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Match report – Hednesford Town 2 Banbury Utd 0

Match report – Hednesford Town 2 Banbury Utd 0

. Webmaster18 Sep 2019 - 20:02
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A bad night in the Black Country

Before this game, both sides occupied a top four position in the League, although it will probably be another couple of months before the League positions start to sort themselves out.

As early as the second minute, the Pitmen stated their intentions when a left wing cross from Osebi Abadaki was headed against the post by James Hurst, and Jack Harding pounced on the loose ball to keep the scoreline blank.

With a quarter-hour gone, Banbury saw their best chance when Claudio Dias set John Mills free and with just home custodian Daniel Platt to beat the ‘keeper made a brilliant one-on-one save to deny United the opening goal. There were times when it looked like ‘late foul open season’ as far as the home side were concerned which was not helped by the referee, whilst not missing the fouls, would only give a free-kick, and stubbornly refused to get a yellow card out, which would obviously have reduced this sort of play. Then in the 23rd minute, Banbury went close again when, following yet another free-kick, wide on the right, the ball was played to the far post where Connor Roberts took the ball along the bye-line and his near-post pass was touched in to the side netting by Lee Henderson. Shortly afterwards another rough challenge on Giorgio Rasulo on the edge of his own penalty area brought his evening to an end when he was forced to leave the field of play with an injury, and he was substituted in the 30th minute.

The all-important opening goal arrived during first-half injury time when new signing Tom Elliott drove into the penalty area, and Harding brought him down to give away a penalty. Hurst stepped up to send an unstoppable spot-kick home to give Hednesford an interval lead.

In the second-half, it was basically all Hednesford going forward, and Banbury hardly threatened the home penalty area for long periods of the game. The home side went the closest to scoring with efforts from Reece King being blocked, and Harding making an incredible one-handed save from Elliott, who should have done better. However, persistent pressure from the Pitmen, eventually paid off when, in the 87th minute, substitute Danny Glover went past the United defence and rounded the stranded Harding to slot the ball home and give a more realistic scoreline, in a game that Banbury would
probably rather forget.

Hednesford Town :- Daniel Pratt, Matthias Curley, Samuel Griffiths, Ben Bailey (captain), Kieran Morris, Reece King, James Hurst, Kristian Scott (46 mins. Bradley Wells), Kieran Wells (75 mins. Daniel Glover), Tom Elliott (90 + 8 mins. Thomas Fry).
Subs not used: Billy Daniels, Charlie Gatter.

Banbury United :- Jack Harding, Connor Roberts, Gedeon Okito (81 mins. Ricky Johnson), Jack Westbrook (captain), Charles Hawtin, Giorgio Rasulo (30 mins. Anderson Cayola Villarroel), Pablo Haysham, Claudio Dias, Roger Ngaah Bosio (46 mins. Jaanai Gordon), Lee Henderson, John Mills.
Subs not used: Eddie Odhiambo, Denilson Silva.

Attendance – 388

Further reading