After losing at second placed Hitchin, it was a very different assignment this week, with a visit to second bottom, already relegated, Rayners Lane. The home club were in disarray after their relegation was confirmed last week, manager Josh Bostock left the club, and along with him went a number of first team squad members, leaving the club to scramble around to sign enough players before the transfer deadline to be able to field a team. Their efforts to assemble a team on the day were hampered, when 4 of the squad believed they were playing for the U18s that day and travelled to south London, instead of reporting for duty with the first team, leaving only 11 players to fulfil the fixture.

The Ducks made changes also, Fabian Garcia missing out through illness, allowing Luke Martin to revert to right back and Frankie Bircham to return to the midfield, and Abdullah Jellal and Hayden Beadle replaced in the starting line up by Sonny French and Lee Stobbs. There was also the welcome sight of Jed Layman and James Bone on the subs bench, having proved their fitness after recent injuries.

Sensing the game was there for the taking, the Ducks started well, Finlay Reeves doing well on the left before being fouled by Oluwatobi Alade 20 yards out. George Cleveland stepped up to take the free kick, but his effort was more akin to a rugby conversion, high over the crossbar.

After forcing a corner in the 5th minute, the Ducks took the lead with a well worked routine. Jake Bewley took the kick towards Sonny French on the edge of the area, who dummied to allow Lee Stobbs to run on to the ball and sidefoot home from 25 yards. 1-0 Aylesbury

The home side hit back straight afterwards, Pharrell Mensah winning the ball in midfield, before sidestepping Frankie Bircham and shooting from 25 yards. Jack Hopwood parried the ball away, with skipper Jack Wood on hand to mop up and clear the danger.

In the 10th minute, Rocko Tamplin got a shot away from the edge of the penalty area, which deflected off home captain Eric Schulz, the loose ball falling to French, who shot wide of the far post with the home keeper beaten.

The lead was extended in the 12th minute, another corner from the right by Bewley punched down by Matthew Burrows in the home goal but only as far as Cleveland, who smashed the ball home into the far corner of the net from 8 yards. 2-0 Aylesbury

The third goal came 4 minutes later, as Reeves played the ball into the penalty area from the left touchline, to find Stobbs ghosting in at the far post to sidefoot home from 10 yards. 3-0 Aylesbury

Despite conceding goals, the youngsters in the home side didn't lose heart and tried to stay in the game. In the 20th minute Mensah again proved himself to be a menace, winning the ball well in midfield, before stepping away from the challenge of French and shooting narrowly wide from 25 yards.

Cleveland did well to win another corner in the 22nd minute, Bewley’s delivery this time found the head of Kian Henry, rising highest at the far post to power home a header from 6 yards. 4-0 Aylesbury

Four minutes later, it was 5 goals for the Ducks; another corner from Bewley was headed down on the line by a defender, where Bircham was on hand to volley home. 5-0 Aylesbury

A minute later and the hosts were awarded a free kick 30 yards from goal; Kleyton De Biazze took the set piece and saw his powerful shot well save by Hopwood, high just underneath his crossbar.

On 35 minutes, after Tamplin did well on the flank, he played the ball infield to Cleveland, who saw his shot well save by Burrows at the concession of a corner, which unlike previous corner kicks, was well defended.

Cleveland had a great chance to add his second of the game in the 38th minute, after Reeves did well to beat Alade on the left, before playing a low ball into the centre forward at the far post, but he took his eye off the ball and it escaped under his foot.

The next goal wasn’t far away though, as a minute later a ball into the box was badly defended, falling to Stobbs who joined the Ducks roll call of hat trick scorers with a calm finish from the edge of the penalty area. 6-0 Aylesbury

Two minutes later it was 'Lucky 7', as Reeves collected the ball on the left side of the penalty area, before firing a left foot shot past Burrows from 15 yards. 7-0 Aylesbury

With a minute to go to the break, Rayners Lane had another opportunity to open their account; Omarr Lawson saw a shot from 25 yards blocked by Wood, the ball rebounding nicely for the home player, who passed to Reuben Whittaker, who saw his shot from 20 yards fly narrowly wide of Hopwood's near post.

