After two games with no return for their efforts, Aylesbury were finally rewarded for a good performance as they eased into the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup Quarter Finals with a 5-0 thrashing of Thatcham Town.
Five different scorers found the net against the Division One South & West side in what was comfortably Aylesbury’s biggest win of the season to date.
One of those was the returning Richard Armstrong, back after his one match suspension, who crowned another classy performance with a late goal, whilst also reinstated to the starting lineup were Lee Grace and Steve Hatch.
It took just two minutes for the deadlock to be broken. A corner kick was flapped at by goalkeeper Ashley West, the ball was hooked back towards goal and Ben Baines was on hand to scrap home his 50th goal in Aylesbury United colours. 1-0 Aylesbury
Town looked to hit back straight away through Tom Lockyer who lashed a shot wide, but the Ducks continued to make the early running and Liam Smyth directed a shot wide on his weaker foot after referee Mr Moore’s good advantage, before the excellent Zack Reynolds played a one-two with Armstrong before firing just over in a move also involving Stacey Field.
The lead was doubled just before the quarter hour mark. Thatcham appealed in vein as Joey Acheampong pressured hard on his defender to nick the ball, and as it ran loose Reynolds provided the pass for Field to finish clinically from close range. 2-0 Aylesbury
Acheampong then burst clear past Ben McCready’s desperate lunging challenge but dragged his shot wide with only West to beat, and moments later Armstrong outmuscled the Town midfield to retrieve the ball but placed his long shot straight into the grateful keeper’s arms.
In between those the Kingfishers had forced their first corner of the game, which was headed clear, and they threatened on 26 minutes when the ball was spread into the path of the experienced Charlie Hill but his 25-yard low shot was easy for Jack Sillitoe to field.
The game’s third goal arrived six minutes before the break, the product of another good team move by Aylesbury. Armstrong in the centre released Field in the inside right position, and his low ball into the box was perfect for Acheampong to show the desire to get ahead of his marker and convert at the near post. 3-0 Aylesbury
Just two minutes later and the lead was extended further, Liam Smyth the man to profit as he chased down a seemingly lost cause, seeing a defender’s clearance cannon back off him and into the net for his first of the season. 4-0 Aylesbury
With the visitors at sea, United’s captain Jack then went for number five as his dipping volley was well turned away by the busy West.
Against the odds, Thatcham then had their best chance of the half when a corner kick came all the way across the box to McCready who only succeeded in smashing the ball out of the ground, and the visitors were more than happy to hear the half time whistle follow.
Half-time: Aylesbury 4-0 Thatcham
The Blues manager, Scott Tarr, was absent from the game through illness and whilst he won’t have been too upset at missing his side’s woeful first half, Thatcham did at least show some fight as the match resumed from the interval.
How much of that was down to Aylesbury being happy to protect their insurmountable lead rather than the visitors upping their game was up for debate, but half time substitute Sam Hamilton was immediately involved, drawing a near post save from Sillitoe that lead to successive corners which Aylesbury were able to defend.
A third unproductive corner then followed, before McCready flashed in a teasing cross with no-one able to get a touch, and United continued living dangerously and had Bill Morgan to thank for getting a good block on Lockyer’s shot after a rare Wood mistake saw him miscue a routine looking clearance.
Thatcham continued to waste chances as a sloppy Aylesbury allowed a quickly taken free kick to be rolled inside for Zak Kaiser who shot well wide, and then from another set piece on the hour the ball was played to Hill this time who crashed the ball over.
Having survived a long spell under pressure, the Ducks began to regain the upper hand as the second half wore on with Acheampong springing free but trying to square the ball when selfishness was required. He had another good chance soon afterwards when found by Smyth’s pass but powered his shot over the bar.
Sillitoe was called upon in the 74th minute when McCready found substitute Yashwa Romeo with a square ball, and he should have done better from 10-yards but allowed the Ducks stopper to dive on his shot and hold the ball well.
Tony Joyce sent on substitutes in the form of Daniel Jones, Dom Petrucci and Paul Edgeworth for the closing stages, and all three were heavily involved in United’s late attacking play. Petrucci in particular as Reynolds played a neat one-two with him before his shot came back off the keeper, Petrucci slotting the follow up just wide.
After centre backs Bill Morgan, with a header, and then Steve Hatch with a left footed shot after a foray upfield had gone close, Aylesbury at last added a fifth goal to their tally.
It was another well worked goal as Zack Reynolds drove a hard diagonal ball into the box where Richard Armstrong flicked it into the net from some 15-yards, Reynolds’s delight at his assist unmistakable although his dance moves were more than questionable! 5-0 Aylesbury
There was still time for United to go close to a sixth, the impressive Reynolds slipping a through ball to Petrucci who span and shot in one fluid movement but West was able to catch. Then, Jones switched the ball for Reynolds who cut inside and had a rising drive also held by the keeper.
A job well done for Aylesbury who will be looking to build on their emphatic win when Ryman League side Faversham Town visit in Cup game number three of a run of three (and home game four of four in a row) as attention turns to the FA Trophy.
