BANBURY UNITED 3 NORTH LEIGH 0 (Oxfordshire Senior Cup, played at Oxford City FC)
Banbury moved through to this season’s Oxfordshire Senior Cup Final with a very professional performance against a North Leigh side that had been unbeaten in their previous thirteen games.
United registered their intentions as early as the opening minute when Joe Coleman crossed from the right to Marvin Martin on the left, who headed back into the middle to Lewis Hilliard. He in turn pushed the ball into the path of Daclan Benjamin who saw his shot just miss the post from the edge of the box.
Two minutes later as Banbury surged forward, Martin forced a corner on the left. Coleman’s flag=kick was sent into the middle where Adam Learoyd’s header was just too high. However, United’s early dominance paid off in the 13th minute when Benjamin was on hand to fire a fierce shot from the edge of the box which fooled teenage ‘keeper Adam Lonsdale as it went through him at the foot of the post.
Banbury went further ahead in the 30th minute when Coleman, wide on the right, played the ball into the middle to Hilliard who played a great pass into the path of Martin, on the left. He easily went clear of the North Leigh defence before planting a fine finish wide of the advancing Lonsdale to register his first goal for United.
United went 3-0 up in the 38th minute in rather fortunate manner when Hilliard chased down the right for a ball which looked to be going out of play by the corner flag, but somehow Hilliard smashed the ball across from within a yard of the flag, and at the last moment the ball screwed into the top corner, giving the surprised Lansdale no chance.
The game was basically now over by the interval, and the second-half belonged to North Leigh as Banbury sat back on their three-goal advantage. In the 64th minute, Leigh were unlucky when a free-kick hit the crossbar, but this apart, United weathered the storm and used their substitutes to protect players for this Saturday.
After being under pressure for most of the half, United finished the stronger, and young Youth player Harrison Foster was unlucky when a fierce shot from 20 yards deflected off a defender and was tipped up onto the crossbar by Lonsdale to safety, as Banbury finished worthy winners.
Team :- Scott, Stanbridge, Ashton, Milner, Learoyd, Redknap, Coleman (74 mins. Shariff), Benjamin (64 mins. Foster), Hilliard (86 mins. Livous), Taylor, Martin. Sub. Stone (not used)
Attendance – 110