Aylesbury Saints - League Cup (20/03/2005)
2004 - 2005 Season, Hithercroft Youth



Finally the much-postponed League Cup Quarter Final game took place on an overcast and chilly morning at Walton Court. The ground was slightly soft surprisingly, given that there had been little rain for some time. There was a wind blowing along the length of the pitch that favoured Aylesbury in the first half and Hithercroft in the second. Hithercroft were without Rhydian Grange, who had other commitments, and Ralph Kheir, who was suffering from a damaged toe and so began with just Peter and Paul Morgan as available subs. Pat Vaughey was flag-waving for us and the whistle-blower was Mr R. Reid.

The game kicked off at 10.34am, and after 12 minutes of play Hithercroft had come close to opening the scoring. It happened when Dan Birch took a long throw-in that sent the ball into the 18-yard box and an Aylesbury defender managed to get his head to the ball mis-directed it back towards his own goal. Lee Turnbull, the Aylesbury keeper, had to leap high to turn the ball over his own crossbar to prevent the visitors from taking an early lead. A couple of minutes later Ashley Andrews hit a shot from the edge of the 18-yard box but the ball sailed over the Hithercroft crossbar. However, Aylesbury opened the scoring in the 30th minute when Mirjan Cenaj crossed the ball inside to Steve Hutson who struck the ball from about 17 yards into the top corner of the Hithercroft net. One minute later the Saints came close to increasing their lead when Ashley hit a shot from about 20 yards out but again the ball passed over the crossbar. In the 36th minute Aylesbury went 2-0 ahead, Neil Gibbons sending the ball into the 6-yard box from where Jamie Lewis back-healed the ball into their opponent’s net. Hithercroft came close to pulling a goal back a few minutes later when Dewayne Dublin’s header went just over the crossbar. At 11.15 Dewayne pushed the ball wide to Tyrone Francis, the Hithercroft captain, who rounded two defenders and then slotted the ball past the advancing keeper into the far corner of the net to bring his side back to 2-1. The score remained unchanged for the remainder of the half which ended at 11.19.

As Richard Vere was feeling unwell, David Blackman moved into the centre-back position and Paul Morgan came on at the start of the second half at 11.25. Hithercroft immediately went on the attack and Dan’s throw-in was headed on to Baz David. He sent the ball on to Tyrone whose attempt to control the ball ended with the ball coming off his knee and passing just outside of the right-hand post. Baz later send in a high ball from the corner and although Alan McKie rose up to meet the ball with his head he was moving backwards and was unable to direct the ball down, the ball again passing over the crossbar. Hithercroft were putting a lot of pressure on the Aylesbury defenders, having ‘upped’ their game for this half. At 12.07 Dan hit a powerful shot from the corner of the 18-yard box, only to be denied by Lee Turnbull’s leap to pluck the ball out of the air as it headed for the top left corner of his net. From a free-kick just inside the Hithercroft half Aylesbury sent a low ball across to Jamie Lewis but his shot was blocked by Simon Mines, the Hithercroft keeper. Hithercroft again came very close to getting the equaliser when Tyrone sent the ball through to Baz who brought the ball on and hit it past the keeper, only to see it pushed out of play be a defender as it headed for the goal. When the final whistle blew at 12.14 Aylesbury Saints had held on to secure their place in the Semi-Final against Aylesbury United to be played on 3rd April.

Hithercroft, in spite of having the better of the game, were once again let down by their finishing and their hesitancy to try more shots on goal.


Hithercroft scorers:-
Tyrone Francis (41 min)

Hithercroft players:-
Simon Mines, Jamaine Warner, Alan McKie, Mark Sadler, Tyrone Francis, ‘Baz’ David, Dewayne Dublin, Dan Birch, Ben Steele, David Blackman and Richard Vere.
The subs were Paul & Peter Morgan.

Aylesbury Saints Youth scorers:-
Steve Hutson (30 min) and Jamie Lewis (36 min)


Aylesbury Saints Youth players:-
Lee Turnbull, Adam Jakeman, John Green, David Fountain, Lee Humphrey, Ashley Andrews, Nick Gibbons, Dan Barber, Jamie Lewis, Steve Hutson, and Mirjan Cenaj.
The subs were Michael Steggles and Matt O’Donovan.


The following short report was sent to the Bucks Free Press:-

Aylesbury Saints Youth were pushed all the way by second division Hithercroft Youth when they finally met for their League Cup Quarter Final match. Aylesbury opened the scoring after half an hour when Mirjan Cenaj crossed the ball infield to Steve Hutson who struck the ball from just inside the 18-yard box into the top corner of the visitor's net. Six minutes later Aylesbury extended their lead when Nick Gibbons sent the ball into the 6-yard box from where Jamie Lewis back-healed the ball home. Hithercroft struck back five minutes later when Dewayne Dublin pushed the ball wide to captain Tyrone Francis who rounded two defenders and then slotted the ball past the advancing keeper into the far corner of the net. In the second half Hithercroft 'upped' their pace and spent most of the game pressuring in their opponents half. Dan Birch hit a powerful shot from the corner of the 18-yard box but Aylesbury's keeper, Lee Turnbull, dived to his right to prevent the ball ending up in the back of his net. Then Tyrone Francis passed the ball to Baz David who came in at an angle and hit the ball past the keeper, only to see his goal-bound shot cleared by a defender just short of the goal-line. Hithercroft were unable to pull back the one-goal deficit and the score remained at 2-1 when the final whistle went. Aylesbury Saints now go into the Semi-Final where they will meet Aylesbury United.


Based on the above brief report the Bucks Free Press printed the following in the ‘Midweek’ edition:-

Saints secure their place in League Cup semi-finals
Aylesbury Saints Youth secured a place in the semi-finals of the League Cup with a 2-1 win over Hithercroft. Saints went ahead after 30 minutes when Mirjan Cenaj crossed the ball infield to Steve Hutson who struck the ball from just inside the 18-yard box into the top corner of the net. Six minutes later Aylesbury extended their lead when Nick Gibbons sent the ball across the six-yard box for Jamie Lewis to back-heal home. Hithercroft got back into the game just before the break when Dewayne Dublin pushed the ball wide to captain Tyrone Francis who rounded two defenders and then sidefooted the ball past the advancing keeper. Aylesbury Saints now meet local rivals Aylesbury United in the semi-finals on April 3.