1 | ||
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3 | ||
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6 | ||
7 | 12, 66m | |
8 | ||
9 | 14, 78m | |
10 | ||
11 | 15, 66m | |
BENCH | ||
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12 | 7, 66m | |
14 | 9, 78m | |
15 | 11, 66m | |
16 | ||
17 | ||
MANAGEMENT | ||
M |
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2 | ||
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5 | ||
6 | ||
7 | ||
8 | ||
9 | ||
10 | 14, 54m | |
11 | 12, 47m | |
BENCH | ||
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12 | 11, 47m | |
14 | 10, 54m | |
15 |
After having their 2 match winning run ended by a 0-1 away defeat by play-off hopefuls Cambridge City 9 days earlier, Aylesbury United's return to action after their Easter Saturday postponement away to Hanwell Town saw them bounce back in some style with a stunning 7-2 home win over their former landlords Thame United in their Easter Monday local derby at The Meadow, Chesham on Monday.
Not only was it sweet revenge for Aylesbury after their 1-3 away defeat at The ASM Stadium on New Year's Day but it was The Ducks' biggest competitive victory since a 7-0 home win over Holmer Green in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division on 24th November 2012.
Aylesbury went into Monday's game in 16th place in the table as the 3rd of 3 teams all on 43 points with 14th placed Marlow and 15th placed Egham Town ahead of Ben Williams' side on goal difference and 13th placed Uxbridge 2 points ahead of all 3 sides.
Meanwhile, Thame had gone into the game on the back of 2 straight defeats which had left them lying in 12th place in the table, 6 points ahead of The Ducks.
The first action of note saw Thame take the lead just into the 3rd minute when Harry Mepham's free kick from the left was headed on by Tom Ashworth towards the far post where it fell to Jamie Essex, who took a touch to control and cut in past Aylesbury's Matt Peake-Pijnen before seeing right foot shot from 12 yards go in off Ducks keeper Jack Hopwood's right hand post into his top right hand corner. Essex admitted afterwards that it was really a cross. 1-0 Thame
Aylesbury equalised in the 11th minute when Jeanmal Prosper's ball over the top down the right from inside his own half found Ben Seaton who took a touch to control and cut inside past a defender before firing his right foot shot from 8 yards into Thame keeper Andrew Stringer's left hand corner. 1-1
Thame went close in the 16th minute when Mepham's long ball over the top down the middle found Dan West who ran on and into the box and tried to round Hopwood inside the left of the box before having his shot blocked by a Ducks defender amid claims by Thame of handball. However, London referee Ivan Gelov wasn't interested.
The hosts went 2-1 up in the 20th minute when Peake-Pijnen's low through ball down the left found the overlapping Jake Bewley, whose first time cross across the box found Harry Jones whose right foot shot from 8 yards hit Stringer on its way into the keeper's left hand corner. 2-1 Aylesbury
A chance came Thame's way in the 30th minute when Mepham's cross from the left found Joe Ward who sent his bicycle kick well wide of Hopwood's left hand post without troubling the Ducks keeper.
The visitors wen within an ace of equalising in the 39th minute when Lynton Goss beat Bewley on the right before cutting the ball back low into the box to Ben Sturgess, who crashed his right foot shot from the right hand corner of the box against the bar to Hopwood's left before the ball was cleared.
Then 41 seconds into added time at the end of the half, it was 3-1 when Bewley's cross from the left found Jones whose right foot shot from 10 yards was inadvertently blocked by team-mate Aaron Berry, with the ball rebounding to Berry's feet who took a touch to control before firing his right foot shot from 5 yards into Stringer's right hand corner. 3-1 Aylesbury
Half-time: Aylesbury 3-1 Thame
There were no changes for either side to start the second half but Thame made the first substitution of the afternoon in the 47th minute when Luke Ricketts came on to replace Calvin Evans.
It was 4-1 in the 49th minute when, from Bewley's cross from the left to the far post, an attempted Thame clearance was charged down by Jones with the ball falling to Seaton on the edge of the box and he took a touch to control before squaring to his right to Berry who fired his low right foot shot from 12 yards into Stringer's right hand corner. 4-1 Aylesbury
United went close to adding to their lead in the 52nd minute when Ollie Hogg's free kick from the left saw Ward's back header towards his own goal tipped over the bar by Stringer for a corner to save the Thames defender's blushes.
