable were frequently breaking into United’s area, even in these early moments, but seemed averse to shooting as they time and time again over complicated their attacking moves.
In the end it took a weak backpass from Jones to set up the hosts best early chance, Lee Roache running momentarily clean through but Jack Sillitoe was off his line in a flash to smother.
By contrast to Town’s wastefulness, Aylesbury’s direct, shoot on sight policy was seemingly working well and a Baines shot on the turn flew wide whilst another effort from the same player was blocked behind for a corner.
Disaster struck though and Dunstable took charge by scoring the game’s opener, with sixteen minutes played. United went to sleep as Nathan Frater cut inside and played the ball to Roache who had found space on the edge of the box, just enough to turn and dispatch a clinical shot into the bottom corner past Sillitoe. 1-0 Dunstable
In an instant the Ducks were behind, and, boosted by their lead, were ‘treated’ to a master class of possession football from Dunstable which had Aylesbury chasing shadows for much of the half’s remainder.
All that the Blues’ play was missing was an end product as they repeatedly knocked at the door without finding a meaningful shot, although one effort on the half hour mark was deflected wide for a corner kick.
And for all their good work that was the best Dunstable could muster, and had it not been for too good saves by Paul Taylor in the latter stages of the first period, the Ducks would have drawn level.
Dunstable’s risky ploy of passing the ball around in their own box finally backfired as Baines pinched the ball and fired in a low effort across goal which Taylor athletically got down to claw away.
The veteran followed that up with another superb stop to deny Edgeworth’s top-corner bound header, tipping the ball wide in what looked to be slow motion as it hung in the air to retain his side’s slender advantage.
Half-time: Dunstable 1-0 Aylesbury
Action was slow to ignite following the interval, and when it did Aylesbury once again found it hard to get the ball. Dunstable had the first meaningful chance when strikers Roache and Frater combined, the latter firing in a tame effort which was easily gathered by Sillitoe.
A free-kick nearly provided the second goal the home side craved as Newman Carney, son of the great non-league goal-getter Grant, shaved the upright with a bending effort from 30-yards. Aylesbury replied with an almost identically placed effort at the other end which Edgeworth weakly fired straight through to Taylor wastefully.
Efforts came and went from Cooper with a wayward long shot, and a later attempt which was sent spinning wide by a defender, as Sillitoe remained largely untested in goal.
With the minutes ticking by, the game was becoming increasingly scrappy with the referee regularly blowing for fouls and showing a number of yellow cards, Louis Austin withdrawn, presumably for his own protection, after receiving his own caution for a late challenge with his replacement, Joey Acheampong, to have a huge part to play in the eventual equaliser.
Before that though Lee Bircham might have done better when he guided a header straight at Taylor after Mulholland’s deep free-kick was flicked on in his direction. The right-back then turned provider as he pumped a free-kick into the box which was flicked just wide by Steve Hatch.
Aylesbury were clearly in the ascendency and they grabbed a deserved equaliser with five minutes remaining. Acheampong did brilliantly to head a long ball over one defender before carrying the ball past another on the edge of the box only to see his shot cruelly rebound off the upright. Fortunately, Jones had followed in to direct the ball into the net. 1-1
Remarkably, the game was turned on its head just three minutes later. Jones produced a superb pass over the defence for Field to run onto and the red-hot striker coolly lobbed Dunstable’s stranded goalkeeper for his 30th goal of the season. 2-1 Aylesbury
Still United weren’t satisfied and a comeback which had at times looked unlikely was completed in stoppage time from the penalty spot after a desperate sliding challenge just inside the area was ruled illegal. Only one contender to take it, as Field stepped up to comfortably rattle home number 31. 3-1 Aylesbury
It was an unbelievable end to the game to take Aylesbury through to the next round, and their Dunstable hosts shellshocked.
