Aylesbury Vale Dynamos

Aylesbury Vale Dynamos FC is a non league football club from the county town of Buckinghamshire, who were originally formed as Stocklake FC in 1930, who were formed by the workers of the Negretti and Zambra company, playing in local league football. 

The club played on the Stocklake Industrial Estate and became members of the Chiltern League in 1988.

Another local club Belgrave FC began life in 1983 by Jim Sullivan of Belgrave Road for his two sons along with his neighbours. By 1990 the club consisted of five youth teams and six years later it added two senior sides, all playing in local competition.

Both clubs merged to form Haywood United FC for the 2000-01 season after Haywood Way, where their ground was located. The club joined the Spartan South Midlands League and continued to develop by installing floodlights and gradually improve their home. Promotion to the leagues Premier Division was achieved at the end of the 2003-04 season.

At the start of the 2005-06 season the club changed their name to Aylesbury Vale FC to enhance their identity within the town and further afield. At the end of the 2008-09 season the club changed to Aylesbury FC with the aim of promotion and ground improvements. A proposed merger with Aylesbury United fell through.

The team reached the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round where they lost out to Wealdstone in front of a record crowd of 682 at Haywood Way. Joy was to follow at the end of the season as the Spartan South Midlands League title was lifted with promotion to the Southern League as a reward.

After a good debut season in their new surroundings, 'The Moles' struggled the following campaign. Former Football League striker Craig Faulconbridge was appointed as player manager for the 2012-13 season.

Faulconbridge departed in October 2013 to be replaced by Steve Bateman, who led the team to the play-offs in 2014-15 where the Moles lost 2-1 to Bedworth United in the semi-finals. Bateman resigned after an eighth place finish the following season.

Aylesbury appointed join-managers Danny Gordon and Gareth Risbridger who remained in place until January 2017 when they were succeeded by Davis Haule, who's team avoided relegation at the end of the 2016-17 campaign.

Kevin Poole replaced Haule in March 2018 remaining in the post until May 2018 when Scott Reynolds took over the role. Reynolds lasted just a few months with Paul Bonham stepping up from a coaching position.

The club announced that they would be taking a relegation regardless of their final league position owing to not being able to comply with new regulations over the size of the changing rooms at Haywood Way in January 2019.

In the end the gesture mattered not, as the team finished in the relegation places at the end of the 2018-19 campaign to drop down to the Spartan South Midlands League. Aylesbury merged with Bedgrove Dynamos to become Aylesbury Vale Dynamos FC. During the 2019-20 campaign, the duo of Phil Granville and Ben Gill were appointed as managers.

They were replaced by a returning Bateman in September 2021, remaining in charge of the team until November 2022 when Jordan King and James Green were given the job. Paul Batchelor became Vale manager in June 2023 leading the side to another midtable finish in his first year at the helm.

Aylesbury Vale Dynamos FC will compete in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division in the 2024-25 season.

My visits

Sunday 14th October 2012

It was a beautiful autumnul day and I was off work. I was suffering with back ache, but determined not to waste such good weather. A scan at the fixtures showed that Aylesbury United were at their shared home at Leighton Town in the FA Vase. I decided that as well as wanting to see their derelict Buckingham Road stadium, I could also have a good bracing walk and visit Aylesbury as well.

After an elongated train ride when I later found out that I'd paid more and taken more time than I really needed to, I got out at Aylesbury station and set out on a walk of around two miles to Haywood Way. It took me on busy dual carraigeways, which reminded me older versions of Crawley or Stevenage. 

The amount of traffic shocked me. I was of an age to remember when the local shop would close at midday on a Sunday and it was a day of rest. Now everybody was heading to retail estates on the edges of towns. I was not convinced it was an improvement.

Eventually I found Jackson Road and a few minutes later I was along the small cul-de-sac that was Haywood Close with the clubhouse at the end. Lots of junior players were coming out of the ground after collecting their gear following matches of their own. The gate being open gave me all the opportunity I required to pop inside for a look.

The ground was relatively basic with a seated stand in front of the clubhouse and a covered standing area at the near end. The rest of the ground consisted of flat open standing. There was room between the fence keeping the fans in and the actual metal tailed perimeter if demand or the money became available.

My timing was sublime as no sooner had I left and was taking my clubhouse photos, a gent came out and locked the ground for the day. I went on my way to the former home of 'The Ducks', feeling sorry and empathising for the now homeless club watching their junior rivals becoming the towns highest ranked side.

