Ford takes the positives after seeing Puritans extend run

The Evo-Stik League South game was overshadowed by events close by after the game was held up for 45 minutes to allow the Thames Valley Air Ambulance to land on the pitch to attend and accident at an industrial unit adjacent to the Banbury Plant Hire Community Stadium. The players were taken off shortly after kick-off to allow medics to attend the casualty and Ford said it was a difficult time for all concerned.

Ford said: “It was difficult circumstances in which to play because obviously there had been a serious incident and that puts football into perspective. Sat around waiting for the game to restart, you are thinking about someone who is in a serious position and then on their way to hospital.”

It was a fourth unbeaten premier division central game on the spin for the Puritans but Ford knew his side missed a chance to take all three points.

He said: “We would have won the game if we had taken our chances. We can talk about a tight game but we should have got three points.

“Both sides tried to win it and, if you judge it on that, then we deserved to but we didn’t quite get across the line. But six weeks ago we would have got beat in that type of game, so I see it as four games unbeaten.

“We started the game really well again but then the opposition began to defend deeper and we didn’t deal with that, we went too long and didn’t play enough football. It was a tough game and it’s a tight division, we’ve got a point and kept a clean sheet.

“One goal was always going to be enough and John Mills created something out of nothing but should have scored. John has looked sharp in training and I felt it was the right time for him to start a game.”