11/11/17
Aylesbury 2, Spartak 4
The Sky Blues scored a timely away win in rain soaked Aylesbury.
With key central defenders absent through injury, Spartak had to improvise, and the players responded well. As usual both sides had to cope with the idiosyncratic refereeing performance, and both sides expressed their frustration at times.
Spartak had most of the play in the first half, but the final pass too often went astray. Cian Stenson set up Mick Leslie for the best chance, but he pulled his effort wide; Mick also struck the frame of the goal from a narrow angle following a corner by Andrei Gabriel. The home side then took the lead against the run of the play when the ball dropped kindly for the attacker following a corner.
Worse was to follow when loose marking allowed the home striker to fire in early in the second period.
However the tenacity of Mick Leslie paid off when he reduced arrears , and almost immediately he laid on a cross for Cian Stenson to equalise after a flowing move also involving Niall Hade and Conor Callis.
Spartak were now rampant and Mick Leslie converted Dave Berry’s cross to put the Sky Blues ahead. A number of injuries then disrupted the Sky Blues, and Aylesbury laid siege to the Spartak goal.
A number of blocks, clearances and saves from Greg Byrne kept the home side at bay. It looked as if the home number 5 had equalised with a bullet header from corner kick, but somehow Greg Byrne made a near miraculous reaction to push the effort over.
As the home side pushed forward, they left space at the back and this was punished when Mark Naughton tapped in after Dave Berry’s run and cross.
Form Report
Greg Byrne 9 Andrei Gabriel 7 Cian Stenson 8 Chris Hogan 8 Darren Ritchie 7 Jason Kelly 8 Conor Callis 5 Mick Leslie 8 Conor Canavan 7 Niall Hade 7 Leo Behan 7
Subs: Dave Berry 7 Kevin Loftus 6 Matt Forbes 6 Mark Naughton 6
