Just for one moment, let’s put aside our troubles: our current position in the league table, the comings and goings at the Club about which everyone, as they are entitled, has their opinion…

A little over 10 years ago Scunthorpe United were doing battle in the Championship whilst the Puritans were doing battle in the Southern League some five promotions below. Tomorrow, the Puritans head to the 9,000 capacity Glanford Park to do battle against the Iron. This fixture serves to highlight the progress our club has made in the last decade. Let’s celebrate that, and to every fan making the trip up tomorrow, we hope you enjoy this moment in your Club’s history and have a fantastic day.

Kevin Wilson and his side will be under no illusion at how tough the trip to Scunny will be. Banbury United has faced giants this season and caused upset. We are of course, hoping that tomorrow, Kevin Wilson will register his first win for the Puritans.

Your support, whether there in person, listening on Puritans Radio or following on social media, is acutely appreciated by the players, team management and Club.

Keep tuned in for player move news throughout the day as we await league registrations.

Kick-off is 3pm and tickets can be purchased here until 2.30pm tomorrow (Saturday). Tickets can be purchased from the turnstiles, cash or card, but prices increase at 12 noon.

Banbury United

The Puritans are going through a tough spell currently with only two wins in their last 16 league outings situating the club 22nd in the table and six points adrift of safety, albeit playing three fewer games than Darlington who sit in 20th position. Banbury’s last scheduled league fixture was yet again postponed due to the nationwide downpour at the start of the week and this will see the visit of Boston United rearranged to Tuesday April 16th. Banbury are looking to bounce at the trip to Glanford Park following a sixth straight defeat last Saturday when Southport left Oxfordshire with a 1-0 win.

Banbury have experienced a week which has saw first team coach, Craig McKay, resign from his role. Player Louis Hall was released from the Club. Kevin Wilson has brought in Banbury-born Charlie Wise for his third spell at the club and he made his debut on Saturday in the dying embers off the game.

Banbury have added to the squad by signing attacking players Pa Sulay Njie and Former Barnet U19 Nathaniel Opoku. More additions are expected today. With the fixture on Tuesday postponed, Banbury are still without Manny Maja who is serving the second of his two game suspension. Jack Davies is also suspended for the game.

Scunthorpe United

Scunthorpe United come in this game in an indifferent run of form, which has only seen them pick up three wins from their last ten league fixtures. This sees the ex-Football league club 15 points behind top place Tamworth. However, Jimmy Dean’s side wrote off the wrongs from their 4-0 defeat to Darlington as they reacted with a 5-0 thrashing off Bishop Stortford. Scunthorpe’s quality showed through in the final third thanks to goals from a Danny Whitehall who claimed a hat-trick ending his goal drought running back to the end of last year, a superb strike form Flynn Clarke and a late pile driver from Danny Elliott.
Scunthorpe added to their ranks for the run in with young forward Callum Corbett signed on loan from Peterborough Sports. Liam McAlinden continues his three-match ban following his red card against Chester a fortnight ago, while defender Andrew Boyce serves his one-match suspension following his sending off a week ago. Elsewhere, Jason Law and Callum Roberts are both absent through injury, with Law edging towards involvement, despite a setback in the week, while Roberts is less than a month from contention.

Previous Encounter

There has only been one previous encounter between the two sides. Two fine strikes from Jacob Butterfield were the difference when Scunthorpe visited Banbury last November. Banbury have a chance to put on a show in the Glanford Park, a stadium which boasts an impressive capacity of 9,088. This fixture serves to highlight the progress our club has made in the last decade: on the same weekend Banbury got relegated with a 5-0 defeat away to Corby Town at Step 3 in April 2009, the Irons gained a precious point away at Leicester City in a 2-2 draw to help them secure promotion from League 1 to the Championship!