This was a game that the defences were on top in the first twenty minutes with neither side creating clear chances though both were probing and looking to find a way through.

Banbury did have the ball in the back of the net on 24 minutes but the goal was disallowed. A Mark Bell free-kick from midway inside the Burnham half was put into the penalty area where it was headed away but only as far as Jon Steedman just outside the area on the left. Steedman put the ball back into the danger area where Ricky Johnson headed the ball goalwards from six yards out with Zaki Oualah in the Burnham goal doing well to palm the ball out though the following up Leam Howards knocked the ball into the net. However, when Johnson headed goalwards Howards was in an off-side position so the goal was rightly ruled out.

Four minutes later Nic Evangelinos collected the ball on the half way line and surged forward before releasing it to the overlapping Callum White down the right whose shot from 15 yards on the right hand edge of the penalty area went just wide of the far post.

The best chance of the half though would fall Banbury’s way in the 36th minute. Bell slipped the ball through from the half way line for Howards to run onto and he beat the big centre back Callum Whitty for pace but, when through on goal with just Oualah to beat, his touch on this occasion let him down and he over-ran the ball into the grateful arms of the custodian.

It wasn’t the best chance of the half but on 42 minutes we saw the best bit of build-up play from Banbury to create a half chance. The ball began with goalkeeper Jack Harding throwing the ball out to Johnson and then it went through Zac McEacahran, Howards, Jack McLaughlin, Howards (again), Duran Martin and Callum White before Bell shot just wide from the edge of the penalty area.

Banbury had finished the half on top and would take the lead just two minutes into the second period when Bell crossed into the centre from the left hand side bye-line and though this was headed away by Lewis Fogarty it looped up only as far as McEachran on the edge of the area who chested the ball forward to Evangelinos who did well to make room for a shot from 12 yards which went low into the bottom corner of the net.

On 58 minutes Harding had to be alert to knock away a fierce free-kick by Dominic Rhone from just outside the penalty area with Johnson hacking away the rebound before the following up Adam Goldie could get to the ball.

Two minutes later Banbury had another goal disallowed for off-side. McEachran ran in with the ball from the left before passing across to Evangelinos inside the penalty area on the right hand side who then took the ball forward before shooting fiercely across goal from a narrow angle with Howards, in an off-side position, knocking the ball into the back of the net from under the crossbar at the far post.

A minute after this Harding did well to smother and hold a fierce low shot from Carl Davies from the edge of the penalty area.

On 77 minutes it looked like Banbury had made it 2-0. A left hand corner by Bell was headed home by the incoming Johnson from just four yards out. It looked a good clean goal but much to the shock of the United faithful behind the goal the referee saw some infringement, presumably on the custodian, and awarded a free-kick to Burnham.

Banbury were put under some pressure in the final stages of the game as Burnham pushed forward in an attempt to get something out of the game. But Banbury defended well and on the break looked as likely to score as Burnham did. However, with neither side managing to do so the game finished 1-0 to Banbury, a win which moves them up to sixth place in the table, albeit they may well drop down a couple of places after Wednesday’s three matches

Banbury United: Jack Harding, Callum White, Jon Steedman, Duran Martin, Ricky Johnson, Andy Gunn, Nic Evangelinos, Jack McLaughlin (Carl Tappin 58), Leam Howards (Darius Browne 68), Zac McEachran (Brian Bowles 89), Mark Bell. Subs (not used): Bradley Cox, Bradley Partner.

Burnham: Zaki Oualah, James Walters, Haydon Clack, Lewis Fogarty, Callum Whitty, Dominic Rhone, Georges Uhui, Adam Goldie, Tre Mitford, Carl Davies, James Suarez. Sub (used): Shaun Downes. Subs (not used): Mahmoud Kadi, Justin Clayton.

Attendance: 154