Banbury boss felt his side deserved a win at Bedford

Janaai Gordon arrives to net Banbury's equaliser at Bedford. Photo: BUFC.

Simon Hollyhead felt a poor start to the second-half was key to the outcome of Banbury United’s game at Bedford Town on Saturday, as his side earned a 2-2 draw.

Banbury went in front on the half-hour mark when a corner whipped onto Forsyth's head forced a fantastic save from the Bedford keeper. However, the rebound fell kindly to Claudio Dias who made no mistake, scoring his first goal since returning to the club to give Banbury a 1-0 lead.

Bedford turned things around early in the second-half. First, Leon Lobjoit capitalised on a defensive lapse to level the score at 1-1.

Then Bedford struck again, taking a 2-1 advantage in the 51st minute with a well-taken goal by Lewis Hilliard.

Banbury responded valiantly and found their equaliser through a corner in the 66th minute. Harry Reilly delivered a perfectly placed cross into the box, which Dias headed back across goal. Waiting in position, Jaanai Gordon capitalised by bundling the ball into the bottom-right corner, reigniting Banbury’s hopes and putting them back in the game.

It then took a stunning save late in the game by Bedford’s keeper to deny Banbury a winner, but Hollyhead was pleased with his side’s display when talking to Puritans Radio afterwards.

He said: “It was all action – goals, decisions, exciting moments, and mostly in their box if we’re honest and we’re a bit disappointed to come away with a 2-2.

"It almost ebbed and flowed too much which is why we changed shape. I thought we were really good in the first-half and on another day we’d have been two up at half-time.

"We can’t start like that in the first ten minutes of the second-half. That ultimately had an impact in the outcome of the game as for 90 per cent of it we showed tremendous resilience and determination to come here against a side who are free-scoring and have two of the best strikers in the league and take the game to them, so great credit to the lads.”

Banbury return home this weekend as they welcome Spalding United, before another home game next Tuesday night when title-chasers Kettering Town will be the visitors as they look to use their games in hand to return to the top of the SPL Premier Central table in the coming weeks.