Banbury United secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Spalding United at The Spencer Stadium, showcasing resilience and attacking brilliance to claim all three points.

The Puritans took an early lead through a moment of magic from Jaanai Gordon, who unleashed a stunning strike from 25 yards that left the Spalding goalkeeper helpless. The early goal set the tone for Banbury, who maintained pressure throughout the first half, with Gordon again going close from a free kick just before the break. Spalding, however, had their chances, with Sano-Sani attempting an ambitious bicycle kick that sailed over.

Spalding came out fighting in the second half and found their equalizer scored by Nyahwema, broke dangerously forcing Harding into a save before the visitors capitalized on their momentum. Banbury responded by making changes, with Joel Odei-Larbi coming on for his debut and George Ball introduced late on.

The decisive moment came in the 78th minute, when Alex Prosser produced yet another stunning long-range strike, blasting the ball into the net with immense power to restore Banbury’s lead. Spalding pushed for a late equalizer, but Harding pulled off a crucial last-minute save to deny them and secure the win for the Puritans.

Banbury United :- Jack Harding, Harry Reilly, Gedeon Okito, Alex Prosser, Yaw Ofosu (captain), Tai Flemming, George Forsyth, Connor Stanley (46 mins. Connor Ferguson), Jaanai Gordon , Tim King (85 mins. George Ball), Dan Jarvis (66 mins. Joel Odei-Larbi). Subs (not used): Nico Jones, Archie Hollyhead, Claudio Dias

Spalding United :- Aaron Chapman, James Clifton, Nathan Fox, Glenn Walker (captain), Sam Cartwright, Dan Lawlor, Dion Sembie-Ferris (85 min. Jonathan Ngadu), Lamine Sherif, Bart Cybulski, Mani Sani, Joseph Nyahwema. Subs (not used): Khanya Leshabela, Callum Chettle