Report by Dave Shadbolt
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A stoppage-time goal from Giorgio Rasulo took United through after they had squandered a two-goal lead to trail in the second half.

Both sides showed a few changes in their line-ups but were in the main as near full-strength as their suspension and injury lists allowed.

United were on top from the first whistle and quickly took complete control of the game, and North Leigh found it difficult to find any sort of rhythm as the game progressed.

However, it took until the 14th minute before the first meaningful chance fell Banbury's way, when John Mills went close from a narrow angle, his shot just clearing the crossbar. Two minutes later, the impressive Mohammed Ahmed screwed the ball back from the bye-line into the path of Mills, whose shot was deflected for a corner by Ben Brown. United were not to be denied though, and they got the opening goal in the 20th minute when Ahmed managed to get the ball from the bye-line to Mills, who made himself a better angle before blasting the ball home from 10 yards.

Banbury doubled their lead in the 24th minute when Ahmed latched on to a through ball from Mills and hit a fierce shot into the net, with 'keeper Charlie Twiss not getting a strong enough touch to divert the ball away. Banbury were so dominant during the first half that it looked like they were going to bury the home side, who were finding it difficult to make any impression in the game. However, as is sometimes the way in football, an incident in the first minute of first-half injury-time changed the outlook of the game for the rest of the evening. With absolutely no danger whatsoever, United's 'keeper Jack Harding, instead of clearing the ball easily, was caught in possession needlessly, and George Seacole tapped the ball into the net to pull North Leigh back into the game.

The change in the home side's outlook and performance was plain to see as the second-half got under way, and they realised that they were only one goal down, after being outplayed for three-quarters of an hour, and they started to have more belief in themselves, urges on from the back by former United captain Andy Gunn, and it was little surprise when they grabbed the equaliser in the 57th minute when Ross Edwards fired home from close quarters.

The inevitable happened in the 65th minute when North Leigh took an unlikely lead when, five minutes after he came on, substitute Tyriq Hunte smashed the ball home from the right, after Banbury failed to clear the danger. Banbury at last started to live up to their stature in League placings and they went very close in the 77th minute when Giorgio Rasulo went close from an effort on the right when he beat Twiss, only to see his shot just clear the crossbar. The equaliser came two minutes later with Banbury pushing numbers forward, and Jaanai Gordon beat his marker on the right bye-line, his cross giving Mills the easy task of tapping the ball home from inside the six-yard box.

Banbury went very close to getting the winner in the 88th minute when at last, a right-wing cross came into the middle and Gordon was unlucky when his header was too high, going two feet over the bar. Banbury were almost laying siege to the Millers' goal, looking for the winning goal which would save the trauma of a penalty shoot-out, and in the first minute of time-added-on, Anderson Cayola had his shot from the edge of the box stopped on the goal-line by a fine one-handed save from Twiss, who grabbed the ball at the second attempt to thwart United. However, it was just a matter of time because in the third minute of injury time, Rasulo got the all-important winner from a narrow angle to put United into the next round.

North Leigh :- Charlie Twiss, Roger James (72 mins. Joshua Dutton-Black), Ross Edwards, Rory Linford-Pill, Ben Brown, Andy Gunn, George Seacole (58 mins. Tyriq Hunte), George Mitchell-Gears, Billy Gillett (72 mins. Jackson Cowans), Aaron Woodley, Warren McSkelly.
Subs (not used) Harry Grant, Ekow Elliott.

Banbury United :- Jack Harding, Gedeon Okito, Eddie Odhiambo, Jack Westbrook, Charlie Hawtin, Pablo Haysham, Claudio Dias, Kobe Chong (46 mins. Anderson Cayola Villarroel), Roger Ngaah Bosio (58 mins. Giorgio Rasulo), John Mills, Mohammed Ahmed (65 mins. Jaanai Gordon).
Subs (not used) Connor Roberts, Ryan MacDonald

Attendance – 91

Man of the Match as selected by Puritans Radio – John Mills