Valley’s run of seven consecutive wins came to an end with a poor performance in defeat to mid-table United, after a 51st minute goal from the visitors’ skipper Jack Wood settled a game of few clear cut chances.

Town’s starting line-up showed three changes from their last outing at home to Beaconsfield a fortnight previously, with Craig Kelly and Robbie Burns returning from injury and Lewis Rankin also back in.

Aylesbury’s Stacey Field had the best opportunity of the opening exchanges when he helped Zak Reynolds’ flick-on just wide of the target.

Reynolds himself had a couple of decent efforts too, although the bodies of Alex Gudger and then Mason Rowley meant that Richard Morris was not tested on either occasion.

For Rugby, Rankin put in a number of crosses from the right hand side, but each time was unable to pick out his man – with Will Grocott also just missing his intended target with a deep delivery from wide.

The home side’s only real chance of the first half came towards its conclusion when Rowley’s header to a Sam Youngs’ corner was cleared from the line by Jake Bewley.

Valley appeared to start the second period in a more purposeful manner, but this soon evaporated when the visitors made the breakthrough – with Wood following-up on Jason Blackett’s blocked header to ram the ball home from close range.

Youngs and Rankin both sent shots over the bar, with Ducks’ keeper Tahj Bell then finally called into action when he pushed away Justin Marsden’s low effort from distance.

In fact it was United that looked the most likely to score, with the impressive Reynolds twice putting in good strikes from the edge of the penalty area, and Field just off-target after a Grocott defensive error.

At the other end Richard Gregory’s free-kick sailed over the bar and substitute Fazel Koriya did have a shot blocked, but it never really felt like the previous Beaconsfield comeback would be repeated.

The visitors should have sealed the game in its closing minutes when Gudger was adjudged to have fouled Reynolds in the box, but Morris kept out Paul Edgeworth’s spot-kick with a save to his right.

A wayward volley by Marsden just ahead the final whistle pretty much summed up Valley’s ineffectual display.

Valley Line-up: Morris; Grocott, Kelly, Rowley, Gudger; Burns, Blythe (Banks); Rankin (Piggon), Marsden, Youngs (Koriya); Gregory. Subs not used: George, Lake-Gaskin. Booked: None.

Aylesbury line-up: Bell, S.Wood, Bewley, J.Wood, Morgan, Owens, Reynolds, Waites, Blackett, Field, Edgeworth. Subs: Williams, Acheampong, Chabata, Little.