Banbury got off to a lightning start, and could have been three goals up in the opening three minutes. Firstly, Jaanai Gordon had the ball whipped off his foot as he shot in the 6-yard box, and then the same happened to Ryan Nesbit as Rushden desperately defended their goal. Dias then went close in the third minute.

However, from their first foray into the Banbury area, the Diamonds took the lead in the 5th minute when United failed to clear a long throw from the left, a problem that seemed to be left over from the Biggleswade game, and Jordan MacLeod smashed the ball home from an angled drive from the left, about 10 yards out.

Jack Harding saved Banbury twice in the same attack in the 17th minute when he charged down two point-blank efforts as Rushden strived to increase their lead. United however, weathered the storm and came back strongly looking for a deserved equaliser, and it was certainly worth watching when it arrived in the 30th minute. Kynan Isaac did very well on the left and slipped the ball inside to Gordon. He made himself some room, and let fly from the corner of the penalty area, and the ball flew into the top corner, with Rushden 'keeper Ben Heath just a spectator as the ball went in off the underside of the crossbar.

However, it took Rushden just four minutes to restore their lead when Morgan Roberts drove the ball home with a fierce drive, again from the left, as United failed to clear the danger.

Rushden threw away a golden chance to make the game safer when Connor Roberts was adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area, earning a yellow card, which would prove costly before the final whistle, but in the 45th minute Ben Farrell blasted the spot-kick over the crossbar and indeed the stand behind the goal, to let United off.

In the second half Banbury came out strongly and had the majority of the possession, pinning the home team in their half However the pressure did not lead to any clear-cut goal threat. Charlie Hawtin saw a cross shot palmed away by Heath and two Rasulo free kicks almost produced the equaliser, one shaving the outside of the post, the other batted away by Heath.

Banbury's misery increased when Lee Henderson limped off with a knee injury on the hour and Connor Roberts sent off for a second yellow, amongst a flurry of yellows awarded to the away side. Despite playing with 10 men for the last 10 minutes it was Banbury on top but Rushden who held out for the points.

AFC Rushden & Diamonds :- Ben Heath, Zack Reynolds, Sam Brown, Ryan Hughes, Liam Dolman, Alex Collard, Morgan Roberts (84 mins. Ben Acquaye), Ben Farrell, Ryan Dove (55 mins. Jack Bowen), Jordan MacLeod (77 mins. Jesse Akubuine).
Subs not used: Matthew Slinn, Niall Cooper.

Banbury United :- Jack Harding, Connor Roberts, Kynan Isaac, Jack Westbrook, Charles Hawtin, Giorgio Rasulo, Pablo Haysham (70 mins. Amer Awadh), Claudio Dias, Ryan Nesbitt (84 mins. Denilson Silva), Lee Henderson (68 mins. Gedeon Okito), Jaanai Gordon.
Subs not used: Eddie Odhiambo, Kobe Chong.

Man of the Match, as selected by Puritans Radio – Giorgio Rasulo

Attendance – 382

Photo: Janaai Gordon hits Banbury's equaliser