Aylesbury United and Leighton Town played out the fourth goalless draw in their last twelve meetings, as the two sides failed to find the quality in the final third to score a winner in a largely uninspiring match.
The 226 hardy souls who had turned out crowded into what covered areas they could huddle into at Bell Close, as the constant torrential rain made conditions difficult with players constantly losing their footing and decent football in short supply.
Leighton have reinvented themselves on the pitch over the summer, and nine of their starting eleven had made the move from Ampthill Town with manager Craig Bicknell – including former Aylesbury midfielder Warren Garcia.
They have already caused upsets in the league this season, beating title favourites Kettering Town and county neighbours Bedford Town, so United knew to expect a tough game.
Tony Joyce’s squad was weakened by the unavailability of Zack Reynolds, but Stacey Field was fit enough to return to the fold as his replacement, with Ben Baines and Steve Hatch dropping back into midfield and defence respectively to accommodate him.
A bright start by the Ducks saw a free-kick from Jake Bewley smashed into the defensive wall of his former club, whilst Hatch was off target having got on the end of a deep free kick, but it was the ‘visitors’ who had the best early opening when Paul Lyon thumped a header downfield to Danny Watson who got an attempted early lob all wrong.
Quickly countering in the 14th minute, Joey Acheampong and Field combined to release Baines who hurriedly struck an effort which was easily gathered in by Dan Child.
Blocked corners, crosses and half chances were the measure of the first half, with both defences looking resolute. Leighton’s new team were certainly proving to be well organised, very strong at the back but lacking a creative spark in the final third, and the same could well be said of Aylesbury’s display.
Child made a diving save to gather in a low shot from Hatch just before the half hour mark, whilst at the other end Jamie Nicholls – son of former Ducks manager Danny Nicholls – couldn’t get a decent enough contact on the ball from Mark Bunker’s excellent driven cross, in what was the final meaningful action of a poor first period.
Half-time: Aylesbury 0-0 Leighton
Acheampong had an early second half chance for United when Baines played him through, but took the effort too quickly and smashed it wide of the post.
Two minutes later and Danny Watson – scorer of 52 goals for Ampthill last season – raced onto a long ball but fired low and wide across goal, and in defending the chance Ducks skipper twisted in an awkward landing, but was able to run off the worrying looking injury to the relief of the home supporters.
The game continued to be a tight affair, with both teams only able to fashion long shots with Paul Lyon skying an ambitious effort way over, and Stacey Field going closer with a curling 25-yarder just past the stranded Child’s upright, minutes after the referee had waved away a penalty appeal for handball in the Reds’s box.
A minute later and Field was in the thick of the action again when, latching on to Acheampong’s flick, he ran through but the advancing Child did well to make himself big and save his shot.
It was Leighton’s turn to go close, and two efforts in the space of 30 seconds saw them very nearly open the scoring. Firstly, a fine raking pass picked out substitute Mike Lyon, but Jack Sillitoe stood tall and made the save having come off his line quickly.
A throw in from the right was then played all the way across to Watson whose curling shot came back off the underside of the bar before being hacked to safety.
The second half continued to produce enough openings that the game was not quite a ‘bore draw’, and Hatch was inches away from connecting with a deep free kick from Smyth, which was in turn inches away from curling straight into the net.
Aylesbury continued to push hard with Williams flicking over a Waites corner, and then a rare flowing move saw Field cut the ball back to Waites whose shot was heroically blocked in the area.
In the last ten minutes and Smyth’s free kick was headed wide by Morgan, whilst a fine through ball from substitute Lewis Osborne set Field away though his curler from range was straight at Child.
As both sides tired the closing stages were more open, and Town could have scored when Rajaram’s floated cross from the left was met with a guided header, but directed straight at Sillitoe.
In the very final minute a through ball wasn’t cut out by the Reds defence, allowing Baines to get through, but his legs just wouldn’t carry him away from the defence and the eventual shot took a nick to go behind for a corner.
Rather bizarrely, the referee blew for full time just as the Ducks took the set piece, with barely a second of stoppage time played, and with United hitting the post from their well worked corner kick.
Thus it ended without a goal, a scoreline rather predicable from a derby which rarely yields many goals. A solid point which will be enough to satisfy both clubs.
