Banbury United kick off their 2026/27 Pitching In Southern League Premier Central campaign on Saturday afternoon with a trip to Hertfordshire to face Bishop's Stortford at The Grundon Community Stadium with a 3pm kick-off.

Following an encouraging and unbeaten pre-season schedule, anticipation is building ahead of Kelvin Langmead's second season in charge of the Puritans.

After guiding the club to a 12th-place finish in his first campaign in senior football management, Langmead will be hoping his side can take another step forward this term and challenge towards the top end of the table.

The Puritans

United head into the new season full of confidence after completing pre-season unbeaten, rounding off their preparations with a goalless draw away at Quorn FC last weekend.

The Puritans enjoyed a week's rest following that fixture, allowing the squad valuable time to recover and put the finishing touches on preparations ahead of the league opener.

With several new faces arriving over the summer, Saturday's encounter could see a number of players make their competitive debuts in Banbury colours. Among those to have caught the eye during pre-season is Levi Steele, whose energetic displays and attacking threat have already excited the Puritans faithful. The forward will be hoping to carry that form into the league campaign as he prepares for his first competitive appearance for the club.

The Blues

Bishop's Stortford begin their third consecutive season at Step 3 under the guidance of Steve Castle.

The Hertfordshire outfit finished 16th in the Southern League Premier Central last season and will be looking to make a stronger start this time around.

Their final pre-season fixture ended in a 1-1 draw away at Enfield Town, following a mixed summer programme which saw defeats to St Ives Town, Spalding United, Stevenage and Chelmsford City, alongside draws with Takeley and Harlow Town.

Castle has strengthened his squad with a number of new additions ahead of the new campaign. Goalkeeper Max Woodford has arrived from Stevenage, while Alfie Thornett, Joe Nardelli, Usisya Longwe, Dylan Colletti, Tyron Baker and Samuel Okolie have also joined the Blues as they look to improve on last season's league position.

Previous Meetings

Recent meetings between the two clubs have been closely contested.

The last six encounters have produced four draws, with each side claiming one victory apiece.

The Puritans will take confidence from their last visit to The Grundon Community Stadium, where they recorded an impressive 4-1 victory, while the most recent meeting ended in a 1-1 draw at the Spencer Stadium in March.

Puritans LIVE

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Match preview written by Will Hutchinson.