Aylesbury kept up their record of progressing in each cup competition this season with a well earned 4-2 win at Calor League Premier Division leaders Hemel Hempstead Town.
Stacey Field scored his first hattrick of the season, but he had to be patient for it with his third coming in stoppage time having earlier scored with two very different but equally as stunning efforts.
Hemel plainly have priorities other than the Red Insure Cup this season and manager Dean Brennan named an entirely changed starting eleven from their FA Cup win at the weekend, but the side still contained plenty of experienced heads at Premier Division level and above, and nothing should detract from an excellent Aylesbury performance.
United made changes of their own, with veterans Greg Williams and Paul Edgeworth, plus Daniel Jones and Lee Grace all restored to the team with Zack Reynolds unavailable, and Ben Baines, Jason Blackett and Liam Smyth rested.
The latter ended the match in goal after custodian Jack Sillitoe suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder making a save, in the only downside of the night for Aylesbury.
The opening exchanges were fairly even, with Hemel forcing early corner kicks that came to nothing despite Danny May’s dangerous deliveries, whilst for Aylesbury Jones sent a free kick over the bar after Grace was fouled by keeper Alex Tokarczyk just outside the box.
Field opened the scoring with a quite outrageous strike after 22 minutes. Shane Wood made a good run through the middle before laying the ball off to his striker who curled it first time with his left foot and bent it from fully 25-yards into the net. 1-0 Aylesbury
Three minutes later and Richard Armtrong sent a volley whistling past the upright, and United had another good chance when a long punt upfield from Sillitoe was flicked on by Field presenting Edgeworth with an opening that he spurned by missing the target with the whole goal to aim at.
The Tudors twice went close themselves with former Aylesbury FC man Charlie Mpi had the ball teed up for him after Keith Williams misjudged the flight of the ball, but Mpi blazed over, and then from another May corner kick Oliver Hawkins’s header cleared the crossbar.
A minute later and another moment of Field magic doubled United’s lead, as the in-form forward waltzed through the penalty area before squeezing the ball past Tokarczyk and in off the far post from an impossible looking angle. 2-0 Aylesbury
Town were reeling, but they had the ball in the net themselves 90 seconds later only for Mpi’s header to be ruled out for pushing in the box, and almost immediately Brennan elected to send on the ‘big guns’ from his bench of Lewis Toomey and David Pearce, who have 17-goals between them so far this season.
Aylesbury were initially undaunted and could have had a third when Edgeworth headed down for Field who shot wide, but the hosts ended the half well on top as Tom Opoku’s run and shot went wide, before the tricky Pearce ran down the left and crossed for Hawkins whose shot was saved by Sillitoe.
Half-time: Hemel Hempstead 0-2 Aylesbury
Town made their final substitution at the break, throwing on giant defender Moussa Diarra, and Hemel started the second half just as they would have wanted, forcing Aylesbury back with a bombardment of pressure.
In the first minute Hawkins should have scored, but hit the bar with his free header and then a curling effort was well claimed by the diving Sillitoe. Another cross in from the left was nodded wide by Pearce, and May blasted a direct free kick over the bar.
Further set pieces came and went and Aylesbury were holding their own, but were inviting pressure as a number of silly challenges conceded free kicks in dangerous areas with Shane Wood and Jones finding their way into the referee’s notebook.
Just past the hour mark a long free kick was headed down by Edgeworth to Armstrong who arched a well struck volley just over the bar, and the game was end to end as Sillitoe was off his line quickly to deny Mpi, whilst Edgeworth’s free kick at the opposite goal was beaten away by Tokarczyk.
A smart turn and shot by Pearce went wide, but an already entertaining match became more dramatic in the 77th minute when Jack Sillitoe made a flying save to deny Mpi’s shot, but in the process sustained his injury. Jason Blackett replaced him, with Liam Smyth donning the keeper’s gloves.
Once the dust had settled, the eventual corner was played in and with the rather diminutive Smyth unable to make his presence felt in the six-yard box, Diarra arrived to thump home a header and reduce the arrears. 1-2
Toomey had a good chance to level the game as he cut back onto his left foot but slashed his effort high and wide, and within two minutes United had re-established their two-goal cushion.
Jack Wood found the ball at his feet following a free kick but his shot was turned behind for a corner. After the original set piece had broken down, the ball broke to Armstrong who looked up and directed a long range lob over Tokarczyk and into the net. 3-1 Aylesbury
The late flurry of goals, which ultimately saw four scored in the last five minutes, continued with Hemel pulling one back in the 89th minute. A flighted ball into the box was nodded back across goal where Toomey was lurking to nod past Smyth from close range. 2-3
Yet again, Aylesbury might have crumbled in the face of the severe pressure they faced, but instead they responded by scoring another of their own. Hemel were punished for failing to clear their lines as Edgeworth squared for Field to tap in one of the easiest of his 82 Aylesbury goals. 4-2 Aylesbury
The game was now finally beyond the Premier Division side, although there was still time for May to fancy his chances from distance again, with a free kick rolled back to him but the result was the same once more as the ball sailed over the bar.
After a full six minutes of stoppage time the referee brought a halt to proceedings and a tremendous win for Aylesbury. The Ducks became the first side to win at Vauxhall Road since Frome Town in April, and brought an end to Hemel’s 14-match unbeaten run in the process.
