July 11, 2026
Today saw the first of Thame United’s pre-season friendlies, with an unusual fixture at home to Aston Clinton, who play in the step 7 Spartan South Midlands Division Two, three levels below Thame.
Thame United Update
A core of last season’s players had already been announced as having re-signed for this season including captain Mark Riddick, Jack Tutton Dan West, Greg Hackett, Callum Hall, Curtis Brown, Luke Tingay, Fin Murray and Charlie Stow.
Keeper Matt Crowther had been announced as leaving the club but his destination was unknown, whilst 22 goal top scorer Louis Walsh had joined step 2 National League South side Slough Town, and loanee midfielder Brayden Daniel had returned to step 2 Oxford City.
There was no news yet on whether Harry Alexander, Ethan Lack, Lance Williams, Abu Khan, Leo Galpin and Ashley Moakes would be with the club for the new season.
Aston Clinton
Aston Clinton is a village just to the west of Aylesbury, and was most famous in the Fatbear household of having the best cattery in the local area !
Their home ground is Aston Clinton Park, which from looking at Google Maps appears to have little in the way of facilities for spectators, apart from the clubhouse. Their first-choice colours are all blue.
Last season Aston Clinton finished a mid-table 9th, with a 14-5-13 record. Attendances last year seemed to average around 20, with the match against Milton Keynes College attracting an official attendance of 8, although 38 people watch the 2-1 win over promotion chasing Sarratt.
Ryan MacDonald was last season’s top scorer, finding the net 11 times, whilst Trafford Kiff and ex-Aylesbury United and Risborough Rangers forward Taylor Collins both scored 6 goals.
Ex-Thame Ranger midfielder Mitchell Collins, midfielder Harry Edmonds, keeper Kris Grieg, ex-Aylesbury United midfielder Alex Little, defender Daniel Lynn and midfielder Teddie Paul all also made over 25 appearances last season, and with 6 other players making 20 or more appearances, Aston Clinton looked to have had a pretty settled squad.
Aston Clinton posted on Facebook that they were after a goalkeeper for today’s game, although it wasn’t clear if this was a one-off, or a permanent need.
Matchday Information
The journey from Aston Clinton to Thame is 14 miles and should normally take half an hour going through Aylesbury.
The match was schedule to start at noon, but both sides agreed to kick-off 10 minutes early to avoid playing in hotter temperatures later in the day. Luckily Fatbear arrived early ! The temperature was sunny and 27 degrees and there was a pleasant breeze, but the forecast was for 32 degrees at 4pm. In any case the players would have more drinking time before the England v Norway World Cup Quarter-Final at 10pm !
Today’s match was being played on the 3G pitch, which is surrounded by a cage, rather than on the main pitch in the ASM stadium. As a result, entry was free, but the spectator facilities were pretty limited, with just standing space alongside three-quarters of one side of the pitch, with the rest fenced off. There was no cover from the elements, no tannoy announcements, no team-sheets, but at least the bar and the toilets in the main clubhouse were open.
Aston Clinton were playing in their all blue kit whilst Thame were in their usual red and black shirts.
The Aston Clinton assistant coach, who I think was Justin Gordon, helpfully provided his team’s starting XI, and advised the usual keeper was playing cricket and that former player Carlos Clay would be standing in between the sticks today. Cian Banert was sunning himself in Australia, Daniel Boateng was injured and Ryan MacDonald hadn’t turned up yet ( he had apparently overslept after a night-out ! )
Thame started with just 5 of the players from last season, with the other six starters presumably being trialists. Three other players from last season’s squad came on in the second half.
Matchday Report
Thame managed to put the ball into the visitors’ next inside the opening 5 minutes, but Hackett’s close-range finish was chalked off by an offside flag.
However, the opening stages were pretty even. Aston Clinton had the first corner of the match after a good run by Robert Doncaster, from which Paul headed high and wide. Thame’s Trialist number 11 then shot wildly from just inside the visitors’ area and Doncaster opted for safety and put the ball off for the home side’s first corner, which keeper Clay punched away.
Thame should have opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Trialist number 9 beat an off-side trap to run clear, but the attempt to lob the advancing keeper was poor and sailed several feet over the bar. It was a great chance.
Almost immediately the Thame keeper had to come outside of his area to head away from forward Taylor Collins. Mitchell Collins then played a smart free-kick down the left-hand channel but Taylor Collins’s first touch was heavy, and the Thame keeper was able to gather.
