Following the defeat at Leighton Town on Saturday, manager Dave Tuttle made a number of changes, some by choice to rotate the squad others enforced. Sonny French, Haziz Kone and Andrijus Lapacinskas were rested to the bench, Charley Tuttle missed out after coming off injured on Saturday, and Jack Hopwood was suspended after his sending off in that game. Into the starting line up came Luke Daley for his Ducks debut, Jake Bewley, after recovering from injury, Brandon Green, Ben Peters and Morrison Hashii, for the first time since the match at Hadley on 1st October.

The hosts are sitting proudly at the top of a competitive Combined Counties Division One, having lost just two of their 17 games, scoring 49 goals in those games, as they strive for a second successive promotion after winning promotion from the Thames Valley Premier League at the end of the last season.

The Ducks started well, Bewley making a great overlapping run down the left and crossing low towards the near post, where home skipper Toby Bridges was on hand to smuggle the ball behind for a corner. Luqman Kassim was found by a great pass out of defence by Kian Henry; he beat Tom Hennah in the air and progressed forward before beating Kai Boylan as he cut inside, but could only fire his shot over the cross bar from the edge of the penalty area.

In the 20th minute Hashii cut in from the left before passing to Peters, but like Kassim before him, his shot was too high.

The first chance for the hosts came just a minute later; Isaiah Chase-Kelly beat Bewley on the right and played the ball low to Jemel Johnson, but the striker miskicked from 6 yards when it looked simpler to score.

However, the breakthrough came shortly afterwards, when a corner from Hennah was met by Bridges unmarked at the far post to sidefoot into the net from close range. 1-0 Windsor

On the half hour a pass by Bakai Manneh found Sam Whitehead 25 yards from goal, but his shot was well fielded by Daley for his first save of note. Johnson beat Henry just inside the Ducks’ half and tried a speculative shot from 40 yards, but Daley was happy to watch the ball drift wide of the target.

The Ducks were back in the game in the 37th minute; a great run down the right saw Liam Batchelor-Morgan reach the by-line and fire a low cross into the 6-yard box, where Kamil Zielinski was on hand at the far post to tap home. 1-1

Zielinski started the next attack, winning the ball 25 yards from goal before laying off to Ben Stallard, whose shot from range was sliced wide. The last chance of the half saw Olivier Bach make good progress down the right before passing to Chase-Kelly, who in turn set up Shaquille Johnson, but his shot was saved comfortably at point blank range by Daley.

Half-time: Windsor & Eton 1-1 Aylesbury

Into the second half and the hosts held the momentum; Johnson cut in off the left wing before firing in a shot from 20 yards that was well saved low down at his near post by Daley. Two minutes later Manneh found Chase-Kelly wide on the right who beat Bewley, reached the by-line and crossed to the near post, where Henry made a great clearing header at the expense of a corner.

The Ducks took the lead in the 52nd minute, after Peters made a great challenge to win the ball in the centre circle he looked up and threaded a pass between the centre backs, perfectly time to meet the run of Kassim who placed the ball past keeper Conaill Ryan from the edge of the penalty area. 2-1 Aylesbury

The game descended into something of a lull for the next 15 minutes, with neither side creating much in the way of chances; the next opportunity fell to Hennah, who robbed Green on the edge of the penalty area, but his shot was too high to trouble Daley. Hennah again proved to be a danger, getting free on the right and crossing to substitute Sam Hutchings, but his shot from the edge of the penalty area was parried by Daley and cleared by Henry.

The Royalists had a great opportunity to draw level in the 72nd minute, when a corner from the right by Hennah was met by Bridges, but unlike his goal earlier in the evening, this time the ball cannoned off his shin and out for a goal kick.

Sonny French, on as a substitute for Hashii, had a great chance to make the scoreline more comfortable for the Ducks in the 73rd minute; fellow sub Kone won the ball on the right edge of the penalty area and laid it on a plate for French 12 yards from goal, but he got his effort all wrong and skied it high and wide of target.

The closing stages saw the Ducks show their defensive resilience, which has served them so well this season, repelling numerous attacks from the hosts. First a back pass by Stallard towards Henry was intercepted by substitute Pawel Kowalkowski; he shot from 15 yards was well saved by Daley. Two minutes later substitutes Ethan Kitching and Sean McDonnell combined well to create a chance for Kowalkowski, but his header from McDonnell’s cross was wide of Daley’s goal. The final chance fell to Kowalkowski, as Manneh found Kitching wide on the right, crossing to the striker, but his header lacked power to trouble Daley.

The Ducks saw out the remainder of the game comfortably against their impressive Step 6 opposition to record their first win in the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup since the 2019/20 season and certainly banishing the ignominy of the heavy defeats of the past two seasons. We await the draw for the 4th round to see where the journey takes us next. Before that though, two home games, at home to Beaconsfield Town on Sun 17th Nov, before Biggleswade FC visit 48 hours later.