‘Fantastic’ Banbury United midfielder earns special praise from manager after difficult start
Joshua Cavallo is settling nicely into life at Banbury United - at least on an individual basis - after a rocky start.
The 26-year-old joined the Puritans in the summer following spells at Peterborough Sports and Stamford AFC but an injury stunted his progress before he could even get started.
Throughout the first few matches, all Cavallo could do was watch on but he’s now back to fitness and thriving off the back of his first two Banbury starts.
On his first, against Exmouth Town in the FA Cup first qualifying round, Cavallo scored a cracking goal, finding the top right-hand corner from the edge of the box. The Puritans lost 2-1 but it was a big moment for the Aussie.
Then, on his second start, Cavallo assisted striker Levi Steele with a terrific driven cross into the area after a short corner.
Banbury also lost that game 2-1, against Leiston, but manager Kelvin Langmead saw Cavallo’s involvement as a rare positive amongst an ocean of negatives.
Cavallo was deployed in a left-back role to offer some experience in an otherwise youthful and struggling defence.
“He’s not naturally brought in to be a left-back but I thought he did a really good job today,” Langmead told the Banbury Guardian.
“It was a fantastic delivery for the goal. I’m really pleased.”
On Cavallo’s Banbury experience so far, Langmead continued: “He got injured in the first pre-season game and missed the entirety of pre-season, and that’s hard for any player.
“He’s playing catch-up a little bit. He’s honest and open, he’s said that he hadn’t been good enough. (But) he scored an excellent goal (at Exmouth).”
One thing that has become clear early doors is that Cavallo is an excellent character, both on and off the pitch.
In 2021, while playing for Australian outfit Adelaide United, Cavallo made global headlines when he came out as gay – becoming the first active, male top-flight professional footballer to do so.
Since then, he has served as a prominent inspiration both inside and outside the LGBTQ+ community, amassing over 1.3 million Instagram followers and partnering with global brands including Ralph Lauren.
Cavallo’s next Banbury appearance could come in their upcoming visit to Worcester City on Tuesday, September 22.