After following up their 3-0 opening day away win over Biggleswade on 10th August with a 1-0 home win over Leverstock Green 3 days later, Aylesbury United maintained their 100% winning league start to the season with a 2-0 away win over Northwood in their Pitching In Southern League Division 1 Central clash at the Skyline Roofing Stadium, Northwood on Saturday.

The Ducks had gone into the game in 4th place out of 21 in the table as the 3rd placed of 5 teams all level on 6 points but only behind 3rd placed Beaconsfield Town on goals scored, with early leaders Flackwell Heath 3 points ahead at the top.

Meanwhile, Northwood went into the game on the back of a 1-2 away league defeat by AFC Dunstable in their most recent game on 13th August, which was their 3rd straight defeat in all competitions from the start of the season.

Northwood went into the game in 19th place as the 3rd placed of 5 teams all without a single point but only behind 18th placed Leverstock Green on alphabetical order.

With several hours of heavy rain having left some standing water on some parts of the pitch including one of the goalmouths and the centre circle, there had been a doubt as to whether the game might not be played but after work by the Northwood ground staff, the pitch passed an inspection by referee Steve Hawkes on his arrival at 1.30pm and the match got the go-ahead.

Northwood almost got the match off to a dramatic start when, straight from the kick off, a ball forward on the left of middle eventually found Jordan Brown to leave him in on goal although Ducks keeper Jack Hopwood went down under challenge from Brown with just 10 seconds on the watch, he was OK and able to continue.

Then in the 3rd minute, the hosts went close to an early goal when Ibrahim Lukulay's cross from the left was headed out by Jake Bewley to Harry McKenna on the right. He took a touch to control and eventually cut in before having his right foot shot blocked by his outstretched right leg by Hopwood, with the ball running out to former Duck Jack Empson who fired his left foot shot well over the bar to Hopwood's right.

Another chance came Northwood's way in the 10th minute when Archie James' free kick found Harry Gallagher, whose header was fumbled by Hopwood and although Empson was quickest to the rebound, he sent his header over the bar.

The Ducks' first chance came just before the end of the 15th minute when Ben Stallard's corner from the left towards the near post found Morrison Hashii 14 yards out to the left of middle and he took a touch to control before swivelling and turning in one sweet movement to send his right foot shot only just past Northwood keeper Dan Hosier's left hand post.

A chance came Aylesbury's way in the 26th minute when Kamil Zielinski's low diagonal ball from middle to left found Kwai Marsh-Brown near the left hand corner of the box and he took a touch to control before cutting inside and finding Hashii. He took a touch to control before firing his right foot shot from 20 yards high over the bar.

Another chance came United's way deep into the 37th minute when Hashii's long ball forward on the left found Bewley, who outpaced Gallagher and ran into the left of the box before crossing for Marsh-Brown, whose low left foot shot from the right hand edge of the box was held by Hosier.

Then at the other end 42 seconds later (now in the 38th minute), the hosts went close when David Agyemang's through ball on the left from just inside his own half found the on-running Lukulay, who evaded his marker and ran on before crossing towards Brown in the middle but Hopwood was able to shovel the ball upwards and away with no home player able to convert.

Then with exactly 39 completed minutes played, an opportunity came the visitors' way when a quick break down the left by Hashii left in on goal but Hosier made a good block to deny him a goal.

Then in the 41st minute, Aylesbury went close when Hashii's right foot free kick from 19 yards in a central position was blocked by the wall and a sustained spell of pressure followed with the ball eventually coming to Marsh-Brown inside the right of the box, who fired his fierce right foot shot from 14 yards wide of Hosier's right hand post.

With the 4th Official having indicated a minimum of 1 minute added time to be played at the end of the first half, Aylesbury went close to breaking the deadlock 30 seconds into added time when Hashii's tight cross was just too high for Jack Wood, whose header looped up and into Hosier's hands.

Half-time: Northwood 0-0 Aylesbury

The first chance of note in the second half came Northwood's way in the 51st minute when Bradley Clayton picked up the ball in the middle and send a low through ball to Brown, who ran into the box before having his right foot shot from 10 yards saved to his left by Hopwood for a corner.

Then in the 55th minute, Aylesbury's Charley Tuttle was shown a yellow card for dragging back a Northwood player.

Northwood went close in the 57th minute when a recycled corner eventually found Brown, whose cross from the right found Gallagher 12 yards out who sent his right foot scissor kick not far over the bar.

The hosts went close again just into the 59th minute when a sweeping move saw Clayton's through ball on the left find Lukulay who cut in before crossing from just outside the left hand edge of the box to the far post, where the in-running Empson saw his flying header while under challenge from Tuttle hit the bar and go over.

Then in the 60th minute, Aylesbury made their first change when Luqman Kassim came on to replace Ben Peters.

Another chance came Northwood's way just into the 63rd minute when Brown worked some space for himself on the right before having his fierce low right foot shot from 15 yards blocked with his knees past his left hand post by Hopwood for a corner.

Then in the 65th minute and totally against the run of play, Aylesbury took the lead when Liam Batchelor-Morgan's long diagonal throw-in from the right 25 yards out found Zielinski, who took a touch to control and turned James Taylor and beat another defender before firing his low left foot shot from 9 yards into the middle of the net. 1-0 Aylesbury

It was 2-0 in the 72nd minute when Tuttle's long aerial diagonal ball from 10 yards inside the Northwood half on the left found Hashii by the right hand corner of the box and he took a touch to control and drove towards the byeline before crossing low into the 6 yard box for Zielinski to fire his low first time right foot shot from 6 yards into the middle of the net for his second goal of the afternoon. 2-0 Aylesbury

Northwood made their first change deep into the 73rd minute when Gabriel Ipanga-Mbambo came on to replace Lukulay.

After showing a yellow card to Gallagher in the 82nd minute, referee Hawkes showed a yellow card to one of those on the hosts' bench a minute later for something off the ball.

The hosts made their second change in the 85th minute when Prince Mbengui came on to replace Clayton.

Then in the 86th minute, Northwood went within an ace of pulling a goal back when McKenna cut infield into the right of the box before crossing low for Mbengui, whose right foot shot from 18 yards clipped the outside of Hopwood's right hand post.

Aylesbury made their second change 3 minutes 51 seconds into added time when Josh Guthrie came on to replace Zielinski.

The last chance for either side came United's way 6 minutes 15 seconds into added time when Will St Clair-Burton sent his right foot shot from the edge of the box.

Then after an eventual total of 6 minutes 55 seconds of added time, the final blast of referee Hawkes' whistle brought the game to a close and confirmed Aylesbury's win as they maintained their 100% league start to the season with their 3rd win in 3 league games so far.

That last happened in season 1998-99 with wins over Carshalton Athletic (2-0, home), Harrow Borough (4-1, away) and Enfield (3-2, away) in the first 8 days of the Bob Dowie season in the Ryman League Premier Division.

The Ducks will be hoping to make it 4 in a row when they entertain Flackwell Heath at The Meadow, Chesham on Tuesday 27th August (7.45pm).

The last time The Ducks won their first 4 league games of the season was back in 1987-88 when Trevor Gould's side went on to lift the Beazer Homes League Premier Division title at the end of the season.

As regards the statistic of not conceding a league goal in their first 3 league games of a season, a trawl through the club's archives on the website reveals that hasn't happened since at least season 1947-48, although results going back before that are incomplete.