After an early Alex Giscombe effort, which still hasn't returned to earth, Aylesbury found themselves on the back foot. David Warner volleyed wide, and Mark Molesley surged forward and shot wide, inside the opening fifteen minutes.
Dean Powles was caught out after a foray forward, allowing a pinpoint cross to be delivered from Hayes' right. A lack of communication saw Peter Holsgrove and David Warner go for the same ball, and their combined header went well over.
As Hayes kept up the pressure, David Warner cut inside brilliantly, and shot through a crowd of players. Jack Rashid saw the ball late, but got down to make an excellent save.
Ten minutes later a quick free-kick caught Aylesbury napping, and a left-footed shot from Kevin Warner flew just wide of the post.
A free-kick was awarded against Adam Garner, which saw Peter Holsgrove grapple with the Aylesbury defender. Holsgrove appeared to lash out, for which he was booked. The same player stepped up to drill the resultant free-kick wode.
Kevin Warner fired an excellent shot towards goal, which dipped just over the bar. The ball rippled the top of the net, giving the impression to some that the away side had taken the lead.
However, just a minute later and Hayes did have the lead. Peter Holsgrove (who, controversially, was still on the pitch) weaved his way into the box, and having seemingly taken the ball too far, managed to squeeze a shot into the far corner of the net under pressure. 1-0 Hayes
Half-time: Aylesbury 0-1 Hayes
The second half was far less eventful, punctuated by some innocuous looking yellow cards issued by Alison Chapman. The referee was fast becoming the centre of attention, with some rather strange decisions.
Peter Holsgrove had a shot blocked by his own player Yeboah after a low-cross.
With ten-minutes remaining of the match, Aylesbury fashioned their first real effort on goal. First Ryan Wiffin had a weak penalty appeal turned down, after going down in the box, then Greg Williams tried a shot from the edge of the area, which went just over the bar.
A desperate corner in the last five minutes saw Jack Rashid make the journey into the penalty area. The corner resulted in a goal-line clearance, after a goalbound header from Giscombe - the closest Aylesbury got.
The match somewhat faded out, as Hayes held onto the ball in the closing stages, and went about protecting their lead. Hayes looked such a different side to that who had looked so convincing in a 3-0 win over the Ducks earlier in the season.
Aylesbury United
Hayes
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Bedford Town
Harrow Borough
Billericay Town
Braintree Town
Bognor Regis Town
Kingstonian
Heybridge Swifts
Canvey Island
Hitchin Town
Ford United
Kettering Town
Grays Athletic
Northwood
Hendon
St. Albans City
Hornchurch
Sutton United
Maidenhead United
Thurrock
Bishop's Stortford