Hollyhead happy as Puritans keep title battlers at bay

Action from the draw with Telford on Saturday. Photo: BUFC.

Banbury United boss Simon Hollyhead was pleased with his side’s efforts as they held title-chasers AFC Telford United to a goalless draw on Saturday.

The result hindered Telford’s championship aspirations as it left them in third place and four points behind leaders Bedford with three games to play, whilst for Banbury it means they have only lost one of their last seven games as they continue to look set for a mid-table finish in SPL Premier Central.

And Hollyhead told Puritans Radio he was pleased with what he’d seen, as well as the reaction to the 3-0 defeat at Leiston a week earlier which was the second of two long trips to Suffolk in four days.

He said: “It’s fine lines. On another day I feel we deserved the victory and I thought the courage, spirit and determination in the group was excellent and we’ve gone more than toe-to-toe with Telford in the two games against them.

"I think everybody here today could see what’s evolving here.

"We’d said that we felt the Leiston game was just a bad day at the office that shouldn’t overshadow the previous eight games when the lads put a magnificent shift in both home and away and the consistency of performances was really good.

"The reaction today was magnificent and it said an awful lot about this group.”

Banbury now prepare to go to Stamford on Saturday to face a side aiming to consolidate a play-off place, before then hosting Redditch United on Easter Monday who are battling to avoid the relegation zone.

They’ll then end the campaign at Kettering Town on April 26 who, like Telford, are currently battling it out for the title.

Hollyhead added: “It’s the third time this season we’ve had a Saturday/Monday double but we’ll rest the players accordingly and condition them properly as we’re determined to get the most out of those two games.”