It’s hard to believe that it is now 10 years since this famous F.A. Cup win away at Aveley, not only beating Ryman League level opposition away, but achieving an important step on the way in making it to an F.A. Cup fixture at AFC Wimbledon at the end of the same month. Jets were still novices in the F.A. Cup this being only our second season in the competition.
Jets had started the season brightly having already beaten Concord Rangers 3-0 in the F.A. Cup ( in fact that was our first ever F.A Cup win and made us the only team in Three Rivers to have ever won an F.A. Cup tie) and we were still unbeaten in the league.
Our report describes Garry Beadle’s winner as a “£1,000 goal”. In fact in the end it was much more than that as we won again against Ruislip before that lucrative fixture in front of a large crowd at Wimbledon.
The Jets and Aveley match reports are reprinted in full below: –
The Wasp Stings Aveley
F.A. Cup Prelim Round
2nd September 2006
Jets faced a big challenge on Saturday when they travelled to Aveley of the Isthmian (Ryman) League Division 1 North for their F. A. Cup Preliminary Round game. Not only did Jets have to face a highly paid team from a higher league, but they also knew there was no opportunity to try and take the tie back to Oxhey as the Boundary stadium pitch is not ready for use and any replay would be back at Aveley.
The match was played in an almost gale force wind and Jets found themselves playing into the wind for the first half. For the opening 20 minutes Jets were played off their feet as Aveley started smartly, putting together a strong passing game and making good use of the wind.
Jets supporters were probably fearing the worst, but as the half went on the Jets gradually started to find their composure and were able to create a couple of chances of their own, for Wayne Gladdy and Jamie Arthur.
Still, however, Aveley looked lively and the Jets defence, with Chris Harding and Marc Ayres leading the line, needed to hold things tight, and Kevin Paul continued to do well in goal. Jets began to hold on in the view that if they could keep it to 0-0 at half time, and with the wind in their favour in the second half, an upset was definitely possible.
The game was scoreless at half time but all Jets work was nearly undone in the opening minutes of the second half when Aveley created a ‘must score’ opportunity only for the header to loop over the empty goal.
Aveley missed further chances and the belief in the Jets team started to grow. Aveley also started giving away more free kicks and, with 17 minutes to go, they were made to pay with a Garry Beadle set piece special, curling into the top corner from 25 yards out leaving the Aveley keeper with no chance.
At 1-0 ahead, Jets started to play some of their best football of the game, getting into their passing game and using the wind for throughballs for Wayne Gladdy and Jamie Arthur to latch onto. Jets had some real chances to make it 2-0 but on three occasions they tried an unselfish pass when a shot was called for, and three times the pass went wrong. It looked like Jamie Arthur, who was only playing after a late decision to play in the FA Cup instead of attending a family wedding, had sealed the game but his powerful shot was well tipped over the bar by the Aveley keeper.
Jets brought on Steve Stratford, a summer signing from Leighton Town, for the last 10 minutes in place of Colin Jenkins, his first appearance since being out with torn ligaments.
Aveley still had their chances, and Kevin Paul need to be sharp in goal to maintain Jet’s third consecutive clean sheet, but Aveley began to feel it just was not going to be their day.
The final whistle brought great celebrations from the Jets players and supporters. Jets had put together a dogged, battling performance to beat their Ryman league opponents and set up a home tie on the 16th against Ruislip Manor.
Garry Beadle’s ‘£1000 goal’ (that’s the prize money for progressing to the next round) certainly helps to pay for some of the topsoil being laid on the Boundary Stadium pitch at the moment!, and takes Jets further in the F.A. Cup than they have ever been.
Jets Sponsor’s, RW Transport Services, put up a Man of the Match prize which was won by Matt Tyas, a summer signing from Sun Postal, for his tireless work in midfield. Overall, though, this was an all round team performance, with great commitment, particularly in those difficult opening 20 minutes when the game could easily have been lost.
The Aveley FC report of the game is given below: –
Aveley 0 Oxhey Jets 1 By Colin Munford
Aveley produced a below par performance being knocked out of the FA Cup at the first time of asking by a very committed Oxhey Jets side. With the amount of chances that the Miller’s had today they would have found it hard to believe that one of them would not hit the back of the net. Gary Dixon was one of those, and although he cannot be completely blamed for the rest of the rest of the team’s inability to score, he looks a shadow of the player that banged in 11 goals in 10 games to gain the Miller’s survival.
All over the park the Miller’s looked poor and if it hadn’t been for Marc Palmer’s saves in the second half the visitors from Watford could have scored a few more. Aveley went close as soon as the first minute of the game when a ball in from Ricky Dobson was challenged by Jets Keeper Keith Paul and Miller’s Sam Adejokun with the keeper just managing to send the ball over the top for a corner. Dixon then had the first of his many chances when the ball fell to the ex Boreham Wood man but he dithered on the ball allowing Paul to gather with ease. Martin Tuohy then went close for the home side when his low 25 yard shot was well held onto by Paul.
Aveley continued to create chance after chance but still they could not put the ball in the back of the net when Danny O’Sullivan’s whipped in cross was met by Ebow Mensah’s head but to the despair of the midfielder it fell just wide of the near post. Dixon then initially did well turning the defender but his shot was well saved by Paul. A minute later Dixon was clean through on goal, although himself and Adejokun looking suspiciously off side and released a shot past Paul but also past the post to his own despair. If this game was played last year he would have certainly scored from this situation.
After the break, Aveley were again creating chances with Martin Tuohy’s diving header going wide from a Ryan Sammons cross. Aveley then had the best chance of the half and it again fell to Dixon after a lovely cross from Ryan Sammons he was left unmarked at the back post and all he had was to head into an almost open goal but he blazed the header well over and by then Aveley fans knew it was not going to be their day.
A minute later Dixon had a chance to make up for his poor effort but the same result occurred, with the only difference being he used his foot instead of head. 62 minutes had gone when Dixon was again through on goal only to see his shot deflected behind for a corner. Martin Tuohy then decided to take over from Dixon when he rifled a shot just wide of the post.
Oxhey Jets then had their first real chance of any real note when a ball was put in to an unmarked Garry Beadle but he scooped his shot well over the bar. Aveley were then made to pay for their missed opportunities when from a dead ball situation Garry Beadle curled the ball into the top right hand corner with nothing Marc Palmer could do about it.
Aveley then tried to pressurise the Jets defence, with the closest being Ryan Sammons cross turn shot just failing to curve inside the post. Oxhey Jets could have made the result beyond doubt when Lee Grace paced past the ragged looking Millers’ defence and played the ball back to Jamie Arthur whose powerful shot was excellently pushed over the top by Palmer.
Substitute Linor Krasniqi then had Aveley’s last chance of the game when unmarked his low shot was parried and cleared by the defiant Jets defence. Jubilation was then seen by the Oxhey Jets players and supporters with Millers left to rue their missed chances and now have to concentrate on the league.
