Banbury United v St Ives Town
Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 27-01-2026
Written by Nigel Howlett
A battling away performance looked like it was going to glean Ives some reward courtesy of a Michael Richens header ten minutes from time only for the visitors to be undone as they failed to defend a free kick delivered into their box from the left five minutes later.
The night almost started perfectly for Ives as Theo Alexandrou blocked an attempted clearance from Josh Flanagan the rebound flashing inches wide of Jack Harding’s right hand upright as the startled keeper looked on. Sadly that was to be Alexandrou’s only noteworthy action as he limped off five minutes later with a worrying hamstring injury to be replaced by Kellan Hickinson.
From that point on the host’s took control of the rest of the first period and started to rack up chances. In a pre-rehearsed ninth minute move Alex Prosser delivered a low corner to the edge of the box where Chris Wreh met it at pace but the lively striker flashed his effort wide of the post.
Wreh had another opportunity only seconds later as Luke Stokoe cut out Duncan Idehen’s intended ball into the feet of Jahrel McKoy. Stokoe fed in Wreh, this time cutting in from the left but the result was the same as the striker’s previous effort as he again failed to hit the target.
The host’s early pressure continued and they pulled the first real save out of Ollie Taylor in twelfth minute. Patient build up ended with a probing run down the right from Keegan Bloom. His ball inside picked out Wreh who this time hit the target with a fierce drive forcing Taylor into a sharp save at his near post. Bloom was working well down the right with Connor Ferguson and the two combined well in 18th minute. The move ending with Ferguson cutting inside Aaron Smith and forcing another save out of Taylor who this time held the crisp low shot well.
The Puritans went even closer in 24th minute as Stokoe strode into the box and let fly with a screamer that beat the diving Taylor, thumped the inside of the post and was eventually scrambled clear. The one way traffic towards Ives goal continued and although they buckled at times their resistance was not to be broken. Taylor pulled off another excellent save on the half hour. Ferguson again got down the right and delivered a ball into the box where Wreh nodded it down to the feet of Stokoe. Taylor reacted brilliantly to hurl himself to his left and palm away the big number ten’s first time effort.
The home side’s pressure continued right up to the break with the final effort of the half coming from the excellent Prosser who curled a 25 yard effort inches over having been teed up by the busy Wreh.
Prosser continued to boss the midfield at the start of the second period and his perfectly weighted clip down the right put Ferguson away again. The winger’s cross into the centre was met by Wreh in the centre of goal eight yards out but once again the centre forward failed to hit the target.
Ives were providing a little more going forward after the restart and did create a half chance of their own from a 52nd minute free kick. Kellan Hickinson delivered deep to the far post where Idehen won the header and directed the ball back into the mix. Ethan Creary got on the end of it six yards out but his header lacked power under pressure from defenders and Harding’s first save of the night was a comfortable one.
Back up the other end Banbury tried their luck down the left with Joel Anker and Stokoe combining well to set up an opportunity for Prosser but the silky midfielder fired his 25 yarder wide. But Ives resistance was finally broken on the hour with a goal of real quality Prosser’s clever back heel fed Ferguson into the box and he unleashed the perfect curling effort past Taylor and into the top corner from just inside the right corner of the box.
Ives reacted well to going behind and Jonny Edwards had a deflected effort from just outside the box well held by Harding two minutes later. The deflection seemed to help the keeper as it directed the ball straight into his hands.
Prosser went for an audacious second with twenty minutes to go. He initially robbed McKoy inside the centre circle and looked up to see Taylor well off his line. But the agile keeper reacted well back peddling fast to catch the ball just in front of his goal line.
The visitor’s equaliser came from a Liam Cross corner with ten minutes to go. The ball clearing the players at the near post and being met by the head of skipper Michael Richen’s by the penalty spot. His header was directed towards the far post where the Puritans had not positioned a defender but Flanagan would probably have hacked it off the line but for Edwards using his body to cleverly shield the ball as it bounced over the line.
Both sides made changes with James Alabi and George Ball replacing Wreh and Anker for the hosts and Alfie Shepherd and Gibou Njie coming on for Matty Miles and Hickinson for Ives. One of those replacements was heavily involved in the Puritants winner five minutes from time as Alabi wriggled his way past Creary just outside the left edge of Ives box only to be upended by the struggling defender. Creary picked up a yellow card for his misdemeanour but there was much worse to follow for the battling visitors as Nico Jones rose above the crowd at the back post to power home Aaron McCreadie’s free kick.
Ives huffed and puffed in the remaining time but the hosts survived without further scares to stretch their winning run to three games and move up into the top ten. Ives are now without a win since Boxing Day and remain fifteenth, seven points above the drop zone wit a run of vital games coming up against the teams around them in the table.
Final Score: Banbury United 2 St Ives Town 1 Half Time 0 – 0
Goals:
BANBURY: Ferguson 59, Jones 85
ST IVES: Richens 80
Team Line Ups:
BANBURY: Harding (capt), Bloom, Worley, McCreadie, Flanagan, Jones, Ferguson, Prosser, Wreh (Alabi 78), Stokoe, Anker (Ball 81), Unused subs: Wahlen, Fuller,
ST IVES: Taylor, Creary, Smith, Richens (capt), Idehen, McKoy, Edwards, Cross, Miles (Shepherd 79), Baker, Alexandrou (Hickinson 8, Njie 81), Unused subs: none
Referee: Mitchell Cartwright
Cards: Yellow: BANBURY: none ST IVES: Baker (63), Creary (84)
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Ollie Taylor
Attendance: 325
