‘Professional job’ - Kelvin Langmead makes Banbury United ‘relief’ admission after Sudbury triumph
Kelvin Langmead was delighted with how his Banbury United players bounced back from their recent seven-game winless run, coming out of the other side with a 2-0 victory over AFC Sudbury.
The Spencer Stadium faithful will have been expecting a win on Saturday afternoon given opponents Sudbury had already been relegated from the Southern League Premier Central, but the Puritans still needed to get the job done.
That’s exactly what Langmead’s side did, going ahead through a clinical Luke Stokoe half-volley 21 minutes in before Josh Flanagan’s second-half header from a Chris Wreh cross made sure of the three points.
It’s never easy to get out of a slump and so Langmead was thrilled to get that winning feeling back.
“Relief is the right word, it’s been a difficult four or five weeks off the back of where we were,” Langmead told the Banbury Guardian.
“But it was important today that we did a kind of professional job. We knew it would be a tricky game because of what we came up against when we played Royston (2-1 defeat) last week.
“When teams have gone down or have nothing to play for, it’s very easy for those games to become null and void. I thought it was really important that we went about our business correctly.
“The lads did that and fair play, we found a way to win today. It wasn’t the prettiest of games but very much a job done, it was really important to get the three points.”
Although there’s not a great deal left to achieve in the league standings for the remainder of the season, Langmead wants Banbury to finish as strongly as possible.
“No matter what the stage of the season, there’s always something to play for or someone to play for,” Langmead added.
“Whether that’s individually or collectively in there, the football club, the fans, your family. I’ve spoken a lot about the work of the volunteers.
“The time, the effort and sometimes the money they put in to be the heart and soul of a football club, especially in non-league…
“Above everything else, do it for them, for the guys who make sure there’s a game on down here. Whatever the situation may be, there’s always someone who deserves your efforts.”