The Football Blog celebrates Non-League Day

On Saturday, The Football Blog ventured out to celebrate Non-League Day. In doing so, we enjoyed a thrilling FA Cup tie between Chalfont St. Peter and Aylesbury.

We were fortunate enough to bask in warm sunshine on a late summer’s afternoon as the hosts ran out 4-2 winners. This is our account of our trip to Mill Meadow, home to Chalfont St. Peter AFC.

Both sides play in the Evo-Stik Southern League Division One Central. That’s one division below the Southern Premier, which is one league below the Conference South, then comes the Conference Premier and you get the idea!

Our intrepid editor had visited the ground on one occasion before, in 2002, as Chalfont lost an FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round tie 3-0 to Hemel Hempstead. Saturday’s encounter was a Preliminary Round affair, the precursor to the qualifying stage of the FA Cup competition.

Instantly noticeable was the construction of a small all-seater stand since that last visit, five rows deep, behind one goal. It is a smart addition to a ground in need of further updating and investment.

Having paid the £8 admission fee and a pound for a programme, it was off to the clubhouse to sup a pre-match beverage. Forking out £3.30 for a pint seemed a tad excessive (it is South Buckinghamshire though, and it’s not the most you can expect to pay in the local area) but it was well received and allowed for some pre-match notes to be made.

That’s the ground-hopper segment out of the way. The match itself, as previously hinted at, was a lively encounter. As the game kicked-off, Chalfont lined-up in their customary red shirts and green shorts while Aylesbury reverted to their yellow change strip. A decent crowd of 119 people gathered in expectation, with a sizeable and vocal contingent making the trip from Aylesbury to the south of the county.

The visitors looked to seize the initiative early on in the contest; however they were soon put to the sword by some incisive Chalfont counter-attacking.

Terrell Lewis, in his second spell at the Saints, would prove to be a constant thorn in the side of the Aylesbury defence. He scored his first of the match after 9 minutes, sweeping in from inside the penalty-area after the away side failed to clear the danger.

With Chalfont taking the early lead, Aylesbury responded with some neat inter-play around the home team’s area but they lacked any cutting edge in the final third.

The away team should also have paid more attention to the ineffectivenes of their high defensive line and its inability to thwart Chalfont’s pacey attack.

Lewis repeatedly got in behind the Aylesbury backline and fired another warning across goal after around quarter of an hour, before Chalfont doubled their advantage just minutes later.

Adamson Ajayi tormented Daniel Mead on the right-hand side of midfield and the defender’s failure to clear the danger led to another ball into the area, this time hooked in off the post by striker Daniel Hughes.

It got better for Chalfont. With less than half an hour played, they raced into a 3-0 lead. Adam Louth’s clever lay-off let in Lewis to poke home past Anthony Ender at his near-post.

It’s perhaps a cliché but when you’re close to the action and there’s little crowd noise to drown out events on the pitch, you really get a flavour of the beautiful madness and chaos that can ensue.

Aylesbury became increasingly frustrated as loose passes went astray and Chalfont continued to revel in their quick fire demolition of their opponents. Skipper Kieron Schmidt cut a frustrated figure as manager Mark Eaton desperately barked instructions from the touchline.

Danilson Vicente, Aylesbury’s Portuguese winger, was a box of tricks on the right-hand side; however he failed to deliver when it mattered. Veteran midfielder Greg Williams had to reign in the winger’s marauding tendencies as the Moles attempted to reorganise.

With Chalfont captain John Carroll sweeping up any danger the away side could muster, Eaton made a change after half-an-hour, in order to salvage something from the cup tie.

Young midfielder Jamie Rudd was brought off for Lamar Simpson having struggled to get into the game, besides contributing to Ajayi running riot by not providing adequate defensive cover.

Terrell Lewis continued to bamboozle Aylesbury centre-half Kevin Mealor but the visitors soon had their best chance of the game, one that was to be a precursor for a crazy end to the first-half. Matt Hayward headed wide from a dangerous corner, and it wouldn’t be long before the away side would gain a vital foothold in the game.

Former Slough Town striker Simon Martin held the ball up well and flicked on to Ricky Miller who managed to get round the defender and drill the ball under Chalfont goalkeeper Mark Oliver to make it 3-1 on 42 minutes.

Just two minutes later and the away side were celebrating again. Vincente cut in from the left and saw his shot hit the post. The ball rebounded to Williams who smashed in to re-ignite the tie.

Aylesbury probably wished the half wouldn’t end as with their tails up, they were punishing Chalfont’s complacency.

A cup of tea was in order after all of that excitement and time for some reflection on the first period’s events as we watched a poodle get taken for his afternoon constitutional around the ground during the interval.

The second-half did not quite match the intensity of its predecessor, although a lightning start from Chalfont almost saw them extend their lead. Lewis poked towards goal; however his effort was cleared off the line.

Aylesbury then began to turn the screw and make their height advantage and physical dominance count. A succession of efforts early in the second-half, including Miller’s shot at the near-post, saved by Oliver, and Schmidt’s side-footed curler across goal on the hour mark, hinted at a possible equaliser.

Ajayi could have scored the killer goal shortly after. He nutmegged Hayward and found himself one-on-one with Ender but sliced his shot wide. It was to be his last action of the game as he was withdrawn for powerful forward Charlie Strutton.

The burly striker was immediately in the thick of the action as a Lewis cross was headed into his path by Louth. Strutton’s nod towards goal was held by Ender as he took a heavy knock in the process, before making a full recovery.

The substitute was not to be denied a goal, however, as Chalfont sealed victory on 74 minutes. A ball over the top once again troubled the Aylesbury defence. Aylesbury’s goalkeeper rushed out to deal with the danger; however his mis-kick saw the ball loop behind him, leaving Strutton with the easy task of tapping into an empty net.

As the game petered out, Lewis missed the chance to complete his hat-trick following Louth’s centre and Simpson hit the post with a right-foot curling effort. The away side had lost their momentum from early on in the half, leaving their exasperated manager inconsolable on the touchline.

A keenly contested game between two sides who tried to play the game in the right manner turned out to be a Non-League Day marketer’s dream. The Football Blog will be continuing our ‘Life on the Ladder’ series throughout this season so stay tuned for more non-league action.