By Jools Thomas

With 20 minutes remaining, Gareth Price scored one of the best goals of his career to put Aylesbury in the lead for the second time of the evening and on course for three slightly fortuitous points. A last five minute collapse however saw the team leave Chalfont pointless and disappointed.

CSP were out of the blocks very quickly and could have been three or even four goals up within their first half dozen attacks. Anthony Mendy forced keeper James Weatherill low down to his left to turn away a goal bound strike after three minutes. Mendy was a handful all evening and six minutes later he won a race with Weatherill for a loose ball and once he had chipped the ball over the advancing keeper, a goal seemed certainty. Only a lunge on the goal line by FC winger Gareth Price prevented a goal. With the chances being created by the home team, there was little surprise when they finally took the lead. Aaron Lansiquot hit a ball from the right and with a deflection taking the sting out, Adam Louth scored from close range.

A cracking turn and shot by Mendy from 25 yards saw the ball crash against the upright before his team mate Alex Paine nodded a header just over the bar from a free kick.

Jamie Rudd had FC’s first attack of note on 25 minutes. After collecting the ball, he fired in a low shot which whistled the wrong side of the post. Gareth Price had the next effort which home keeper Brendan Hazlett easily gathered. Lynton Goss then played in Price whose shot was just wide of the target.

The second half started brightly for FC. Jeanmal Prosper played in a teasing ball which could have crept in the far corner on another day. At the other end Lewis Ochoa should have done better with a point blank header he placed wide. Despite this, FC grabbed the equaliser. Ben Bateman hit a powerful shot which Hazlett could only parry into the path of a grateful Lynton Goss who smashed the ball home from a few yards. On 53 minutes FC took the lead. A corner from the right was headed home by a towering Brian Haule.

The game had really opened by this stage and like two boxers slugging it out; the action went from end to end. FC’s James Dobson fired an effort that took a deflection but didn’t trouble the keeper fully. In response Ochoa cracked in a pot shot which Weatherill managed to gather.

On 59 minutes the dangerous Mendy claimed his side’s equaliser as he attacked down the right took the ball around the advancing Weatherill and slipped the ball into an unguarded net. Mendy tested Weatherill yet again a few moments later and in response Jamie Rudd tested Hazlett who could only parry the midfield man’s effort.

Kyle Anthony playing in an unfamiliar midfield role hit the bar with a header from a corner before Grant Fryer again tested the CSP keeper with a headed effort. This was the prelude to Price’s wonder goal. From the right hand side, the winger turned and from a standing start hit the ball goalwards with the effort flashing into the top corner giving the keeper no chance.

That should have been FC’s cue to close out the game but Chalfont had other ideas. Substitute Victor Osubu advanced into the box and captain Ben Stevens brought down the forward conceding a penalty. Osubu dusted himself down and blasted the ball past a sprawling Weatherill.

As with the Egham game, supporters would have accepted the point there and then as a fair reflection of the game however CSP continued to press and as the game entered injury time, panic ensued in the FC box and it somehow seemed inevitable when the home team grabbed all the points as Osubu scored from close range.