Banbury United 1-1 Bishop’s Stortford Match Report

March 23, 2026

200

21/3/26

Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Central Division

Hamish Arnold

Adam Hayton saved a penalty as 10-player Bishop’s Stortford held on to draw 1-1 away to Banbury United on Saturday. Alex Worley gave the Puritans a first-half lead before Frank Norris equalised after the break, and Charlie Johnson saw red soon after. The result moves the Blues to 46 points remaining in 14th place in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central Division table, 13 points above the relegation zone with six games remaining.

Johnson’s sliding block denied Luke Stokoe’s low strike from the left side of the post, before the hosts’ number 10 had another strike that went wide of the post from outside the area. Dempsey Crace picked out Brad Russell with an aerial through ball, he passed to Cole Dasilva and he passed to Fabio Virciglio on the left wing, he cut inside and crossed to Norris but his first time finish at the near post went wide. Connor Ferguson’s left footed effort curled over the crossbar. Worley scored straight from a corner kick, his right footed in-swinger curled in at Hayton’s far post to give the Oxfordshire side the lead before half-time.

HT 1-0

Stortford’s leveller came nine minutes into the second half, when Dasilva won the ball on halfway, he dribbled forward and passed wide to Jack Smith, his first time low cross was converted coolly at close range by Norris. But just four minutes later, the visitors were reduced to 10 when Johnson made a forceful tackle on Joel Anker in the box, missing the ball and conceding a penalty in the process. Diving to his left, Hayton got a strong hand to Ferguson’s spot kick before the midfielder fired over from close range from the rebound. Substitute Obi Onyeagwara shot over the bar from 20 yards, and another replacement in Aaron Greene thought the Blues should have had a penalty kick when he controlled the ball from a cross and flicked it to shoot on his left foot but was blocked by the arm of a defender. Referee Neil Lane awarded a free kick right on the 18 yard line in a central position, while Greene and his teammates pleaded that the offence took place inside the box. Dasilva struck the woodwork with his free kick, before Jaden Ogwuazor cleared off the line from an inswinging corner, before Hayton made a save at close range after a goalmouth scramble from the next corner kick. Erin Amu chipped the ball across the box to Russell, he controlled the ball on his chest and volleyed back across goal, Dasilva tried a backheel flick to reach the ball but his effort went wide. After Onyeagwara saw his low cross cut out, the Blues decided to keep the ball in the corner to see out injury time and take a well earned point.

FT 1-1

TEAMS

Banbury United XI

1 Jack Harding (c)

2 Keegan Bloom

3 Alex Worley (Goal 43’)

4 Aaron McCreadie

5 Yaw Nantwi-Ofosu (Jones 90+8’)

6 Josh Flanagan (Yellow card 66’)

7 Connor Ferguson

8 Peter Abimbola

9 James Alabi (Wreh 75’)

10 Luke Stokoe

11 Joel Anker (Brammeld 59’)

Subs

25 Oskar Wahlen

12 Gedeon Okito

15 Michael Brammeld

16 Nico Jones

19 Chris Wreh

Bishop’s Stortford XI

1 Adam Hayton

2 Dempsy Crace

3 Leon Davies (Ogwuazor 35’)

4 Cole Dasilva (Yellow card 90+7’)

5 Jake Thompson (c)

9 Frank Norris (Goal 54’) (Yellow card 67’) (Greene 72’)

10 Brad Russell

12 Fabio Virciglio (Yellow card 26’) (Onyeagwara 64’)

14 Jack Smith (Assist 54’)

18 Erin Amu

22 Charlie Johnson (Red card 58’)

Subs

6 Mark Haines

11 Obi Onyeagwara

16 Jaden Ogwuazor

19 Aaron Greene

Attendance 680