Newly promoted Flackwell Heath tear up the script to hit AFC Dunstable for six

Photo credit: Glenn Alcock

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Having suffered an unexpected 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Aylesbury Vale Dynamos in their first competitive match this season, few were anticipating the scoreline that materialised when newly promoted Flackwell Heath hosted AFC Dunstable on Saturday.

But Chris Ayres' Heathens brushed off the disappointment of exiting the cup - and the loss of revenue that comes with that - to hammer one of the Southern League Central Division's more established sides 6-0 at Wilks Park.

It's a scoreline that will certainly raise a few eyebrows across the division, with the result seeming to confound those who predicted Heath would simply try to consolidate their position at step four this season.

It will also put tonight's (Tuesday) hosts North Leigh on red alert for the visit of the Heathens, who come into the clash sitting proudly top of the fledgling league.

Dunstable are a decent side at this level and have been for a few years now, but they simply had no answer to the crispness of Flackwell's play on Saturday. Wiktor Makowski and Michael Harding ran riot in attack, with Makowski netting twice in the seventh and 23rd minutes and Harding completing his brace in the 31st and 52nd minute.

Eddie Lee also netted on his competitive debut for the club in the 87th minute before Chris Ayres' son Matthew put the gloss on a thoroughly dominant display with a Beckham-esque free kick in the 91st minute.

Oof!
Matty Ayres picks out the top corner to make it 6! #Heathens #TopBins pic.twitter.com/lA2tGEiqcM

— Flackwell Heath FC (@FHFC1907) August 10, 2024

Speaking to Ollie Bayliss on the Non League Show on Monday night, Ayres said his side had used the 'hurt' from their FA Cup exit to motivate them on Saturday.

“The result the previous week against Aylesbury hurt us a little bit,” he said. “It woke us up to the reality that we can’t just turn up and expect to win a game of football.

“We were on our A game. I know they’ve lost a few players to higher level clubs, but from the start, everything was spot on from us. The boys were fantastic throughout the whole game.

I never make excuses if we get beat. Fair play to Aylesbury Vale on the day, they had a game plan, but they’d also had two league games which I think sharpened them up a little bit. The mentality of our boys wasn’t quite right on the day which was disappointing, and they acknowledged that.

“For the club, cup runs are important for the finances. But we’ve put it right now and hopefully we can kick on and move forward in a positive way.”

Ayres picked out the performance of Makowski and Harding, who seem to be very much on the same wavelength. He'll be hoping they continue to terrorize defences as the season progresses.

He was also pleased with his son's dazzling late contribution but admitted it can be challenging for both of his sons to have their dad as their football manager.

“Michael and Victor were a handful the whole game,” he said.

“Dunstable couldn’t cope with those two on the day and they got two apiece.

“Yeah, Matty has done well. It’s tough for him me being his dad and his manager, but he copes with it well. Technically, he’s one of our best players and the free kick on Saturday was really good.

“I’m pleased for him because they do have a bit more pressure on them knowing that their dad is the manager. They just get on with the business as normal.

“They don’t always start games, especially my youngest son and the supporters come up to me and ask why he is not on the pitch.

“But they don’t just play for me, they play for the other coaches and staff. They live in the village and hopefully it’s a stepping stone for them to one day go on and play at a higher level. They’re both capable of doing that.”

On his hopes for the season, Ayres added: “I’m very humble and I’m lucky that we have players that are better than step 4. But we’ve created an environment that they enjoy playing in.

“We had just under 200 supporters on Saturday, which is a great crowd seeing as we’re in holiday period. If we can keep playing well and being positive hopefully our crowds will grow more. The local community has bought into what we’ve done, it’s exciting times.

“We're taking it step by step. After 12 games get a feeling for where you’re going to end up. First dozen games determines whether we need to bring someone else in, are we ok?

“It’s a tough league and Tuesday night at North Leigh is going to be difficult.

“The pitch is sloped so we have that challenge.

“We’re glad we’ve bounced back but we know we’re in for another tough game.

“We’ve now got to travel a bit further for games which the boys need to get used to. We’ll be confident and hopefully we can stay unbeaten and at least come away with a point.”