Report by Jools Thomas

Despite an almost instant FC goal in response to two quick fire away goals, it seemed that Hanwell would steal all three points as the clock ticked down towards the 90 minute mark. A series of chances for FC however finally resulted in substitute Lamar Simpson turning in the box before shooting home much to the relief of the Haywood Way faithful.

The game started at an almost pedestrian pace as the teams became acclimatised to the sweltering conditions. The first real chance of the game fell to the away team. As FC keeper James Weatherill punched the ball clear, Ben Gill seized upon the ball and made an attempted lob, only to see his chance go 5 yards wide. Six minutes later and FC’s James Dobson hit a swinging cross shot from over 40 yards which cleared the keeper before cannoning off the bar. Gareth Price then saw a powerful effort blocked at the mid-way point of the half before Ryan O’Toole hit a decent shot over the Hanwell bar as chances developed sporadically. The only other action of a laboured first half was a quality Dobson corner which needed a firm defensive clearance from the in rushing Ben Stevens.

The second half had to deliver more entertainment and so it proved. Lynton Goss forced Hanwell keeper Cain Davies to save with his feet on 48 minutes but this was just the prelude to a period of absolute madness from the normally solid FC defence. A mix up on the half way line saw the ball break to Tyler Christian-Law and he cracked a low shot into the bottom corner of the net giving Weatherill no chance. If that lapse in concentration was a worry, the next move was a disaster. A superb shot from close range was wonderfully saved by James Weatherill however the rebound was collected by ex-Mole Denilson Vincente who lashed the ball goalwards increasing his side’s lead.

The shell shocked Moles regrouped and replied within a few minutes. Jeanmal Prosper’s growing influence in the FC midfield played in Ryan O’Toole and the nippy striker slotted the ball underneath Davies’ body to reduce the deficit to just the one goal.

Lynton Goss saw a golden chance for an equaliser thwarted in 59 minutes with the keeper racing from his line and a couple of minutes later Ryan O’Toole’s snapshot from a corner just cleared the unsighted keeper’s left hand post. Aylesbury were by now piling forward and substitute Lamar Simpson placed a perfect cross from the left with the on rushing Gareth Price unlucky to volley the ball over the Hanwell bar.

Still the chances arrived and went. Lamar Simpson cracked the ball against the post from a Gareth Price cross. Gareth was then guilty of hesitancy taking one touch too many and blasting an opportunity high over the bar when a first time strike was the order of the day. A few moments later, Brian Haule used his height advantage from a corner and was unfortunate to see his header zip wide.

Hanwell resorted to desperate defending, hacking the ball clear at every opportunity, and flooding the defence therefore preventing any of FC’s cultured passing game. It was not to be the final action of the game however. In the final minute Ryan O’Toole played in Lamar Simpson from the left. Lamar checked and turned and despite being under pressure from the keeper and two defenders, he coolly slipped the ball under all of them for the equaliser before being mobbed by his ecstatic team mates.