Oxford City continued their pre-seasons schedule with a thoroughly impressive 3-2 win at Banbury United. 

Two expertly dispatched free-kicks from Josh Ashby and a penalty from Dj Campton-Sturridge put City in the driving seat, before Banbury pulled two goals back in as many minutes to make the game into a contest again. 

However, a youthful Hoops side saw out the game in the second-half. 

Again, the team was supplemented by trialists as Ross Jenkins opted to increase the minutes of his players. 

In the scorching heat, City were on fire from the get-go. 

It took just five minutes for the Hoops to find an opener. After Jayden Carbon was fouled just outside the area, Josh Ashby grabbed the ball straight away. 

If you were watching the game from a City perspective, you’d have expected what was to happen next. City’s new captain whipped a shot around an encroaching wall and into the corner of the net. 1-0.

Moreover, the Hoops almost doubled the lead seconds later. Again Carbon was the instigator after bursting past the backline and firing at goal. 

Banbury ‘keeper Jack Harding did well to parry the striker’s effort away from a dangerous area, before Alfie Potter’s shot from the rebound at the edge of the box clipped the top of the crossbar. 

The first fifteen minutes seemed a little too much for the first-half Banbury side, that were playing in their first game of their pre-season schedule. 

A lazy pass from captain Yaw Ofosu invited Potter through on goal again, but his cut-back whisked just past Jack Bearne who was waiting for a simple tap-in. Just…

United had Goalkeeper Harding to thank in the first-half. The shot-stopper had to be at his best to keep the score at 1-0, and Tom Scott and Carbon both saw efforts rebuffed by the number one. 

Banbury’s only chance of the half didn’t threaten City ‘keep Max Treml, as Reece Styche couldn’t direct a shot from a tight angle on target. 

Half-Time: Banbury United 0-1 Oxford City 

After the break, Treml was tested a lot more by the hosts, but the youngster impressively held his own to make two solid saves from Banbury attacks in the first five minutes of the second-half. 

A much more youthful looking City team took to the field with academy graduates Brayden Daniel, Josh McConnell, Caleb Moir and Charlie Bacon joining Treml and Ayden Ulas during the second-half.

There was also a welcome return for striker Josh Parker who made an appearance from the bench. 

Ashby almost grabbed a second from a more direct passage of play. A long ball from Trialist B looped over the Banbury backline, but Ashby’s deft touch over Haring dropped just over the bar. 

Ashby wasn’t to be denied again though and he did double City’s lead with almost a carbon copy of his first. Another free-kick dispatched in pin-point style as we’ve become so accustomed to over the years. 

Just minutes later it was three. Substitute DJ Campton-Sturridge showed a quick pair of heels to leave his marker and run in on goal. Harding had no option but to haul his former team mate down and the attacker took the spot-kick himself to make it 0-3 in City’s favour. 

Despite that, Banbury hauled their way back into the contest in two mad minutes. Firstly, Kaydon Gardiner-Solomon curled an effort into the corner of the net to give the host’s something to cheer about, and just a minute later they had a second after a trialist fired home from a corner. 

Suddenly, we had a contest. 

However, the host’s revival seemed to end there as the young City professionally saw out the contest. 

In fact, the Hoops could’ve had another goal, but again Harding just got enough of a hand on a trialist’s cross to deny City a fourth. 

All in all, it was a competitive friendly, more minutes in the tank and a thoroughly entertaining friendly. 

We’re wishing the best of luck to Banbury for the season ahead.