The near gale force wind at times made this a difficult game for both sets of players and the first ten minutes were uneventful as both sides acclimatised to the conditions. However, at this point United would take the lead when Zac McEachran picked up the ball in midfield and took it to the edge of the Slimbridge penalty are before passing it through to Leam Howards down the right hand side of the penalty area whose shot hit the post with the ball coming back into the path of the running on McEachran who knocked the ball home from six yards.

Four minutes later it was 2-0 when McEachran again picked up the ball in midfield and took it to the edge of the visitors’ penalty area before this time passing to Duran Martin down the right hand side who then shot across George Burton in the Slimbridge goal into the far corner of the net.

Slimbridge responded well to going 2-0 down though and posed some questions for the Banbury defence over the next quarter of an hour. In the 23rd minute a shot from the overlapping Adam Mace down the left from a narrow angle went across Jack Harding in the Banbury goal but fortunately for the home side inches wide of the far post.

Banbury would go close to making it 3-0 in the 32nd minute when excellent passing build up play involving McEachran, George Nash, Darius Browne and Ricky Johnson ended with Browne’s shot from the edge of the penalty area striking the post before coming out and being cleared.

Slimbridge had a better spell in the last ten minutes of the half. A low cross from the left by Mace saw Sean Lawson’s shot from six yards out deflected wide by Jack Westbrook and then a minute before the interval Harding had to tip an 18 yard shot from Sean Lawson around the post for a corner.

Ten minutes into the second half, Harding came to United’s rescue when the ball was needlessly given away in midfield with Lawson finding Mace whose shot from a narrow angle on the left had to be kicked away by the feet of the Banbury custodian at the near post.

On 69 minutes a fierce on target 20 yard shot from George Nash saw Edward Ward do well to head the ball over the bar from the 12 yard line.

Banbury would though make it 3-0 in the 80th minute when a short corner routine on the right saw a cross come in from Mark Bell with the ball then falling on the edge of the penalty area to Louis Joyce who laid the ball across into the path of Martin who then drove the ball with pace and precision from two yards outside the penalty area into the bottom corner of the net for his second goal of the game.

However, just 25 seconds after the re-start and Slimbridge had been awarded a penalty when some less than impressive defending prior to the incident saw Andy Gunn then bundle over Jack Twyman just inside the penalty area, Slimbridge’s leading goalscorer Paul Fahy competently converted the spot-kick but it was too little too late for the visitors.

In the conditions this was never going to be a classic but it was a fully deserved win for Banbury and after their opening two goal salvo in the first fifteen minutes it was relatively comfortable.

United are now unbeaten in their last nine league games and have won seven of them. The three points this afternoon moves United up to fourth place.

Banbury United: Jack Harding, Callum White, Miles Welch-Hayes, Duran Martin, Jack Westbrook, Andy Gunn, Zac McEachran, George Nash (Ollie Stanbridge 82), Ricky Johnson (Louis Joyce 75), Leam Howards, Darius Browne (Mark Bell 68). Subs (not used) Charlie Wise, Jon Steedman.

Slimbridge: George Burton, Sam Turl, Adam Mace, Ryan Thwaite, Richard Thwaite, Edward Ward, Jack Twyman, Alex Hoyle (Dean Turner 60), Sean Lawson (Jamie Martin 70) , Paul Fahy, Sam Babatunde (Callum Brown 51). Subs (not used): None.

Attendance: 234