After an equal but uneventful opening ten minutes, Redditch soon got to grips with the game and dominated the rest of the first half to such an extent that the ball was rarely out of the Banbury half.

A mixture of poor finishing and to be fair some decent defending meant that Redditch failed to find a way through until as late as the 39th minute when a cross from the right was knocked back to Ashley Sammons in a central position on the edge of the penalty area who fired the ball home past Leigh Bedwell from the edge of the penalty area.

United would have been thankful that they were just the one goal down at the interval but with a reshuffle and three centre-backs being dispensed with for the second period they were much improved when the game re-started.

However, despite now having their fair share of play, United would be rather fortunate not to concede twice in the first quarter of an hour of the half as in the 49th minute Courtney Baker-Richardson hit the post and eight minutes later Leigh Phillips found himself through on goal and though he then took the ball around Bedwell, with an empty net at his mercy, he managed to hit the post, albeit it was a narrow angle it was a chance he really should have put away.

Being just one down and now playing better one sensed the United players believed they could get something out of the game and on 64 minutes they went close to equalising when their best move of the game to that point saw a Shepherd Murombedzi cross from the right reach Leam Howards in a central position 12 yards out who then did well to make room for a shot but Sam Hornby in the Redditch goal did exceptionally well to tip the goal-bound effort away low down to his left.

United were not to be denied the equaliser though as in the 82nd minute a Kynan Isaac free-kick from the left was pumped into the Redditch penalty area. The ball was not cleared and following a scramble Jack Westbrook’s shot from 12 yards went through the home custodian’s hands and into the back of the net.

Though United can count themselves rather fortunate to still have been in the game at half time, one cannot fault the effort put in by all the players during the second half which was duly rewarded.

Whilst United’s hopes of getting out of the bottom three remain slim, with two games in hand on all the teams immediately above them the fat lady continues to have to wait to sing.

Redditch United: Sam Hornby, Jordan Jones, Joel Caines, Calvin Dinsley, Dan Scarr, Calum Flanagan, Leigh Phillips (Ashley Parsons-Smith 74), Simeon Maye, Courtney Baker-Richardson (Serrigne-mor Diop 67), Ashley Sammons (Jerrell Hylton 88), George Carline. Subs (not used): Max Loveridge, Ryan Young.

Banbury United: Leigh Bedwell, Jacob Daffern, Marvin Martin, Tom Fishwick (Jacob Walcott 46), Jack Westbrook, Tom Ryan, Jordan Green (Shepherd Murombedzi 53), Luke Cray (Darius Browne 79), Leam Howards, Kynan Isaac, Carl Tappin. Subs (not used): Nathaniel Lewars, Frankie Baigent.

Attendance: 285