Banbury HC still seek first win after defeat to league leaders St Albans

Returning overseas player Jordi Groenewald breaks forward for Banbury.Returning overseas player Jordi Groenewald breaks forward for Banbury.
Returning overseas player Jordi Groenewald breaks forward for Banbury.
Banbury HC fell to a 5-2 defeat at league leaders St Albans on Saturday as they still seek their first win of the new Midland Conference League season.

They failed to find their best form against a side that made the most of a relatively limited number of chances, eventually losing 5-2 to stay in their lowly ninth place, only ahead of next week's opposition, Cambridge City.

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Banbury got away to a roaring start with Tyson Nunneley finding Jamie Boardman who slipped the ball on to Joe Bostock in the first minute but the chance went wide.

Connor Roberts then picked up the ball with a midfield challenge and charged forward only to be tripped and a penalty corner was awarded but Josh Nunneley's drag flick was charged down, injuring the home player though his efforts saved a likely early goal.

The home side then began to find their feet, breaking down the visitors’ left side on two quick occasions drawing a great save from Banbury keeper Will Powell, but conceding a penalty corner deflected into the net by the home skipper Jack Plant to take the lead.

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That was followed on the stroke of quarter time by a move down the right for James Nicandrou to double the lead.

The second quarter again began well with Pete Lamb breaking from defence to find returning South African player Jordi Groenewald and Josh Nunneley using one of his trade mark long aerial passes to his brother Tyson to win a penalty corner, again blocked.

Despite the pressure it was the home side that made a long aerial count down the visitors’ right as whilst Powell smothered the original shot, St Albans increased their lead bundling the ball over the line from close range to make the lead 3-0 by half time.

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Banbury started the second half carelessly, conceding a free hit just outside the area almost immediately then conceding another penalty corner which was slotted home to take a four-goal advantage.

The visitors began to work better, winning a series of penalty corners with Josh Nunneley finding the bottom left corner to reduce the lead.

The final quarter began equally badly for Banbury, conceding a penalty corner in the first minute coolly slotted home with a neat deflection from a well-practised move to restore the four-goal lead.

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Banbury then won their own corner for player coach Ben Mackey to reduce the deficit and start something of a revival but chances could not be completed and frustration began to creep in leading to ill-discipline and the visitors ending the game three goals down and with only nine players on the pitch.

Manager Steve Brooker said: "We have now played the top three in the League and come away with only one point.

"Next week we visit the bottom side Cambridge City and we need to start picking up points if we are not to find ourselves adrift from the leaders.

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"We are creating chances and playing well for spells of the game - today we drew the second half and could easily have had a bag full, but the deficit was too big after the goals conceded in the first half."

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