After a disastrous journey gave United just 15 minutes to warm up, and cause a 45 minute delay in the kick-off time, Banbury reacted in the best possible way by taking the game to Bashley from the first whistle, showing no reaction from their five hour coach trip, and they soon took command of the game.

They took the lead in the 14th minute following an individual run from Glenn Walker which after beating three defenders resulted in a free-kick just outside the penalty area. The initial kick was cleared for a corner, and when Joe Coleman swung the ball in from the left, Liam Dolman headed over the line to open the scoring.

United were now well on top, and it looked only a matter of time before they would score again as they pushed forward. Bashley had no answer to the surging forward play of Walker and Ben Polk on the left and Ollie Stanbridge on the right, and with Will Green and Aaron Woodley looking very mobile up front, the home side were struggling.

Banbury increased their lead in the 38th minute when Walker came forward, this time on the right and drove a powerful shot goalward, and the giant home ‘keeper David Elm could only push the ball out and Woodley rushed in to slot the ball home from a narrow angle to double the score.

Three minutes into the second half, United should have increased their lead when Walker got control on the right, cut back from the bye-line and outpaced his marker before sending in a well flighted left-foot cross into the middle where Sam Youngs evaded the home defence, but his point-blank header was too high and the chance was gone.

The goal of the game came in the 54th minute when young Green outpaced three Bashley defenders and moved into the penalty area before calmly slotting the ball past Elm to make the game safe for Banbury.

It was only after this goal that Bashley came to life and after a couple of substitutions, when they brought on Carl Foster and Stefan Penny, they made United defend seriously for the first time in the game. In the last quarter of the game, Liam Green went close with a fierce shot and Banbury ‘keeper Andy Kemp made a fantastic double save from James Stokoe and Dave Allen, before Luke Whitley forced him to tip the ball over for a corner, all in the same attack.

In the 79th minute, Youngs went close with a 25-yard effort which easily beat Elm, but also went a foot wide of the far post, but it was United that then finished the stronger again, and they were well worth the three points in a rare victory in Hampshire.

United have five players who can comfortably take the ball past the opposition on a regular basis, and this bodes well if we can keep the team together, because there will be few teams in this League that can stop Polk, Walker, Green, Williams and Coleman from cutting through the defences.

Bashley: David Elm, Jack Smith, Chris Ferrett (Carl Foster 59), Gary Middleton, Luke Whitley, Matt Vokes (Stefan Penny 46), Tom Hill, Dave Allen, James Stokoe, Mark Gamble, Liam Green. Subs (not used): Paul Gazzard, Jason Brookes, Dan Molyneux.

Banbury United: Andy Kemp, Ollie Stanbridge, Ben Polk (Lewis Travers 69), Ben Thackeray, Liam Dolman, Martin Hutchcox, Sam Youngs (Justin Dowling 86), Joe Coleman, Will Green (Simeon Williams 84), Aaron Woodley, Glenn Walker. Sub (not used): Ady Fuller.

Attendance – 202