Banbury fight back to see off City of Peterborough

Banbury stay sixth in the table and equal on points with the two teams above them, providing a great starting point for the second half of the season which re-starts in February after the mid-winter break.

Good work down the left by Nathan Hochman almost got the scoring going but George Brooker could not guide the cross home and it was the visitors who took the early lead when Joe Finding put away their only penalty corner of the half.

Banbury fought back with the visitors’ keeper pulling off a great save to keep out Hochman’s penalty corner drag flick.

Banbury defender Sam Pick then set up a clever attack down the right with a smart aerial pass to Tyson Nunneley, receiving a return pass and then charging forward to set up the attack that led to another penalty corner award. This time man of the match Josh Nunneley’s flick beat the keeper but was brilliantly cleared off the line.

The visitors got off to a flyer in the second half winning two penalty corners, one going wide and Nunneley returning the compliment to clear another off the line.

Back in attacking penalty corner mode, Nunneley thundered home into the top left corner and levelled the scores after another attack down the right could only be stopped with a defender’s foul.

Then a long aerial pass found Brooker in the visitors D drawing a foul and another penalty corner but this time Hochman’s effort was deflected over.

Tyson Nunneley dominated the later stages of the second half with his runs down the right setting up his brother, captain Will Kellett, Hochman and Brooker with chances that could not be finished.

But he then found Will Crowfoot who was able to bundle home from short range and claim the winner.

Manager Steve Brooker said: “This is a great result for us. It is a very tight league and it is only goal difference keeping us from fourth place.

"In our first season at this level we go into the winter break pleased with our performance, we have not only shown that we deserve our place at this level but that we can equal and out play much of the opposition.

"We now have a mid-winter League break to improve our consistency but have a home National Cup quarter-final against Fareham in two weeks before we can rest up.”