Aylesbury Utd 2, Evesham Utd 2

RICHARD Ball was back to his brilliant best - and his worrying worst - last Saturday, writes Mervyn Collins.

Evesham's chief goal getter banged in a couple of beauties, had another wiped out for offside, missed a penalty, hit the crossbar, was indirectly responsible for Aylesbury's equaliser and then got himself booked again.

What made the result all the more annoying was that both Aylesbury goals came from headers when the average height of Dave Busst's men must have been around four inches taller than the diminutive and much-changed Ducks outfit that showed eight changes to the team fielded three weeks earlier.

Insult

The afternoon started badly when Dave Adey's challenge on the edge of the penalty area earned a fifth minute yellow and insult was added to injury when Richard Burton's header from the subsequent free-kick appeared to flash through the goalkeeper's hands.

There was little else to trouble Adey as the Robins took control and Rob Taylor saw a shot saved before Gavin O'Toole's superb diagonal pass released Ball for a firm left-footed finish.

Taylor's free-kick then produced a flying save from Sam Styles who then superbly pushed aside Ball's powerful 22nd minute spot-kick after handball in the area.

However, the culprit made up for the miss four minutes later when sending a shot across Styles from the corner of the 18-yard box.

Villain

Ball then became the villain once more when his quick throw-in just inside the home half of the field was intercepted and Adey was forced to turn Burton's shot for a corner.

Not for the first time this term, United were caught lacking when Kyle Kilmartin made it 2-2 two minutes from half-time after the ball wasn't cleared properly from the original kick.

Ball again came close to rectifying his error when his free-kick on the stroke of half-time struck the frame of the goal.

United just weren't the same side after the restart with Taylor frustratingly anonymous when his first half play had been the catalyst for most of his side's attacking thrusts.

Busst made a double change after 66 minutes with Romi Cammock and Leon Blake replacing John Williams and Adam Blake and it certainly pepped up the Robins with Ball forcing a save out of Styles and then volleying a golden opportunity wide.

Cammock combined superbly with Richie Robinson but his header lacked power and the limping latter was replaced by Grant Pinkney after 74 minutes.

United had a huge let-off ten minutes later when the unmarked Matt Butler shot wide from 12 yards but it was Evesham who almost snatched the points in a frantic finale.

Cammock sent Steve Duncan clear two minutes from time but, after controlling and taking the ball into the penalty area, the midfielder was signalled offside before chipping the ball past Styles.

Ball's comments brought a booking and the flagging official incensed the striker again in stoppage-time when the centre forward headed in Blake's cross from ten yards.