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He wears a magic hat – Jack Harding is back
Banbury United is pleased to announce Club legend and magic man Jack Harding, as he returns for his 8th consecutive season.
30-year-old goalkeeper Jack Harding has today signed for Banbury United again! He originally came through the Banbury United youth and reserve sides, making his first team debut as a 16-year-old back in April 2009 in a Buckingham Charity Cup semi-final home first leg game against Bicester Town, keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 win. Jack would make another four first team appearances for the Puritans over the next few seasons, all in Cup games, before leaving the club in search of regular first team football.
After a spell with Hellenic League Division One side, Hook Norton, he joined Premier Division side, Ardley United, for the start of the 2013/14 season. Over the course of the next two seasons he established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in the Hellenic League.
Jack returned to Banbury United for the start of the 2015/16 season, playing a key role in that season’s Division One South & West promotion winning side, missing just one league game, and keeping 20 clean sheets in his 41 league appearances. He was then an ever-present in league games for United the following season in their first season back at Premier Division level.
Continually impressing under Mike Ford, when Andy Whing took over, he knew he did not need to look any further to find his Number 1. So the local hero carried on Being United’s Number 1. In the 2020/21 season, Jack played a pivotal role in Banbury United's historic achievement, becoming part of the first side in 48 years to reach the first round proper and featuring on the BBC.
The subsequent season, 2021/22, marked the pinnacle of Jack's career thus far. As a key member of the team, he played a crucial role in Banbury United's title-winning campaign, propelling them to success alongside propelling fans to chant “Jack Harding is magic” all night as we finally won promotion. Despite an unfortunate injury preventing him from participating, he remained instrumental in Banbury United's consecutive appearances in the FA Cup first round against Barrow on ITV.
During the 2022/23 season, Jack reached a remarkable milestone by accumulating a total of 300 appearances across two spells. This notable achievement was accomplished during an away trip to Fylde on January 7th, 2023. The season proved to be a landmark not only in terms of appearances but also in terms of Jack's attacking prowess. In the third round of the Oxfordshire Senior Cup tie against Easington Sports, Jack found the back of the net, scoring his first-ever goal for the Puritans. As he looks forward to the upcoming season with a commendable 320 appearances already under his belt, Jack is excited to contribute to the Club's continued progress, now under Mark Jones, in the Vanarama National League North.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be back. I’ve met Mark Jones and we’ve discussed his potential signings and things look really exciting. There‘s still a long time to go before the start of the season and I’m confident of a successful season ahead,” said Jack Harding.