Banbury United Women would like to extend their sincere thanks to Philip and Glen at Hornton FC for kindly making their pitch available, allowing this fixture to go ahead following flooding at our home ground.

Banbury started the match brightly and almost took the lead inside the opening minute. Melissa Tovey pressed high to dispossess a Thame defender, but her early effort flew just over the crossbar. The positive start set the tone, and the home side looked confident in possession.

Against the run of play, it was Thame who opened the scoring with their first counter-attack in the 5th minute. Banbury responded well, showing resilience and composure, and were rewarded on 12 minutes when Rachel Aspinall finished from close range to bring the scores level.

That equaliser sparked a dominant spell for Banbury. Melissa Tovey enjoyed a remarkable three-minute period, completing a superb hat-trick with goals in the 25th, 26th and 27th minutes to give Banbury a commanding lead at the break.

The second half began in the same positive manner, with Kyra Cotter extending the advantage in the 48th minute. Banbury continued to control proceedings, and further goals from Melissa Tovey (68) and Natasha Meadows (70) capped off an emphatic performance.

The 7–1 victory marks Banbury United Women’s first win of the season and was a fitting reward for the hard work, commitment and togetherness shown by the entire squad.

Next fixture: Banbury United Women welcome Longford Park at home. We hope to see you there as we continue to play brave.