Aylesbury’s Red Insure Cup campaign was brought to a swift end by Chesham United, with the Ducks suffering a 5-0 loss and their heaviest defeat by the Bucks rivals in some fifty years.
Performances during this nose-dive in form, which is now extended to four straight defeats, have been up and down and once again Aylesbury showed some promising signs in the first half, had yet another penalty saved, but were punished in the extreme for the slightest of individual error, trailing 2-0 at the interval.
However, had it not been for Jack Sillitoe or some awful finishing, the hosts could easily have won by a bigger margin as they controlled the second half, with Aylesbury effectively waving a white flag by taking off Stacey Field, Jack Wood and Jake Bewley.
The Ducks made a bright start, with Bewley – playing at left wing back in a 3-5-2 system – getting plenty of space in the opening minutes and delivering a couple of crosses which came to nothing.
But despite this, it was Chesham who opened the scoring after just ten minutes. Shane Wood’s attempted header failed to clear the ball, and it was quickly worked square to Inih Effiong who drilled a crisp shot into the net from the edge of the area. 1-0 Chesham
Just before that Ryan Towner had placed an effort wide of the target following a half cleared corner kick, whilst a long range shot from Toby Little flew harmlessly wide, but it was Aylesbury who should have scored when a good passing move ended with Jesse Waites squeezing the ball across the box for the arriving Steve Hatch who could only bundle it over the bar from six yards.
Chesham then missed a good chance of their own as a short corner kick routine was chipped to the back post by David Pearce but headed wide by Ryan Blake.
Blake only had to wait a further minute before he did find the net, Bewley this time the unfortunate man to be punished when intercepted clearance was moved to Mark Bell who squared it for Blake to score easily. 2-0 Chesham
Refusing to be despondent, Aylesbury fought back and were almost immediately gifted a lifeline when the referee pointed to the spot for handball. Sadly, the continuing spectre of poor penalties continued, even with a change of taker, as Liam Smyth stepped up but saw his effort turned wide by James Beasant.
Beasant, playing his first match since the serious injury sustained against Aylesbury nearly a year earlier had ended his season, had a flawless game, and he did well to beat away Greg Williams’s 26th minute shot with Hatch just unable to turn in the rebound.
As the half wore on, the Ducks lost their way and were fortunate not to concede a third before the break with a flowing Chesham move seeing a shot deflected over the bar, and from the corner kick – taken short again – Andy Ballard was picked out but could only head wide.
A misplaced clearance by Ryan Freshwater straight to David Pearce saw the on-loan Hemel Hempstead forward pull his low effort wide of the target, before Ballard wasted another good opportunity in stoppage time when he headed Pearce’s corner wide again.
Half-time: Chesham 2-0 Aylesbury
The Generals began the second half like they ended the first, with the dangerous Blake taking a pass down the side of the defence before absolutely leathering a shot into the side netting just the wrong side of the upright, whilst another powerful effort was also just outside the post moments later.
In response, the best Aylesbury could muster was a promising move that saw Field feed Bewley on the overlap, but his cross-shot was too high and hard to be of use.
It was the hosts who deservedly added to the scoring just short of the hour mark. Blake’s low shot pinged around the penalty area before falling to full back Little who swept it home. 3-0 Chesham
A procession of substitutions for both sides disrupted the flow of the game, amongst which Paul Edgeworth made his return from injury for Aylesbury, but Chesham were far from finished as they pressed for more goals.
A low drive from Little was heading goalwards before being diverted over the bar by the outstretched boot of a defender, and after it was taken short (yet again), Malone placed a shot wide. Little was making attacking forays at will, and saw a right footed effort well taken by Sillitoe after Freshwater had done well in heading clear a dangerous cross.
Chesham eventually extended their lead with two further goals in three minutes. The first came from a cheaply conceded free kick in substitute Lewis Osborne’s first involvement, the ball being fired into the box where Ryan Laville was on hand to turn it home. 4-0 Chesham
The fourth was far too easy. Aylesbury simply had not learned lessons over the course of the evening, and with a right wing corner kick taken short for what was at least the fifth time, the ball was crossed in under no pressure allowing another substitute, Simon Thomas, barely the need to jump and nod it home. 5-0 Chesham
The biggest Red Insure Cup scoreline somehow wasn’t extended in the closing ten minutes, with Thomas the biggest culprit, missing two absolute sitters as he failed to add to his six goals so far this season.
An incredible passage of play in the 82nd minute saw a triple chance come and go: the first shot well saved by Sillitoe, Thomas then hitting the post with the rebound before Sillitoe made an even better stop to deny Laville with the third.
A minute later and a teasing cross from the left found Thomas completely unmarked two-yards out, but he somehow managed to head over, and he then dived in to meet a deflected cross from close range, but the result was the same, this time the ball flying wide this time.
Sillitoe denied Towner’s curling effort with a fine tip over, before his opposite number was called into some rare action when Joey Acheampong made progress to the byeline and saw his attempted ball into the ball grabbed by Beasant.
Ballard’s header from another corner was held, before a good Chesham move in the last minute saw Laville and Connor Wood combine down the left, with the former shooting over from Wood’s return pass when he should have done better.
The referee’s act of mercy in blowing full time with barely a second of stoppage time played finally put Aylesbury out of their misery on another sobering night for manager Tony Joyce, who not so long ago was celebrating a run of four straight wins.
Now it is four straight defeats, and the boss faces a big task in lifting his players ahead of another tough weekend encounter, with Ryman League side Thamesmead Town the Sunday visitors to Bell Close in the FA Trophy.
