Tuesday 1^st November 2022

Berks & Bucks Senior Cup First Round

Aylesbury Vale Dynamos 2 v Beaconsfield Town 6

Greenfleet Stadium - Attendance - 68

Ram of the Match - Sam Granville 

Beaconsfield Town progressed to the next round of the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup without much resistance from their hosts, Aylesbury Vale Dynamos.

Gary Meakin took the opportunity of the County Cup to mix and match the side, resting some of the usual starters and promoting some of the younger members of the squad to the bench. He also gave a full debut to new signing centre half Myles Anderson in a back three with captain for the evening Liam McDevitt and Charlie Smith.

Callum Webb and Dan Bradshaw sat wide with, fit again, Jacob Munting and the impressive Sam Granville teamed up in the centre of midfield. Eitel Goueth, Elliot Buchanan and Nathan Minhas made up a front three.

With so many personnel and system changes, away from home, a fixture like this can present a somewhat unwanted banana skin for the team from the higher grade, especially on a rain-soaked natural surface.

Any such worries were put to bed fairly rapidly.  

 

From the first minute in fact, when Nathan Minhas latched onto Callum Webbs perfectly delivered quick throw. Receiving the ball on the half turn, rolling, flowing and accelerating past his marker before firing the opener past Studley. There were few alarms for The Rams. 

Granville and Munting took a grip on the midfield with Granville always on the move to receive the ball and quick to anticipate and break up play and the whole team playing with confidence and composure.  

When Studley somehow managed to divert Dan Bradshaw’s low ninth minute cross inside his own near post to double The Rams advantage you felt this was going to be a very long night for the keeper and his team.

To their credit the hosts rallied briefly midway through the half. Former Ram Academy star Jack McKenzie made inroads on the left flank and the Dynamo’s frenetic and energetic approach knocked the visitors off their game and lured The Rams into a frantic, somewhat panicky, five minutes during which Wood pulled a goal back for the hosts. However, Beaconsfield regained their composure and restored the two goal cushion before the break. 

Elliott Buchanan, who had his best outing so far in a Rams jersey, played a weighted ball inside the full back inviting Callum Webb to advance and mark his 100th appearance for The Rams with a goal. The fullback did not fluff his lines and delivered a calm finish into the far corner beyond the lunge of Studley as defenders struggled and failed to cover. 

Half Time 3-1 

The second half continued in the same vein. Granville and Munting had the Dynamos under control and were not about to loosen their grip. Olly McCoy and Saturday’s debutant Kai Allsop were introduced for the final half-hour and McCoy made an immediate impact 

Finding space from a short corner he battered a rising drive home from 15 yards. He then latched on to a perfect low cross from Buchanan to fire home from just inside the box but was denied by the assistant who adjudged he was narrowly offside when the cross was played. The second time in a week the two have combined for a goal only to see it chalked off. 

Myles Anderson marked his debut with a goal firing home from close range after a driving run from Dan Bradshaw and Kai Allsop turned in Olly McCoys cross for his first senior goal either side of a Dynamos consolation.

Meakin also gave a senior debut to Ben Peters who acquitted himself well and did not look out of place in The Rams midfield.

Elliott Buchanan worked away tirelessly and did everything but score but the first goal will surely come and his overall contribution and developing understanding with McCoy, Nathan Minhas and Eitel Goueth bodes well for the rest of the season. 

Hard to imagine a potentially tricky evening working out any better for The Rams who entertain Gosport Borough on Saturday afternoon at Holloways Park.  

Beaconsfield Town

Ravan Constable, Dan Bradshaw, Callum Webb, Liam McDevitt ©, Myles Anderson, [Sub Olly Sprague 79] Charlie Smith [Sub Toby Little 63], Jacob Munting, Sam Granville [Sub Ben Peters 63], Nathan Minhas [Sub Kai Allsop 55], Elliott Buchanan, Eitel Goueth [Sub Olly McCoy 55]

Aylesbury Vale Dynamos

Studley, Deall [Sub Nugent 63], Garcia, Ianelli, Griffiths, Rusner [Sub Matthews 88], McKenzie, Kennard, Wood, Collier[Sub Baldwin 55] Nimoh (Sub Rivers 87]

Sub Not used -  Prosper