Banbury United win an FA Cup game for just the second time in ten seasons with a convincing win at Dorchester Town
This was a game played in very difficult conditions with very heavy rain from the start of the game.
It was a fairly equal beginning to the game. In the fifth minute Andy Gunn from the half way line found Jack Self in a central position on the edge of the Dorchester penalty area who turned sharply only to see his shot go just wide. At the other end on 24 minutes Mario Mateus fired just wide from 15 yards out.
However, it would be Banbury who would get the all-important breakthrough on 31 minutes when after good work from Barcelos on the right he fed the ball through to Leam Howards who was upended in the penalty area by home goalkeeper Shane Murphy. Ricky Johnson converted the spot-kick in style to notch his 50th career goal for the club.
Four minutes later a great move down the right involving Barcelos, Self and George Nash set up Callum White but the Banbury full-back shot well over the bar from 12 yards when well placed.
Dorchester didn’t look threatening as the half continued but on 44 minutes they nearly equalised when Matt Oldring got his head to a wayward shot about 12 yards out but Jack Harding in the Banbury goal was equal to the effort with an excellent save, tipping the ball away at full stretch.
Dorchester dominated the early play in the second half and on 49 minutes a ball came in from the left and it was a good chance for Nathan Walker but he failed to connect properly with his shot from 10 yards out and should have done better.
It was thus rather against the run of play in the second half that Banbury would double their lead in the 54th minute when a cross from the right by Mark Janes was met by Felipe Barcelos eight yards out and though Murphy got his hands to the Brazilian’s effort he couldn’t stop it trickling over the line.
Just two minutes later and Barcelos got his second of the game to make it 3-0 with a superb strike from the right hand edge of the penalty area which flew past Murphy into the far bottom corner of the net.
It was effectively over as a contest at this point and though Dorchester had a lot of the ball in the final 30 minutes Banbury defended well to see the game out. They could even have made the scoreline more emphatic as in the 82nd minute Darius Browne out Janes through on goal but from the edge of the penalty area he shot just wide as the home custodian came out to narrow the angle.
In stoppage time Mateus went close to getting a consolation for Dorchester firing just over the bar from the edge of the Banbury penalty area.
Overall this was an impressive result and performance away to a side that had beaten Banbury just two weeks previously at the Banbury Plant Hire Community Stadium. United supporters can now look forward to Monday’s Second Qualifying Round draw, knowing that they will be definitely playing in it on Saturday 17th September.
Dorchester Town: Shane Murphy, Matt Oldring, Jake Smeeton, Mark Jermyn, Neil Martin (Nick Swann 54), Chris Dillon, Mario Mateus, Dory Yates (David Jerrard 46), Nathan Walker, Tony Lee (Liam Sayers 54), Ben Wood. Subs: Jason Brookes, Solomon Ayunga, Owen Nicholson, Nick Crittenden.
Banbury United: Jack Harding, Callum White, Jacob Blackstock, George Nash, James Fawke, Andy Gunn, Felipe Barcelos (Darius Browne 66), Jack Self (Lester Davies 89), Ricky Johnson, Leam Howards (Mark Janes 51), Jack Westbrook. Subs: (not used): Duran Martin, Adam Rimmer.
Attendance: 249