In a game that was a brilliant advert for non-league football, Banbury managed to get the only goal of the game in the third minute of time-added-on, after missing a penalty just 15 minutes into proceedings.

The first chance of the game fell to AJ George in the 11th minute with a fierce shot from just outside of the penalty area, which whistled no more than a foot over the crossbar. The best chance of the afternoon fell just four minutes later when George was brought down as he raced along the bye-line, but visiting ‘keeper Thomas Jackson made an incredible fingertip save to touch George’s spot-kick round the post for a corner.

United went close again in the 19th minute when George Ball forced Jackson into another fine save with a tremendous shot, and when the rebound fell to him, he put his reply over the crossbar.

Most of the first-half chances fell to Banbury but Stamford were by no means spectators in the action, but they failed to impose themselves on Jack Harding’s goal, such was the dominance of Banbury’s defending.

But if anything, the Daniels were proving to be worthy of their top-of-the-table position, and Banbury had to be very aware of the visitors’ skills, as they probably edged possession, before the interval.

For the opening ten minutes after the break, the game could have swung either way, and Ball was again unlucky when his shot in the 56th minute from outside of the penalty area, went very close to the far post, as both sets of players tried all they knew to break the deadlock.

The final spell of the game was elongated by an incredible extra nine and a half minutes of time-added-on as both sides put some caution to the wind in search of the all-too-valuable three points.

It was Banbury who looked the slightly fitter of the two sides and they were certainly looking the more likely to trouble the scoreboard. And then it happened.

Yet another attack up the right saw the ball played into the middle, and three minutes into time-added-on, the ball was played to Harry Reilly who placed his shot to the ‘keepers’ right, and just inside the far post, and the ground erupted. The final six minutes of extra time seemed like an eternity.

Attendance - 778