Aylesbury punish 10-man Jets

Jets 1 Aylesbury 4

Spartan South Midlands Premier
5th December 2009

Jets on paper will look as if they crashed to a heavy defeat to champion's elect Aylesbury on a wet December afternoon, but realistically a harsh penalty and a minute of football realism controlled the game.

Aylesbury were on top with possession in the early stages, as Jets again tried the lone striker system with Luke Beardsworth back from a three week lay off, but the break through was extremely harsh on Jets. First, a massive "hand ball" appeal by Jets players was ignored by the match official as the Aylesbury forward controlled and lashed a hammer shot towards the Jets goal and, unfortunately, Jets’ Dean Seabrook, who was only two yards away, was smashed by the ball, and the double jeopardy slapped Jets in the face as this was not only adjudged to be a penalty for handball, but Seabrook was shown straight red in football lunacy. The problem is the orders these days rather than the match officials, as their discretion is removed with assessors always looking on, the pressure to follow a "Hands" decision, is almost always followed by immense pressure to show red. Nathan Graham scored from the spot to give Aylesbury the lead.

This is the second time in a month Jets have suffered this and are wondering where a break from these types of decisions is coming from. Jets were up against it against a super Aylesbury side at full strength, but with ten men the task was almost impossible.

Jets kept the score the same until the break, and the second half tactical switches put Jets on the attack as the decision to go for it was taken. Jets pushed forward for twenty five minutes, and had two loud penalty appeals turned down from fouls on Gladdy and Beardsworth.

Gladdy then opened the defence with a cross box ball that Ian Bywater was a thickness of paint from converting and the odds on Jets getting level  were well and truly on. Then a minute of football luck settled the whole thing. A full goalmouth scramble left Jets wondering what they had to do to get the goal they richly deserved, but Aylesbury are the best team in this division, and they showed why when a sweet five man counter break from the scramble ended with Gareth Price scoring Aylesbury’s second and effectively killed off Jets.

Six minutes later it was 4-0 as the heart and steam drained from the ten men, pro boxer Nathan Graham scoring his second and Ross Lafayette adding the fourth.

To Jets credit pride was never lost and IAN BYWATER netted with two minutes to play, but very few of the watching crowd were left to watch it as they ran for shelter from the incessant rain.

Jets’ Man of the Match was STEVE DUCE in the Jets goal. Although beaten four times, he held 10-man Jets in the game for a long period.