Aylesbury United came back from 1-0 down to win a pulsating seven-goal thriller against the 10 men of local rivals Holmer Green on Tuesday night.
Speaking after his side’s 1-1 draw with Hillingdon Borough on Saturday, Tony Joyce quipped he may be forced into the transfer market if his strikers did not sharpen their game.
And his lighthearted words seemed to have the desired effect as the Ducks returned to their prolific ways with four goals to see off Holmer.
Despite fighting to take a 3-1 lead, the game was far from over for United as Holmer turned things around to make it 3-3.
There was still time for a late twist, though, and it came when Steve Hatch was brought down in the box late on and Ian Cooper converted his second penalty of the game.
Ducks had been trailing to former United defender Tom Alabaster’s headed goal from a free-kick.
The home side had chances to extend their lead with Aylesbury struggling, but their fortunes were to change when Alabaster went from hero to zero and was dismissed for dissent early in the second period.
The ball fell kindly for Aylesbury’s Stacey Field to fire home from close range and level.
Then, the Ducks won a penalty when Cooper was felled in the box, the player dusting himself down to convert from 12 yards. Field then added another to give Joyce’s men some breathing space in a frenetic match.
But then came the drama as the lights went out at Watchet Lane, leaving the ground in darkness for nearly 20 minutes.
And it clearly affected Aylesbury as when it restarted another former Duck, Andy Shed, scored two goals in as many minutes to level things up.
Aylesbury found the light, though, with Cooper sealing a pulsating game with the winner from the spot in a game that will be remembered for years to come.