Aylesbury P AFC Rushden & Diamonds P (Saturday 9th December 2017) Southern League Division One East

I’d looked at visiting Haywood Way for a game on several occasions. It was the last day of my week of annual leave and my first choice of Nuneaton Town against Harrogate Town had been postponed because of a frozen pitch at a sensible hour.

I spent the next ninety minutes mulling over a replacement. I wanted somewhere not too far away, but awkward to get to midweek. I was also very wary of the possibility of a postponement. I was down to Aylesbury v AFC Rushden & Diamonds or Banbury United v Royston Town.

Aylesbury won the day after their Twitter account said at 12.16 that there was no need for an inspection. I caught the tube to Harrow-on-the-Hill before taking the Chiltern train to Aylesbury Vale. It was cold and getting colder.

Fifteen minutes later I cut through a park the other side of the River Thame and behind the back of the stand before entering the clubhouse in search of a beer and to see the end of the West Ham v Chelsea game. I was alerted to what I saw.

Footballers were eating food and going on about there being no game. I whipped off my earphones and asked the bloke by the bar if the game was on? Apparently it had just been postponed by the referee as the pitch was frozen in parts.

It’s fair to say that I was pretty miffed. A lady was heading to the bar from the turnstile. I asked her why it was off after the club’s previous Tweet? She claimed it was “my” manager who influenced the referee to postpone the game.

I saw three young fellas coming away from the ground and they confirmed that they were the officials. They said that they had no option with their decision. A local told me that Thame United was the nearest club. I walked away, still fuming to try and plan my journey; which can be read about here.

Some of the Twitter exchanges that followed probably didn’t do anyone much credit, but emotions were high. It is a thankless task in the winter as volunteers try and run football clubs and get games on.

Perhaps league’s and the FA should offer some kind of definitive guidance and insistence on inspections from qualified referees; putting the weather forecast for the following few hours into consideration?

Aylesbury Vale Dynamos 4 North Leigh 5 (Saturday 24^th August 2019) FA Cup Preliminary Round (att: 113)

It was time to try again to tick a match off my list at Greenfleets Stadium to give Haywards Way its new sponsored title. Night shift at work meant I wanted somewhere relatively accessible. The weather was set fair. What could possibly go wrong?

I’d made my way to Harrow-on-the-Hill in good form, even bumping into Jeff Cards and his daughter Maia who were on their way to Uxbridge to watch some T20 cricket. I got a seat on a very busy two carriage Chiltern Rail train. All was good.

The company even had a Wi-Fi system on board that actually worked; unlike Virgin the week before on the way to Manchester so I could listen to the Ashes; albeit in less excited mode than seven days previously owing to an England collapse the day before.

The walk was familiar and a good exercise for my recovering left knee. It really was a glorious day as I walked towards Aylesbury past rapidly growing housing developments from the station before cutting across the park to the ground entrance.

Admission was £6, including a thin programme; which was also available to download for free via the clubs website. Some youngsters sold me a raffle ticket for £1 once inside. The welcome was nice and it was good to see them involved with their club.

It was half an hour before kick off so I went inside the bar where I opted for a sports drink. I’d not had a beer or a few days and was feeling the benefit. Going outside I grabbed a tea from the little catering hatch at the back of the seated stand.

The friendly old girl asked if I wanted the tea bag taking out or leaving in, which was a nice touch, while her younger colleague worked on the hot food. I took up a pew to enjoy my cuppa and finish my Subway sandwich bought on route.

I was looking forward to the game. It looked like the merger and rebrand was working for Aylesbury; at least off the pitch. Another reason I selected the game was because of the man who’d be wearing the number nine shirt for the visitors.

Tyriq Hunte had spent most of the previous season at my local club Hendon. He was a smashing lad and trier but not quite up to that level. His move to the Oxfordshire club seemed to have worked out as he’d scored the goals to help keep them up at the end of the 2018-19 season.

The teams came out in front of a healthy crowd including a few families with the young volunteers behind the goal making a noise with horns and vuvuzelas. England were starting a resolute battle in the cricket, which was also helping my mood.

The hosts nearly went ahead in the opening minute when Harry Scott nearly converted at the back post, but his volley went into the side netting. Carl Tappin saw a shot deflected behind for a corner as the side from the division lower continued to press.

The weather was hot, and referee Nicholas Fuller sensibly allowed a water break mid way through the half. Play had been scrappy up to then with mistakes aplenty as players miscontrolled the ball and over hit passes on the firm playing surface.

