Banbury United’s FA Trophy campaign came to an end on a wet and wild afternoon in Lincolnshire, with the Puritans finishing the match with nine men after a second-half dismissal and a late reduction in numbers.

Bourne Town took the lead with their first attack in the seventh minute, when Dan Forbes converted a cross from the left to put the hosts ahead, despite Banbury appeals for offside.

Persistent rain and a strong wind made conditions difficult throughout the 90 minutes, affecting the quality of the football for both sides. Banbury enjoyed the greater share of possession and looked to take the initiative, but found it difficult to break down a well-organised Bourne defence.

The contrasting claret and navy-blue kits also became difficult to distinguish as the rain soaked both teams, making it challenging to follow play at times.

Despite falling behind early, United were the more adventurous side and began to establish control. Their efforts were disrupted in the 37th minute when Josh Smile was forced off with a hamstring problem, with Gus Sanches coming on in his place.

Banbury had to wait until the 44th minute for their first shot on target, when Finn Howell unleashed a fierce, low drive from 25 yards that almost caught goalkeeper William Lakin by surprise.

The visitors finished the half strongly and were left frustrated by a major incident in the 45th minute. Sanches outpaced the Bourne defence and rounded Lakin, leaving himself with a clear opportunity to score. As he moved towards goal, a defender challenged him from behind inside the six-yard box. The referee awarded Banbury a corner rather than a penalty, much to the visitors’ dismay.

United emerged from the interval with renewed intent. Sanches went close before AJ George fired wide, but their hopes of mounting a comeback suffered a significant setback in the 52nd minute when Aaron McCreadie was shown a red card, leaving Banbury with ten men.

Two minutes later, Bourne had the ball in the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

Banbury continued to battle despite their numerical disadvantage. Ben Nash and Joel Anker both suffered heavy challenges during the match, with free-kicks awarded on each occasion but no yellow cards shown.

George came close to finding an equaliser in the 69th minute, sending his effort over the crossbar. Anker then tested Lakin with a powerful strike in the 82nd minute, but the goalkeeper survived after fumbling the shot.

United continued to search for a way back into the tie during the closing stages. In the 91st minute, Connor Ferguson thought he had secured a late equaliser, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.

Banbury’s afternoon ended in further frustration as they finished with nine players, bringing their FA Trophy run to a close. Despite dominating possession for long periods and creating opportunities to get back into the game, the early goal proved decisive on a difficult afternoon for the Puritans.

Bourne Town: William Lakin, Josh Burrows, Henry Dunn, Aaron Eyett, Charlie Brooks, Daniel Flack (Freddie Allen, 73), Connor Furey, Jack York, Lewis Darlington (Josh Randall, 83), Dan Forbes, Zacorie Allen (captain).

Substitutes not used: Cheyenne Loureiro, Jaxon Blankley, Harrison McLoughlin.

Banbury United: Jack Harding, Harrison Mole, Finn Howell, Josh Smile (Gus Sanches, 37), Alex Prosser (captain), Oran Jackson, AJ George, Aaron McCreadie, Levi Steele, Joel Anker, Ben Nash (Connor Ferguson, 66).

Substitutes not used: Josh Cavallo, Seb Kola, Emil Lulchev.