The Ducks went close again a minute later when Seaton had his shot tipped over the bar by Stringer for another corner.
Thame made their second change in the 54th minute when Dann Lynn came on to replace Dan West.
A chance came Thame's way in the 61st minute when a visitors break ended with Essex's low through ball on the right finding the unmarked Liam Tack in space who ran on before having his low right foot shot held by Hopwood.
Then at the other end in the 63rd minute, Aylesbury went close when a long ball over the top down the middle by Greg Williams found Peake-Pijnen in space on the left, who cut in and rounded Stringer before having his shot blocked.
It was 5-1 in the 64th minute when Bewley's corner from the right was headed clear by Essex to Seaton on the right edge of the box who took a touch to control before seeing his mis-hit right foot shot from 20 yards find Jack Wood, who flicked his right foot shot from 6 yards into Stringer's left hand corner. 5-1 Aylesbury
The Ducks made a double and in the 66th minute when Sonny French came on for Peake-Pijnen and Jamie Keen came on to replace Jones.
The hosts went close in the 68th minute when Bewley's cross from the left to the far post found Prosper, whose right foot shot from the right hand corner of the 6 yard box hit Stringer's left hand post before being cleared by Mepham.
Aylesbury went close again in the 73rd minute when, from French's cross from the right both Berry in the middle and Wood at the far post narrowly failed to get a vital touch.
Aylesbury were now rampant and it was 6-1 in the 76th minute when Bewley intercepted a Thame pass and broke down the left before seeing his cross cleared out as far as sub Sonny French, who took a touch before beating 2 men and firing his right foot shot from 20 yards into Stringer's right hand corner. 6-1 Aylesbury
United made their final change in the 78th minute when Majiec Tajs came on to replace Berry.
Thame pulled back what in truth was no more than a consolation goal in the 84th minute when Essex's low through ball down the right found Tack who took a touch and beat Bewley on the right before seeing his cross cleared by Wood to Goss on the edge of the box, who fired his left foot shot from 16 yards into Hopwood's right hand corner. Aylesbury 6-2 Thame
The visitors went close to pulling another goal back in the 87th minute when Essex squared to his left to Finlay Murray who squared to his left to Goss, who turned before having his right foot shot from 22 yards on the left well tipped away to his right by Hopwood, before the ball was cleared by Bewley.
Then with 38 seconds of normal time left at the end, it was 7-2 when a low through ball down the middle by sub Majeic Tajs found Seaton who ran on before slotting his low right foot shot from 12 yards past the advancing Stringer into the keeper's left hand corner to complete the rout. 7-2 Aylesbury
There were no further chances for either side after that and the final blast of referee Gelov's whistle after exactly 2 minutes of added time at the end brought the game to a close to leave The Ducks in seventh heaven after a most emphatic win.
It was United's biggest Southern League win since a 6-0 home demolition of Fareham Town at Buckingham Road in the Beazer Homes League Premier Division on 26th March 1988 which saw then manager Trevor Gould's side go on to win the title.
With only 2 other games in the division surviving due to the weather, The Ducks' biggest win of the season and results elsewhere mean that Ben Williams' side move up 3 places to 13th in the table, 5 points behind Thame but having played 2 games more than the Oxfordshire side.
The Ducks will be hoping that the confidence gained from this win rubs off on them when they are at home to title chasing Hayes and Yeading United at The Meadow on Saturday (kick off 3.00pm).
Aylesbury United
Thame United
AFC Dunstable
Barton Rovers
AFC Rushden & Diamonds
Bedford Town
Arlesey Town
Aylesbury FC
Cambridge City
Kempston Rovers
Chalfont St. Peter
Northwood
Egham Town
Beaconsfield Town
Hartley Wintney
Fleet Town
Hayes & Yeading United
Hanwell Town
Moneyfields
Ashford Town (Mx)
Uxbridge
Marlow