On thirty three minutes the visitors took the lead through that man Hunte. His naturally heavy touches up to then had been inconsistent, but his lobbed finish over home custodian James Weatherill when fed with a lofted through ball was sublime.

The lead lasted just four minutes before Dynamos restored parity. Alfi Touceda saw his shot parried by hefty keeper Eddie Cavanagh into the path of lively forward Keith Mupfuruirwa to put away into the net.

On the stroke of half time Aylesbury went ahead. They were the beneficiaries of a soft free kick decision. Harry Scott floated in a free kick towards the six yard box. Cavanagh flapped at the ball; completely missing it as it went into the goal just inside the back post.

The action wasn’t over. In the third minute of stoppage time North Leigh equalised after a header came back off the bar from a cross before the rebound crept over the line before being cleared by a defender. The ref conferred wit his assistant to confirm a goal for Aaron Woodley.

I enjoyed the weather before grabbing another cuppa as the second half commenced before watching for a while from the cover behind the goal. Three minutes after the restart Weatherhill denied Hunte as he tipped his low shot round the post.

Touceda restored the hosts lead with a twenty five yard shot that Cavanagh should have done a lot better with. The big stopper really was poor with his judgement of the ball when it came towards him through the air.

Yet within ten minutes it was all square with sixty five on the clock. I was chatting in the shade with a couple of visiting subs going through their stretching exercises. Hunte brought down a lofted pass before firing low into the corner from outside the box.

A bout of handbags broke out following a rash challenge from Leigh’s full back Ekow Elliot in the middle of the park. The home bench screamed for a red card. The ref sensibly too his time and consulted the nearest linesmen before giving yellow cards to the offender and a player from each side who had got involved in the ensuing push and shove.

On seventy two minutes a ball from Scott went towards Mupfuruirwa. The forward shrugged off a weak challenge from Jordy Ngathe to go on and slot the ball past Cavanagh with ease. The locals were jubilant, including the youths who supported their team throughout from behind the goal.

With around seven minutes remaining I went through a gate behind the goal to head for my 5.13 train back to Harrow. This is where the fun and games were about to begin.

There was no concern as I timed my stroll back perfectly as to not put too much strain on my knee. England were fighting back well in the Test and I was in decent form despite my bets going down. I checked Twitter to see how my game had ended up. I couldn’t believe what I read.

North Leigh had equalised going into stoppage time through George Seacole. Then Hunte had made it 5-4 to complete his hat trick in the fifth minute of additional time before he missed a penalty before the full time whistle. What a finish I’d missed.

By now I was beginning to become a little concerned as to the whereabouts of my train. There was around another half dozen customers waiting at the terminus. The indicator board simply said “delayed” and then “train fault”.

The station was unstaffed. A couple; with the gent blind, managed to get the intercom for information to work. It was faulty and required shouting down the speaker. The woman on the other end was in a call centre in India!

She told us that our train had departed. She was offered advice in return before she came back to tell us that the next service would be a rail replacement bus service to Aylesbury at 6.25; over an hour away. At this point a large cab deposited customers who’d come from the broken train at Aylesbury.

We got him to wait and then take us to Aylesbury station where we gave the fella on the information desk the lowdown on what had happened and enquired as to why nobody was going to help us at Vale station. It was a shambles.

To make matters worse the 5.48 train was cancelled towards Harrow. It’s fair to say that I was not particularly happy; especially with my upcoming night shift predominantly on my mind. The gateline assistant said he could take me to someone in charge.

I walked to the waiting room area and there was hat trick hero Tyriq, smiling as ever. In all my dealings with him at Silver Jubilee Park while with Hendon or Edgware Town he’d always been the same. Smiling, keen and polite. The game could do with a few more like him.

He was trying to be helpful but he’d introduced me to a couple fellas in the control room. There was nothing that they could do; even if they were extremely sympathetic and in agreement at the state of customer service of late since profits came first.

It wasn’t a particularly brilliant situation, but it wasn’t going to change. I used up my time getting some shopping at Morrison’s across the car park. My crap journey still had additional pain once I got aboard the empty air conditioned train.

Nodding off in the deliberately selected Quiet Coach, I was awoken by a Dad out with two infants who he let scream and generally run amok. It rounded off the journey perfectly. I eventually arrived home at 7.45; just in time for a snooze before heading to work.