Half-time: Rayners Lane 0-7 Aylesbury

Into the second half, and the Ducks stretched the lead even further in the 47th minute, Tamplin rising high above Alade at the far post to head home a Stobbs cross from the right. 8-0 Aylesbury

The Ducks skipper had a great opportunity to score his first goal of the season two minutes later; Tamplin got the better of Alade on the left and played a ball into the penalty area where Wood arrived, but he headed wide from 8 yards. Three minutes later, a corner delivered by Stobbs saw Martin head the ball back across the penalty area to Cleveland, who saw his shot from 12 yards well saved by Burrows.

Wood did get his goal in the 55th minute, incredibly becoming the 22nd different player to score for the Ducks this season. Reeves combined well with Cleveland who passed the ball square to the skipper, who tapped in from 6 yards. 9-0 Aylesbury

On the hour, the home side got their reward for a resolute display in adversity, Whittaker doing very well on the right, before cutting inside and firing a left foot shot from 25 yards across Hopwood and into the far corner of the net, for probably the pick of the goals in the match. 1-9

In the 69th minute, Lawson did well for the home side, before spreading the ball wide to Whittaker on the right; he went outside of Bewley and found an angle for a shot from 15 yards, but Hopwood made a good save at his near post.

Three minutes later, another good set piece by the Ducks from a corner saw Bewley play it short to Reeves, who crossed to Wood at the far post, but he could only direct his header, under pressure, narrowly wide of the goal.

The Ducks had brought on all of their substitutes by then, giving both Bone and Layman some much-needed minutes on the pitch to ease them back into the team. Shortly after coming on, Bone did well to twist away from the attentions of 3 home defenders before passing to Cleveland in space outside the penalty area; he got a powerful shot away from 20 yards, which Burrows did well to parry away.

In the 75th minute, Bone was again in the action, wriggling free from a tight space, before being fouled 25-yards out on the right side, by Sairel Amali. Bewley stepped up to take the free kick and placed it right in the top corner of Burrows’ goal, giving the young keeper no chance. 10-1 Aylesbury

Incredibly, there was still 15 minutes left, and time for the Ducks to chase their record win, currently standing at 12 - 1, set in 1901 against Windsor & Eton in the FA Amateur Cup. Four minutes left on the clock, Bone won the ball in the tackle and fed Cleveland, who advanced and took aim from 25 yards, but once again Burrows was equal to his effort, pulling off a fine one handed save to keep the ball out.

So, despite appearing to have time to challenge the record score, the Ducks had to settle for just the 10 goals; the last time the side scored 10 in a game was against Brentwood Town in the FA Cup at Buckingham Rd in Sep 2001, but it does eclipse the biggest away win, previously 8 - 0 (twice) against Slough Centre in 1951 and Stevenage Town in 1954. A convincing and record-breaking victory, but thoughts are with the young Rayners Lane players who answered the call to support their team, and didn't stop running all game, when many thought the goal tally could have been much higher, especially after seeing 7 Aylesbury goals in the first half against a team with no substitutes to call on. We wish them well in their endeavours for the rest of this season and beyond.

Thoughts turn now to the Easter programme, with two crucial matches on the horizon; first a home match against Barton Rovers on Good Friday, and then the return fixture at Thame United on Easter Monday, both games kicking off at 3.00. After today’s results, which saw Enfield lose 3 - 0 at MK Irish, the Ducks now have an 8 point buffer, with 5 games remaining for both sides, with a vastly superior goal difference to Enfield FC; nonetheless, full focus must be on the games ahead and gathering more points to draw further away from the relegation trap door. Your support is key to this, come along in your numbers to both games and help the team achieve the goal of retaining Step 4 football for another season.