A shocking display of refereeing by all three match officials, and a fluke goal in the first-half were the main talking points of this game as Banbury again failed to amass any points out of this game on Saturday.
In a very even encounter, the only goal of the game came in the 18th minute in somewhat lucky, yet spectacular fashion, when United ‘keeper Mark Scott successfully cleared a Ben Milner back-pass from the feet of Mark Gamble, just outside the penalty area, but unfortunately for him, the ball went straight to Chris Knowles in the centre-circle, and he immediately returned the ball over Scott’s head and into the gaping net to put Bashley one-up.
Bashley relied on their usual ploy of hoisting the long ball either out of defence or when attacking, and caused Banbury little problem throughout, with Milner winning everything at the back, but Banbury caused little danger to the home side, as they failed to penetrate the Bashley back line. However, United started to look a bit more workmanlike in the final 20 minutes of the match, as they started to push the home side further back in defence. In the 77th minute, David Stone was blatantly pulled back as he used his pace to latch onto a great pass by Joe Coleman to get through the Bashley back-line, but nothing was given by a spineless referee and assistant in perfect view of the incident, and Bashley’s giant ‘keeper David Elm was given the time to block Stone’s effort.
It is all too easy to blame match officials when things go against a team, but the incorrect decisions given throughout the game, especially during the second-half, were an embarrassment to the ‘beautiful game’, and ruined fair play for all.
Banbury’s cause was not helped though by their insistence to keep sending in free-kicks, corner-kicks and crosses straight down the throat of the aptly named Elm in the Bashley goal, who was never going to be troubled by such balls into the danger area.
Team :- Scott, Haisley, Ashton, Milner, Learoyd, Redknap (60 mins. Benjamin, 87 mins. Shariff), Coleman, Stanbridge, Stone, Hilliard (68 mins. Taylor), Martin. Sub (not used) Foster.
Attendance – 316
In a closely-fought encounter, two evenly matched teams made the best of some pretty awful conditions to provide some great entertainment, and the fact that the game went ahead at all was thanks to a small band of supporters and Club officials who worked from 8.30 in the morning to get the game played.
During the opening half-hour, chances were few and far between with David Stone for United and James McPike for the Brakes, both going close. The first decent chance of the game came in the 33rd minute when Marvin Martin worked the ball forward down the left, from deep in defence, and pushed a lovely pass through to Declan Benjamin from the edge of the penalty area. Benjamin went clear of the Brakes’ defence but on-loan Leicester City ‘keeper Carl Pentney did very well to foil United’s midfield dynamo, saving at his feet. The loose ball fell to David Stone but he mis-hit his effort and the ball was gratefully cleared.
Against the run of play, Leamington took the lead in the 39th minute when they forced a corner on the right and the unmarked Guy Sanders glanced the ball home with ease at the near post to put the Brakes ahead.
Banbury’s lack of being able to defend corners was to the fore again in the 58th minute when another corner, this time from the left found Richard Batchelor unmarked and he nodded home to double Leamington’s lead.
Banbury went close in the 59th minute when Stone beat the Leamington defence for pace up the left, and his cross just beat Benjamin at the far post, with Pentney in no-mans-land.
Banbury pulled a goal back in the 75th minute when Benjamin pushed a neat pass from the left into the path of substitute Lewis Hilliard who fired powerfully home from just inside the penalty area.
Banbury now put caution to the wind as they pushed forward, looking for an equaliser and both Stone and Hilliard went close as the minutes ticked away, but Leamington used a lot of time up near the end, as they protected their one-goal advantage at the corner-flags, much to United’s frustrations.
Banbury 1 - 2 Leaminton
Team :- Scott, Stanbridge, Martin, Milner, Learoyd, Redknap (63 mins. Hilliard), Coleman, Benjamin (89 mins. Cray), Stone, Taylor (63 mins, Shariff), Ashton. Subs. (not used) McDonald, Murrell.
Attendance – 684
BANBURY UNITED 4 AMPTHILL TOWN 2
Banbury cruised through to the semi-final of the Buckingham Charity Cup on Tuesday evening against an Ampthill side that did themselves proud with a performance that saw United struggle to impose them selves on the game during the second-half.
United took the lead in the 14th minute when a goal-bound David Stone effort was blocked and the rebound fell to Jason Taylor on the edge of the penalty area, and he swept the ball home to open the scoring.
Three minutes later, Banbury doubled their lead from the penalty spot when Stone was brought down, and he got up and took the kick himself, placing the ball wide of John McAdoo in the Ampthill goal.
Banbury went 3-0 up in the 23rd minute in what was looking more and more like a one-sided contest, when Declan Benjamin curled a right-foot shot from the corner of the penalty area, and it bounced just in front of the ‘keeper, before skidding into the net for a very good goal indeed.
Ten minutes later and it was 4-0 after Stone was fouled by Tom Barnett wide on the left. Benjamin took the free-kick and curled the ball into the six-yard box where Ben Milner stooped to nod the ball home at the near post.
With Banbury obviously well in control, the second-half became a bit of a non-event as far as United were concerned. They took the foot of the pedal and Ampthill came more into the game. However, United had bad luck in the 57th minute when the ball was laid back into the path of Lewis Hilliard who had only just joined the fray two minutes earlier, and he saw his shot come back off the inside of the post before being cleared. Banbury were unlucky again, five minutes later, when Harrison Foster saw his overhead kick come back off the crossbar, and Milner following up smashed the ball against the post.
