Saturday 10th January 1970 and the 516 spectators at the Spencer Stadium were witness to one of the most remarkable comebacks and impressive individual performances from a United team and player in the club’s history.

The game was a Southern League First Division encounter against Rugby Town. The headline in the following week’s Banbury Guardian was “Tony Foster Wrecks Rugby”, the opening paragraph of the report read “A swarm of delighted fans clapped the 11 Banbury players off the pitch on Saturday after one of the most exciting games ever seen at The Stadium.”

Former United players Colin Holder and Jimmy Knox played a big part in establishing Rugby a three-goal lead. Mick Keeley scored two for Rugby in the first 20 minutes and they went further ahead with a goal from future United player Ernie Ward just 30 seconds after the interval.

Foster scored for Banbury on the hour though few would, at that point, have predicted what was to come! Just fifteen minutes later he had scored three more and set the Banbury fans into ecstasy.

United manager Johnny Crichton was so excited by his team’s revival that he was almost speechless after the game but after regaining his composure, he paid tribute to what he described, despite Foster’s four goals, as “essentially a team effort”.

Banbury United: Stewart Rennie, Cyril Beavon, Terry Jeakings, Colin Moulsdale, Roger Darvell, Bob Haynes, Alan Hellyer, Tony Bradbury, Barry Kelcher, Tony Foster, Steve Lee. Sub: Pete Svenson.

This photo shows the Banbury United team that afternoon against Rugby:

Back Row (Left to Right): Pete Svenson, Cyril Beavon, Roger Darvell, Stewart Rennie, Bob Haynes, Steve Lee, Terry Jeakings.

Front Row (Left to Right): Barry Kelcher, Tony Bradbury, Colin Moulsdale, Alistair Smillie (mascot), Tony Foster, Alan Hellyer.

.A Rugby player sprawls full length as Foster slots home goal number one.

.Foster watches his shot beat the Rugby goalkeeper for his second.

.Two Rugby defenders arrive too late to stop Foster equalising
.

.Foster watches intently after firing in the shot which produced Banbury’s winner

Scan of Match report from Banbury Guardian

.
Tony Foster joined Banbury United from Brentwood Town in the summer of 1969. He had made a big impression at the Spencer Stadium the previous season when Brentwood came to Banbury, a local newspaper match report for the mid-August game said “Full back Jim Cassidy had a hectic evening trying to contain the speedy Tony Foster on the left flank.”

After two seasons as United’s leading goalscorer, Tony left to join West Midland League side Tamworth for season 1971/72 and was appointed their player/manager part way through that season. Tony returned to Banbury for the start of season 1972/73 teaming up to form a lethal twin strike force with club record goalscorer Tony Jacques until, as a consequence of him moving out of the area, he joined Basingstoke Town in March 1974. Tony scored in all competitions for United 140 goals in 224 appearances.

The game against Rugby Town was not the only time Tony scored four goals for United in a game. Photo below shows Tony scoring one of his four goals as United beat Canterbury City 8-1 in a Southern League game on Saturday 28th November 1970. Chris Riley got a hat-trick that day with Steve Lee getting the other Banbury goal.

.

.
.