FA Cup: The inside story of when non-league Aylesbury United played Bobby Robson's England

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BBC Rewind - England v Aylesbury Euro '88

"I was in Ibiza and had to interrupt my holiday to fly home. When I told everyone I was going back to play against England, they were like 'yeah, whatever'," says Cliff Hercules.

It remains one of the most unlikely warm-up games England have played before a major tournament.

The Three Lions were preparing for the 1988 European Championship. Their opposition before flying to West Germany were made up of teachers, postmen and taxi drivers who had not played for four weeks.

Gary Lineker had just completed his second season at Barcelona, while John Barnes and Peter Beardsley were fresh from helping Liverpool secure the league title.

Bobby Robson was the man who took England to non-league Aylesbury United - nicknamed the Ducks - for one last game before a tournament that would end in huge disappointment.

As Aylesbury prepare for Saturday's FA Cup third qualifying round tie with Ebbsfleet United, this is the story of how the part-time club hosted a full-strength England 33 years ago - and why Aylesbury have not played in their hometown for the past 15 years.

The match programme (left) hen Aylesbury United hosted England and Peter Beardsley (right) in action for the Three Lions at Buckingham Road

'Aylesbury were not allowed to tackle England's players'

"There were 6,031 fans packed inside a ground built for 4,000-5,000. Half of them couldn't see a thing and there were people in trees trying to catch a glimpse of England's players."

Hercules is recalling the chaotic scenes at Aylesbury's Buckingham Road home on the afternoon of 4 June 1988, eight days before Robson's side tackled Jack Charlton's Republic of Ireland in Stuttgart.

The England boss had been persuaded to send his players to the Buckinghamshire minnows by Observer sportswriter Frank McGhee, a resident of the town of Aylesbury and keen supporter of his local team.

Robson, whose squad was based 23 miles away at Bisham Abbey in Berkshire, agreed a game against non-league opposition would be good preparation before the Euros.

Two weeks earlier his side had lifted the Rous Cup at Wembley and arrived in Aylesbury fresh from a 1-0 friendly win over Switzerland thanks to Lineker's winner in Lausanne.

Another factor in Robson's decision to risk his star players against part-time opponents on the eve of a major tournament was the quality of Aylesbury's playing surface, widely considered as one of the best in non-league at the time.

"I heard there was an agreement that Aylesbury's players were not allowed to tackle England's players," says Andy Martin, chairman of Aylesbury United Supporters' Trust.

"Aylesbury's season had finished a month earlier with promotion to the Vauxhall Conference and the players had gone on their summer break. They were dragged back to play and were probably not fit."

Hercules, a Ducks legend with 301 goals in 669 appearances, was holidaying in the Balearic Islands when he returned to face the likes of Tony Adams and Mark Wright.

"We'd first heard about the prospect of facing England a few months earlier, but we put it to the back of our minds because we were concentrating on promotion," he adds.

"Aylesbury paid to fly me back on the Friday, I played on the Saturday, we had a meal with the England players afterwards, before I flew back to Spain.

"I was reading about the game in the national newspapers on the beach in Ibiza the next day."

England and Aylesbury United players line up together before a warm up match on 4 June 1988

'It just wouldn't happen now'

"I had a great chance to score. If it had gone in it would have changed my life."

Hercules, who would later go on to manage Aylesbury, is recalling the moment he headed a free-kick over the bar instead of past Peter Shilton, who was on the brink of winning his 100th cap.

England, 2-0 up after 10 minutes, ran out comfortable 7-0 winners, with Beardsley scoring four. Lineker - as well as Everton duo Dave Watson and Trevor Steven - also chipped in.

"We couldn't get near them," adds Hercules. "England changed their whole team after half-time and had fresh legs. We were shattered. When I think back it's surreal. England coming to Aylesbury? It just wouldn't happen now."

The result did not do Robson's team much good.

Two years after reaching the World Cup quarter-finals in Mexico, they returned from West Germany without a point after defeats by the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union.

While Hercules has vivid memories of 4 June 1988, many of England's players do not.

"I can't remember the score, I can't remember the game, nothing at all," Barnes told the Guardian in 2020.

Hercules, whose 21-year-old son Max now plays for the Ducks, celebrated his 58th birthday in April. One of his presents was a match programme and ticket from the day England visited Buckingham Road.

He adds: "We swapped shirts at the end of the match. I got Glenn Hoddle's but I'm a Manchester United fan so I exchanged it with a team-mate who had Bryan Robson's Mexico 86 shirt.

"Thirty-three years on, I'm just getting round to framing it."

England's Chris Waddle in action against Aylesbury United in 1988

'It's a miracle we're still going'

"Whenever I drive past Buckingham Road, I think 'I had some amazing times there - how did it get to this?'"

Martin, who was five when his Aylesbury heroes hosted football royalty, is reflecting on the sad state of affairs which has left the Ducks without a permanent home for the past 15 years.

While the club's youth and ladies' sections still play in the town - Manchester City and England forward Ellen White is a former Mini Duck - the first team has shared facilities at three clubs, including Leighton Town in Bedfordshire and Thame United in Oxfordshire, since being made homeless in 2006.

Aylesbury United's former Buckingham Road home pictured in March 2020 - 14 years after the club last played a match at the ground

They are currently back in Buckinghamshire at Chesham United, around 15 miles from Buckingham Road, where fans banged drums and sang songs down one side of the ground regulars called the "Chicken Run".

In 2019, the Ducks attempted to buy their old home back but were outbid at auction. It was sold to a developer for £800,000.

The ground, which also hosted an England training session in 2002 and, two years later, an Ajax side featuring Zlatan Ibrahimovic, lies derelict and has fallen into a state of disrepair.

"It seems a massive waste," adds Martin, who is also a club director whose numerous roles includes match-day announcer and merchandise seller.

"We have missed out on a generation of new fans since we last played in the town.

"It's a miracle the first team is still around. It's thanks to our fantastic fans and hard-working volunteers that we are still going."

Aylesbury United fans have to make the 15-mile journey to Chesham to watch their team play 'home' games

Attendances for 'home' games in Chesham this season have ranged from a high of 171 to 96. At least their four-match winning run in FA Cup qualifying has netted them just short of £8,000 in prize money - a lifeline for a club that does not know when they will return to Aylesbury.

"We're incredibly grateful to Aylesbury Town Council who are doing a huge amount of work trying to open up some avenues for us to come back," says Paul Snell, the club's head of communications.

"It's our 125th anniversary in 2022. What we want is a sustainable club that will last for another 125 years. We'll only be able to do that with the next generation of fans coming to watch."

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