Ampthill pulled a goal back in the 65th minute when a cross from the right was converted at the far post by Gavin Hansell. Banbury had by now almost given up any pretentions of scoring any more goals, and they paid the price in the 89th minute when Carl Ramsy netted for Ampthill to make the final score 4-2.
Team :- Fox, Cray, Martin (46 mins. Learoyd), Stanbridge. Milner, Foster, Coleman (55 mins, Hilliard), Benjamin (72 mins. Redknap), Stone, Taylor, Ashton.
Attendance – 28
NUNEATON TOWN 3 BANBURY UNITED 2
Birmingham Senior Cup, 2nd round)
Banbury returned to the scene of their League mishap, three days earlier, and this time they will look upon the result of this game as rather unlucky to say the least.
With both sides making changes from the Friday evening game, it was the home side that settled first, and they took the lead as early as the fourth minute when they were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area. Michael Jacobs fired the kick over the defensive wall and the flight deceived Joe Murrell as it flew past him and into the net.
Six minutes later, the hosts went further ahead when United’s frailties at dead-ball situations came to the fore again when another free-kick saw Jacobs send the ball over the wall to Eddie Nisevic whose bullet-header gave Murrell no chance as the ball flew into the net.
To Banbury’s credit, they never let their heads drop and got back into the game in the 15th minute when they pulled a goal back. Joe Coleman, who was playing a more central midfield role, was fouled wide on the right. Jack Ashton sent the free-kick to the far post where Adam Learoyd rose to head home. They then had bad luck in the 25th minute when Lewis Hilliard broke through the Town defence, but his rising shot beat Mark Roper in the Nuneaton goal but crashed against the crossbar and came down on the line before bouncing to safety, with the Banbury forward remonstrating with the out-of-position assistant that the ball had crossed the line.
Three minutes later, with United well on top, Banbury went close when Ollie Stanbridge fired just wide, but United equalised in the 35th minute in fine style when Coleman won the ball on the edge of the centre-circle and raced towards goal, and using his pace to stay clear of the chasing pack, he slipped the ball past the advancing Roper from just inside the penalty area to level the scores. Two minutes later, United again went close when Nabil Shariff won the ball wide left and crossed into the middle where both Hilliard and Coleman were fractions of an inch from converting into an empty net.
Banbury’s luck was really out in the 45th minute when they won a corner on the right. Ashton sent the ball over and it was met by Learoyd but his header was stopped on the line by Paul Spacey, and as the ball bounced around the penalty area it fell to George Redknap whose shot smashed against the post, came out and hit Danny Pitham in the face and just missed the same post as it went for a corner.
Nuneaton needed the break more than United did, and they used it to settle themselves down, and they came out looking a different team in the second-half. Justin Marsden missed an easy chance in the first minute after the break, and in the 50th minute, Town got what turned out to be the winning goal. Needless to say the chance came from a corner when Spacey was left on the far post in acres of space and he made no mistake.
United went close in the 58th minute when substitute Declan Benjamin sent a fierce cross-shot from the left across the face of the goal and Roper palmed the ball out at full stretch, but unfortunately it went just the wrong side of the attacking Aynsley McDonald, and the chance was gone.
As Banbury tired, Nuneaton took control of things and whilst chances were few, they shut up shop, and hung on to their one goal advantage.
Team :- Murrell, McDonald, Martin, Milner, Learoyd, Redknap, Coleman, Stanbridge (54 mins, Benjamin), Shariff, Hilliard, Ashton (62 mins. Stone). Subs (not used) Taylor, Cray.
Attendance – 207
Banbury showed ultimate respect to an Easington side that boasted thirteen ex-Banbury players in their ranks by fielding a very strong side in this Oxfordshire Senior Cup tie, and a professional performance put them through to the semi-final on Wednesday evening at the Spencer Stadium.
Both sides worked their way into the tie early on, and no chances were given until the 29th minute when United went close following a cross from Declan Benjamin which found Nabil Shariff, but his shot was cleared off the line. Then two minutes later, Lewis Hilliard beat Sports’ offside trap down the right and crossed for George Redknap, but his header went straight at Kurt Fox who gathered confidently. Within 30 seconds, Hilliard came through the middle, and although he beat Fox, his effort ran the wrong side of the post.
Banbury broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when they took the lead in rather fortuitous circumstances. Aynsley McDonald released the ball forward to Joe Coleman who came inside and sent in a fierce shot that struck the unfortunate Sean Lambourne and wrong-footed Fox to register his second goal in successive games. On the stroke of half-time, Fox made a great save when he foiled Benjamin as United’s midfield dynamo was about to stroke the ball home after breaking through the Easington defence.
Four minutes into the second-half, United got the all-important second goal when Nabil Shariff sprinted up the left and crossed for Benjamin to sweep the ball home from 10 yards with a simple, yet devastating goal.
Banbury were now getting well on top and they almost got a third in the 54th minute when Hilliard saw his header strike the top of the crossbar.
Banbury completed the scoring in the 69th minute when the impressive Hilliard moved forward, feinted to pass to Shariff, stepped to the right and fired powerfully home, low in the corner of the net.
Team :- Murrell, Redknap (76 mins. Naylor), Cray, Milner, Learoyd, Stanbridge (67 mins. Foster), Coleman (76 mins. Livous), Benjamin, Shariff, Hilliard, McDonald. Sub. Aston (not used)
Attendance – 171