Looking to build on a hard working performance against AFC Dunstable last time out, manager Glyn Creaser made 2 changes to the starting line up, with Lea Coulter replacing the unavailable Jack Wood at right back and Sonny French returning to the team in place of Ben Seaton, who took his place on the substitutes bench.

The Ducks started well, forcing a corner in the first 90 seconds, as Ollie Hogg found Harry Jones on the right, Jones doing well to force Dave Thomas to put the ball behind the goal line. From Jake Bewley’s corner kick keeper Paul McCarthy flapped at the ball and was relieved to see the ball cleared to safety.

With little in the way of goal mouth action following, it was somewhat of a surprise when the visitors took the lead in the 12th minute. A long ball forward was well controlled by Dylan Kearney, who controlled the ball well and found wide man Cole Brown on the left. He cut inside and fired a low shot across Jack Sillitoe to open the scoring. 1-0 Uxbridge

Three minutes later and Brown had the chance to double the lead. Bamboozling Lea Coulter near the bye line, he cut inside and fired a shot which was always rising and cleared the goal.

It took until the midpoint of the half for the Ducks to have a shot on goal; Sonny French sidestepped 3 defenders and found space for a shot, but McCarthy was down well to make a good save.

On the half hour, good work by Aaron Couch found Bewley breaking down the left. His first time cross was headed behind by Ashley Quashie, under pressure from Ollie Hogg. French threatened the goal again in the 35th minute, receiving a throw in from Coulter, he opened his body to gain a yard of space and fired in a shot from 25 yards which flashed just wide of the far post. Six minutes later, French turned provider, finding Hogg in space on the right edge of the penalty area; unfortunately he couldn’t get the ball out of his feet and the resulting shot was weak and wide of the target.

Half-time: Aylesbury 0-1 Uxbridge

The second half started with the visitors close to doubling their lead, with Brown the danger man again. He cut inside Coulter from the left wing and hit a good shot, but fortunately for the Ducks it was straight at Sillitoe, who made a comfortable save.

In the 50th minute, good work by Couch saw him beat 2 defenders and feed the ball to French, who hit a shot from 25 yards which just cleared the cross bar. Just 5 minutes later and the Ducks were back in the game. More good work between Hogg and French saw the ball passed in to Couch just inside the penalty area. A defender got a toe to the ball to take it away from him, but a trailing leg tripped the Aylesbury man as he attempted to run after the ball. Ollie Hogg stepped up to take the penalty, and placed it beyond McCarthy into the bottom corner of his net. 1-1

Buoyed by the equaliser, the Ducks started to play with more purpose. Couch found Bewley overlapping and his low cross was met by Jones, but the youngster couldn’t keep his first time shot down.

Straight from the restart, the visitors almost retook the lead. Good work from new signing Luke Maguire on the left saw him beat Ryan Kinnane and send a cross towards strike partner Dylan Kearney, who sent a header towards goal. However, Sillitoe made a fine reflex save to keep the ball out.

In the 65th minute, the strike partnership did succeed, Maguire again doing well in the middle of the park before finding Kearney whose low shot beat Sillitoe to retake the lead. 2-1 Uxbridge

Manager Creaser responded by bringing on Tyriq Hunte and Ben Seaton in quick succession in place of Ollie Stanbridge and Couch, changing the shape and searching for a second equaliser.

On 70 minutes French found Bewley whose cross reached Seaton, sadly he dallied on the ball and his shot was blocked by Quashie. However, just two minutes later another great cross by Bewley saw Greg Williams get ahead of his marker and power a diving header underneath McCarthy to level the scores. 2-2

With 15 minutes remaining, Kinnane found Hunte who passed to French, whose shot was parried away to safety by McCarthy. As the game entered the closing stages it was almost the visitors who scored again. A headed clearance only reached Maguire, who passed the ball to substitute Anthony Thomas whose powerful shot rebounded off the cross bar and away to safety.

That was to be the final goalmouth action of the match, with a draw probably a fair result given the balance of play over the 90 minutes. Concerns still exist about the attacking options available to the team; with 2 weeks before the next match reinforcements will be sought and hopefully found.