Aston Clinton then fashioned the best move of the game to date when Kiff played a raking cross-field ball inviting left wing-back Lynn to get to the byline. The cross into the Thame area was laid back to Paul, but the effort from the edge of the area miscued well wide.
It was still goal-less at the midway hydration break, and you wouldn’t have been able to tell there were three divisions between the two sides.
The refreshments seemed to inspire Thame as when play resumed Trialist 11 crossed for Trialist 17, whose low shot was pushed away by the base of the post by keeper Clay diving to his right. Trialist 11 then saw consecutive shots blocked, and when the loose ball fell to Trialist 17, his effort was deflected over the bar for a corner.
With 30 minutes on the clock, Hackett crossed from the left, but under pressure Riddick could only head over the bar. Hackett was looking lively on the left, and from another cross Trialist 11 could only head high into the air and the Aston Clinton keeper made an easy catch.
The visitors forced another corner, at which the Thame Trialist keeper flapped, but Thame were able to break quickly and Trialist 11 was played into the left-hand side of the Aston Clinton area but his left footed attempted was again pushed away by Clay, this time diving to his left.
Sloppy play at the back saw Aston Clinton pass straight to Thame Trialist 17, but the 25-yard shot went straight at the keeper for a comfortable save. Two minutes later Clay could only push a low cross from Trialist 11 into the path of Riddick, but Mitchell Collins was in the right place to clear the goal-bound shot off the line.
The visitors then won two corners in quick succession, and after the second one was cleared, Paul’s ball back into the danger zone bounced across the goalmouth, but the Thame keeper was able to claim.
Five minutes before the break Hackett played a give and go, but could only shoot high and wide from tight angle. At the other end, Doncaster played a low ball into the Thame area, Paul flicked a header on but the keeper grabbed the loose ball before it could reach the unmarked Taylor Collins.
With half-time approaching Mitchell Collins spotted the Thame keeper had wandered outside of his area, but the ambitious attempt from 10 yards inside his own half bounced a few yards wide of the Thame goal.
In a similar move to that a couple of minutes earlier, Doncaster made a good run down the right wing but Paul failed to get a decent contact to the low cross, and the ball rolled harmlessly wide for a goal-kick.
It remained 0-0 at the half-time but Thame made four changes for the start of second half. Indeed, both sides made regular changes in the second period and there were even rolling substitutions with players returning to the field after having been replaced. Consequently, a lot of the play became disjointed and there were fewer chances created.
With 62 minutes played Hall played a good cross from the right but Thame substitute Stow headed at the keeper from close to the penalty spot.
The Thame keeper then had to scramble to keep out an attempt from Aston Clinton substitute 15 from a free-kick, shortly after which a cross-cum-shot from Elias Williams went across the face of the goal but ahead of Taylor Collins.
The first goal of the game finally arrived. Thame substitute Brown made a strong run down the right and although Stow couldn’t reach his ball into the visitors’ area, replacement number 9 stretched and was able to prod home at the far post. I was informed the goal scorer was Brandon Bray-Sackey, who had played a number of games for Thame United Reserves at the end of last season. It was 1-0 after 68 minutes.
Just before the second drinks break, Stow saw his long-range curling effort go narrowly the wrong side of the far post. Thame were now on top and a delightful ball from Stow released Brown on the right-wing but Bray-Sackey mis-kicked in front of goal when set-up by Brown.
Aston Clinton had a half-chance when a long ball out of defence by Gordon put Taylor Collins in space inside the Thame area, but there was no-one up in support to tap in his ball across the 6 yard line.
As the game moved into its closing stages, Brown shot into the side netting, then Bray-Sackey missed a similar chance to one he had scored from but his poke went just wide. However, there was still time for Stow to play a defence-splitting pass which put Brown clear with a one-vs-one with the keeper, and the Thame winger calmly finished inside the far post. 2-0 after 90 minutes.
The final whistle was blown almost immediately after the free-start to end the match, which hopefully both sides enjoyed, and would be good starts in their set-up for the rest of the season.
Thame United : Trialist 1 – Hall, Tingey, West, Trialist 3 – Trialist 11 ( Brown ), Riddick, Trialist 17, Trialist 16, Hackett – Trialist 9 ( Stow )
Aston Clinton : Clay – Doncaster, Harrison, M. Collins, Elsey, Lynn – Kiff, Williams, Clark – T. Collins, Paul
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