Both sides spent the opening period of play looking to make the breakthrough and to open the scoring, but neither ‘keeper was duly worried and apart from a smart save by Jack Harding in the 2nd minute when he turned a Peter Abimbola effort round the near post for a corner, things evened out as the game wore on.

Tai Fleming looks particularly effective at the back and the defending by his colleagues Nico Jones and Yaw Ofosu is certainly frustrating the hosts attacking options.

New signing Keon Lewis-Burgess caused problems for St Ives down the left, and he is proving to be a bit of a handful for the hosts midfield. After just ten minutes, AJ George put Lewis-Burgess away down the left but his cross was just a bit too strong for Dylan Reason to convert.

As the midway point is reached in the first-half, St Ives are probably edging things but they still can’t force a breakthrough. After 25 minutes it is Banbury that are looking the most likely, and a cross found the head of Ofosu, but his header was just off-target. Both defences were coping well with their oppositions attacking efforts, with Banbury’s defending particularly strong to contain Ives Theo Alexandrou and Jonny Edwards.

Banbury were giving new signing Gedeon Okito his first run after actually transferring to the Puritans from St. Ives on the Friday, and he looked OK on the left of the defence.

Banbury’s best chance fell in the 33rd minute when Jernade Meade handled the ball just outside the penalty area, and George Ball forced home ‘keeper Dan Wilks to make a great save, as he curled the ball around the 5-man defensive wall.

Immediately after the resumption of the second-half, George went close, this time his curling shot from just outside the penalty area went two feet wide of the post. In the 50th minute, Banbury had Harding to thank when Banbury’s ‘keeper saved well at the feet of Edwards, after he had foiled a fierce shot from Alexandrou. He did well again in the 60th minute when he whipped the ball off Alexandrou’s head from a cross from Kobe Chong. Following multi-substitutions from both sides, in an effort to find the net, the game seemed to be petering out for a goal-less draw, until St. Ives took the lead in the 85th minute, in a game that desperately needed a goal. From a terrific double save from point blank range, both shots from George, and then a great clearance from Wilks, and following an unpunished foul on the right touch-line, the hosts pumped the ball into the penalty area where Edwards thumped the ball home, following a low cross from Abimbola.

Banbury now piled everyone forward looking for an equaliser in the last few minutes, and Ofosu was adjudged to have fouled Edwards, and the big striker got up and cleverly sent Harding the wrong way from the penalty spot in the 88th minute to put St. Ives 2-0 up., with his second goal of the game. Banbury’s heads never dropped though and in the 7th minute of time-added-on, United pulled a goal back when George scored his third goal of the season, but unfortunately, time ran out.

St. Ives Town :- Dan Wilks, Jernade Meade, Aaron Smith, Johnny Herd (89 mins. Ed Hottor), Jordan Williams (56 mins. Ethan Creary), Alex Collard (captain), Theo Alexandrou (90 + 2 mins. Silvano Obeng), Peter Abimbola (89 mins. Byron Lawrence), Jonny Edwards, Jordan Nicholson (56 mins. Kobe Chong), Paddy Casey.

Banbury United :- Jack Harding, Harry Reilly, Gedeon Okito (63 mins. Matty Donaldson), Tai Fleming, Yaw Ofosu (captain), Nico Jones, Keon Lewis-Burgess (86 mins. Charlie Donaldson), Archie Hollyhead (73 mins. Claudio Dias), Dylan Reason (63 mins. Harvey Westwood), AJ George, George Ball. Sub (not used) Connor Ferguson)

Attendance - 274