A DISAPPONTING WEEKEND

Aylesbury 1 Yeltz 0

04 December 2004

The indomitable Yeltz lost their place on top of the league when they went down 1-0 to Aylesbury on Saturday. It was a pretty average game all in all, with our usual good passing game missing for some reason. However it really should have been 0-0 despite a pretty decent late goal for them.

The mood wasn't helped when we found out Yeading had been drawn at home to Newcastle in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. I think we'd all like to wish them the very best, but you really can't help but think it should have been us hosting The Toon down The Grove. I suppose there is always next year ...

On Saturday we finally get a home game when Hitchin are the vistitors. They are solidly in mid-table and lost at home to Histon and Merthyr in their last two games, so it's important we get back to winning ways to stay in touch with the teams who look at present to be our main rivals.

Match Report from DJ

Aylesbury United: Rashid; Williams, Mead, Gould (Powles 70), Hayward, Folds, Cracknell, Barnett, C. Baker (Lazarus 54), Gutzmore (Gray 79), Edgeworth. Unused Subs: Sintim, Alabaster.

Halesowen Town: Taylor; Cooper (Grocutt 89), Haywood, Preston, Pope, Jones, Cowley, Moore, Burgess (Lamey 70), Amos (L. Baker 74), Forsdick. Unused Sub: Skidmore.

Referee: C. Miller (Northampton) Attendance: 382

Halesowen threw away a point by conceding a late goal in a game of few chances.

The Ducks started smartly on an excellent playing surface with Dave Haywood forced to turn away a testing left-wing cross from the left in the 2nd minute. Goalkeeper Chris Taylor punched the resulting corner clear but Leon Barnett drove the ball back in and Simon Forsdick cleared Colin Baker's shot off the line when a goal seemed certain.

Richard Burgess blasted over the home crossbar in the 8th minute but on 19 minutes Aylesbury's Paul Edgeworth dispossessed Nick Amos before skewing the ball wide. On 23 minutes Alex Cowley struck wide from 20 yards from the right and five minutes later Amos headed on Steve Pope's free-kick for Jason Moore to hook a shot at goalkeeper Jack Rashid. Dan Jones was beaten in the box in the 30th minute but Jay Gould's close range shot was turned away for a corner. Barnett then flashed a 25-yard shot past the post and Edgeworth took advantage of an error by Jones to screw wide on 36 minutes.

Halesowen finished the first-half strongly with a clever Forsdick pass setting up Burgess in the 38th minute before Amos set up Burgess to slice a half-volley well wide in the area three minutes later. Two minutes before the interval Forsdick broke away again and Haywood crossed for Cowley to send a diving header just wide.

The stalemate continued early in the second half although Leon Gutzmore volleyed over the bar for the hosts in the 49th minute. Halesowen then enjoyed another good spell with Burgess making a fine turn in the area to force Rashid to parry away for a 61st minute corner. Rashid recovered to collect from Amos in the 62nd minute and then claimed the ball from Burgess three minutes later.

Halesowen failed to shore up their defence and settle for a deserved point as Aylesbury looked for a late winner. Substitute Neil Lazarus blazed a 79th minute volley over the bar at the far post after Dean Cracknell's left wing cross exposed the visiting defence. EDGEWORTH finally broke the deadlock to win the game in the 86th minute by breaking into the area from the left to smash home superbly into the far corner.

With little time left to reply, Pope hit a 20 yard shot over the Aylesbury bar in the final minute but in injury time Halesowen goalkeeper Taylor saved when substitute Danny Gray cut in to shoot from the left.