Banbury United's FA Cup hopes are ended

Banbury United’s Emirates FA Cup adventure was ended as they were beaten 2-1 by Canvey Island at a near-deserted Banbury Plant Hire Community Stadium.

The Puritans were looking to reach the second round proper for the first time in their history but, in the end, they were left devastated as they were beaten by lower-ranked opponents.

Banbury had the ball in the net early on but the whistle had long gone for a foul.

Canvey drew the first save of the day out of Jack Harding who helped Tobi Joseph’s effort over the crossbar but it was the visitors who broke the deadlock on 23 minutes.

Conor Hubble beat a couple of defenders in the area and he made no mistake with a fierce left-footed shot that flew past Harding.

Banbury did all they could to respond in the first half.

Giorgio Rasulo’s deflected shot cannoned back off the crossbar and the woodwork came to Canvey’s rescue again before half-time when Haysham’s effort took a wicked deflection but, with Bobby Mason wrong-footed, it struck the outside of the post.

Canvey came close to a second when Jack Self cleared Elliott Ronto’s shot off the line which came from an indirect free-kick which Harding was forced to pick up after slipping when a back pass was sent back to him.

But Banbury drew level on 67 minutes when Rasulo played in Henry Landers down the right and his low cross was stabbed home at the near post by Ricky Johnson.

However, they were level for just four minutes.

The visitors sent a free-kick into the area, it was headed down and Ronto fired home from 15 yards to give Canvey the advantage again.

Both Evans Kouassi and Joseph fired over the bar as Canvey wasted a couple of chances on the counter-attack with Banbury pushing for an equaliser.

Substitute Amer Awadh and Rasulo both tested Mason before the end but, for all their possession, Banbury couldn’t find an equaliser as Canvey saw things out.

Banbury: Harding; Roberts, Langmead, Westbrook, Brown; Rasulo, Self, Heysham (sub Finch, 64 mins, sub Constable, 78 mins); Landers, Johnson, Morrison (sub Awadh, 55 mins). Subs not used: Hawtin, Endall, Heap, B Hall

Canvey Island: Mason; Humphreys, Finneran, M Hall, Sampayo; Ronto, Salmon, Hubble, Chatting (sub Girdlestone, 83 mins); Joseph, Kouassi (sub Silva, 87 mins). Subs not used: Lacey, Hunt, Blackwell, Harris, Simms.

Referee: Lewis Smith.

Goals: Hubble (22 mins, 0-1), Johnson (67 mins, 1-1), Ronto (71 mins, 1-2),

Bookings: Kouassi (unsporting behaviour), M Hall, Chatting (both fouls),