In the absence of a league fixture yesterday Buckingham United got their first taste of derby action when they entertained a Buckingham Athletic XI side. After an enthralling contest, United prevailed to record a memorable 3-2 victory.

United took a seventeen-man squad to Tingewick, with the allowance of rolling subs enabling Chris Mullis to have every man play his part in the effort against a club that frequently showcases some of the finest footballers the Buckingham area has to offer. His 4-2-3-1 starting line-up featured Ant Fruncillo in goal, Chris Ayris at right-back, Matt Ogle and Jamie Taylor at centre-back and Tom Van Kleek at left-back. The holding midfielders were Jonny Ayris and Karl Dickens, the right winger was Tom Bush, the left winger was Pete Stiefel and the charismatic Pete Taylor commanded the middle behind forward Neil Hailstone. On the bench but by no means destined to stay there for long were Jack Stuchbury, Tom Dorman, Julian Hawes, Adam Bray, Andy Whitehead and John Hinson.

The game didn’t quite start according to plan for United, as in just the sixth minute a cross managed to elude the desperate grasp of Fruncillo and gift David Beckett a simple finish. Athletic were more or less on top for most of the opening period, but United rode their challenge well. In the eighteenth minute Stuchbury replaced Bush who was visibly feeling the effects of the gruelling battle. Two minutes later and with United on the break, Hailstone thought he’d equalised but for the offside flag to call him back. An equaliser was forthcoming though, as United’s passing play was magnificent, and ten minutes from time they broke once more, Stiefel sauntered up the left side and curled a deft finish around the keeper and in off his far post. For the remainder of the half the chances were all Buckingham’s, and with the half-time score at one apiece, any doubts that may have been present within the United camp before kick-off were long since dispelled.

Mullis instigated three changes at half-time, with Chris Ayris, Stiefel and Van Kleek moving to the bench. Whitehead donned the goalkeeper’s gloves for the second half allowing Fruncillo to make an unprecedented reincarnation in the outfield ranks, moving into defence. Bray and Hawes went on the right and left sides of play respectively.

Despite the changes, at first not a lot seemed different in the script for the second half as yet again United conceded early. After just ninety seconds they failed to close the ball and Beckett was able to squeeze a snapshot past Whitehead to grab his and Athletic’s second. A few minutes later Hinson replaced Dickens in what would later prove to be an inspired change. After seven minutes United were back on level terms as a ball was floated towards Pete Taylor, whose superb header turned it goalwards. In the seventeenth minute Dorman replaced Jamie Taylor and just three minutes later the lead that United had been pressing for finally materialised. Picking up the ball on the right side, Hinson skilfully dinked the ball over a defender and crossed it into the Athletic area and from the ensuing scramble Pete Taylor poked home to record a brace and put his team ahead.

The challenge now for United would be to hold on to the lead, a task which not only required all of their grit and determination but would also not be without at least one element of luck. Five minutes after taking the lead United could only watch as Beckett’s potential hat-trick goal whistled mere inches past their post. Tempers would be tested as the game became tenser, and Taylor picked up a booking for dissenting remarks. On twenty-eight minutes a goalmouth scramble saw Whitehead finally collect the ball virtually off his goal-line. United caught their luckiest break when a run at goal was impeded by means of a foul, and though the ball carried on and was eventually put into the net, the whistle had already gone and Athletic begrudgingly had to settle for the meaningless free-kick. With less than a quarter of an hour remaining Hailstone and Jonny Ayris made way for Stiefel and Van Kleek , who resumed their original positions. The by now recovered Bush even got another run-out when he swapped with Stuchbury once more seven minutes from time. Whitehead had to be alert to stop a couple of desperate efforts in the dying stages, tipping over a forty-yard screamer ten minutes from time and repeating the feat from another long range effort which proved to be the last gasp of the game as time was called there and United secured the win.

They can now go into their league game against struggling Open University with high confidence.