In this Southern League Cup game, because of the forthcoming FA Cup tie, manager Andy Whing decided to put out a starting line-up that only included one of the players involved in the TA Trophy game at Corby and indeed no player that would be starting in the FA Cup against Barrow.

His bravery paid off though, with the Puritans increasing their unbeaten start to the season to nineteen games, and the only team that are still unbeaten this season at this level and above is Liverpool, a record that everyone should be really proud of. However, the game was only literally 30 seconds old when Banbury gifted Thame a dream start when ‘captain for the day’ Harry Reilly saw his back pass fall woefully short and Thame captain Ryan Blake poked the ball past debut ‘keeper MacKenzie Chapman to put the visitors a goal to the good.

After such a disastrous start such as this, Thame took control of the game, and put Banbury under some pressure, which was not too surprising considering that most of the home players had not even met before, let alone played together. Yet Banbury almost got an equaliser when a Thame defender managed to head the ball against his own crossbar in the 20th minute, during Banbury’s first attack. Banbury started to get into the game and just two minutes later, Ethan Johnston was unlucky when he sent in a powerful shot which screamed just wide of the far post with ‘keeper Craig Hill well beaten. Then in the 28th minute, Hill made a good save to deny Johnston’s header following a free-kick. In the 34th minute, Henry Landers went close when Hill turned his fierce drive round for a corner, but when Reilly sent the flag kick over, new signing Chinedu Osadebe sent a brilliant looping header into the top corner to equalise for Banbury. This was the goal that was to spur Banbury into something of an improvement in form, and they took the lead in the first minute of first half injury time when Johnston smashed the ball home when Thame failed to clear from a home free-kick.

Banbury took complete control in the second-half, and it looked only a matter of time before they added to their goal tally, and the third goal arrived in the 57th minute when Osadebe sent in a thundering 20 yard effort into the roof of the net. The victory was sealed five minutes later when Jay Williams scored following a goalmouth melee, when he poked the ball home from close in.

As a consolation Thame got a goal back when, after scoring in the opening 30 seconds, Blake added his and Thame’s second in the final 30 seconds, following another goalmouth melee.

Banbury United :- Mackenzie Chapman, Richard Platt, Jash Alibashi-Mann (46 mins. Jack Finch), Jay Williams, Henry Landers (74 mins. Ethan Champkins), Chinedu Osadebe, Curtis Green, Ashley Thompson, Brandon Patterson, Ethan Johnston, Harry Reilly (78 mins. Isaac Harrington). Subs (not used) Ben Taylor.

Thame United :- Craig Hill (64 mins. Charlie Barnett), Lewis Thorne, David Lynn, Kyle Bestley, Harry Pepham, Jack Tutton, Matthew Peake-Pijnen, Lynton Goss, Jack Tompkins, Daniel West, Ryan Blake. Subs Andrew Gledhill, Callum Mapley,
Ben Johnson.

Attendance – 305