Tense nervous headache? Sore thumbs checking X last Saturday for the score at Biggleswade and then the relief after 80 minutes when Jonny Edwards scored? Ever since the first game of the season at Stamford we have been in the top five and challenging for promotion. It all comes down to 90+ minutes. We are all Stourbridge fans for the day.
It’s now or never. Having secured second place and a playoff place, barring a momentous swing in goal difference from AFC Telford, it looks like if we win, and Stourbridge do us a favour on Saturday, we will be Champions. However, whilst the destination of the trophy is not in our hands, it has been a fantastic season to date and it could be even better ending with the home game as we welcome Banbury United to Latimer Park.
Following last Saturday’s sterling second half performance with a 0-1 away win at relegated Biggleswade Town, KTFC, having only lost once in our last ten games and are looking for three points at home in the last game of the season. With AFC Telford in third playing at home against Royston Town, Halesowen away at promotion chasing Stamford AFC and Harborough Town away at Sudbury, there are still promotion places to be confirmed and play-off positions to settle. Eleven points separate the top five and six points between the top four.
‘The Puritans’, under the managership of Simon Holyhead, have had some good results recently, having only been beaten three times in their past ten games and have achieved a creditable 0-0 draw at home against AFC Telford and a 4-0 home victory last time out against Redditch United which leaves them in a respectable 12th place in the league. In the last six game league overall form guide, they are tenth in all games (8 points from a possible 18), home ninth place (having picked up 10 points from a possible 18) and 10th in the away form league (seven points from six games). Ten places and twenty points separate the two teams.
KTFC, unbeaten in their last six games with three wins (Bishop’s Stortford 0-2; Royston 1-0 and 0-1 Biggleswade Town) together with three draws (AFC Telford 1-1; Stamford AFC 1-1 and Hitchin 2-2), reside in second place in the league. The Poppies sit 5th in the overall form guide have attained 12 points from a possible 18 (12th place for home form (9 from 18 points) and first position for away matches (14 points out of 18). We need a win to ensure a fighting chance for the championship. Our record against Banbury is good. However, we did lose 0-1 away at The Plant Hire Stadium curtesy of a Harry Reilly goal. Although the Poppies have injuries following the recent Saturday to Monday Easter fixtures, Captain Connor Johnson could return to the first team. Who would have thought we would be here on the last day of the season? COYP!
BANBURY UNITED
Season V Comp F-A Att: Poppies Scorers
1966-67 H SLD1 2-1 1918 Smith, Martin
A SLD1 4-4 1200 Smith.3, Daldy
A SLC1/1 2-1 Daldy, Smith
H SLC1/2 1-1 1793 Gully
1967-68 H SLD1 1-0 2464 Walden (p)
A SLD1 1-1 1780 Reed
A MFC 0-0 1633
H MFC 1-3 1046 Gully
1971-72 H SLD1N 1-2 1582 Jacques
A SLD1N 2-1 536 Jacques, Pawley
1974-75 H SLC1/1 6-1 2074 Atkinson.G, Conde, Clayton.3, Buckby
A SLC1/2 1-2 312 Conde
2012-13 H ESP 1-1 526 Byerley (p)
A ESP 0-2 147
2016-17 H ESP 2-2 480 Howe, Haran
A ESP 2-1 477 Baker, O’Connor
2017-18 H ESP 3-0 653 Solkhon, Milnes, Howe (p)
A ESP 1-1 301 Meikle
2018-19 H ESLSPC 3-0 760 Hoenes, Stohrer, Solkhon
A ESLSPC 1-4 371 Holman (p)
A CSSLCC1 3-2 185 Solkhon, Borg, Richens
2022-23 H VNLN 0-0 631
A VNLN 3-0 828 Bennett, Hill, Maguire
2023-24 A PISLPC 0-1 602
POPPIES WINS: 10 GOALS FOR: 41
PURITANS WINS: 6 GOALS AGAINST: 31
DRAWS 8
Most goals in a game for the Poppies v Banbury United (3)
Dick Smith (1966-67), Roy Clayton (1974-75)
Most goals in career Poppies v Banbury United (5)
Dick Smith.
Played for both clubs (36)
Managers (2)
Billy Jeffrey, Kevin Wilson.
League debuts (1)
Dalton Harris 2012-13(h)
Club debuts (2)
Lewis Elsom 2018-19 (a) GK – League Cup
Edmund Hotter 2018-19 (a) League Cup
Kettering Town players sent off v Banbury United (2)
Lewis White 2022-23 (h)
Liam Canavan 2016-17 (h) Substitute
Banbury United players sent off v Kettering Town (1)
Edmund Hotter 2018-19 (h)
Poppies players who have scored for Banbury against Kettering Town (3)
Tony Jacques, Nabil Shariff, Harry Reilly.
Puritan players who have scored against Banbury United for Kettering (2)
Tony Jacques, Ben Baker.
BANBURY UNITED
Manager Simon Hollyhead
Ground The Banbury Plant Hire Stadium
Nickname The Puritans
Position in League 12th – 56pts from 41 games
Leading League scorer 5 Adriel George, Yaw-Nantwi Ofosu
FORM LAST 5
Form last Overall WLDLW 7pts
Form last away LLWWD 7pts
Form last home WDWDW 11pts
The Puritans ….
| Date | Comp | Opposition | R | F-A | Att | Goalscorers | |||
| Aug | 10 | PISLPC | AFC Sudbury | D | 1-1 | 440 | George | ||
| Aug | 12 | PISLPC | Barwell | W | 1-0 | George | |||
| Aug | 17 | PISLPC | St Ives Town | L | 1-2 | George (p) | |||
| Aug | 24 | PISLPC | Leiston | W | 1-0 | 550 | Henry | ||
| Aug | 26 | PISLPC | Alvechurch | W | 1-0 | Own goal | |||
| Aug | 31 | FAC1Q | Dorchester Town | W | 2-0 | 458 | Ofosu, Ball | ||
| Sep | 6 | PISLPC | Stamford AFC | W | 1-0 | 778 | Reilly | ||
| Sep | 10 | PISLPC | Halesowen Town | L | 0-1 | 568 | |||
| Sep | 14 | FAC2Q | Melksham Town | D | 1-1 | George (p) | |||
| Sep | 17 | FAC2QR | Melksham Town | L | 2-3 | 478 | Prince, Ofosu | ||
| Sep | 21 | PISLPC | Royston Town | L | 0-1 | ||||
| Sep | 24 | PISLPC | Stratford Town | D | 1-1 | Ofosu | |||
| Oct | 5 | FAT3Q | Plymouth Parkway | L | 2-3 | Ferguson, Gordon | |||
| Oct | 12 | PISLPC | Bromsgrove Sporting | D | 0-0 | 691 | |||
| Oct | 15 | PISLPC | Bedford Town | W | 2-0 | 518 | Gordon, George | ||
| Oct | 19 | PISLPC | Spalding United | L | 0-2 | ||||
| Oct | 22 | PISLPC | Biggleswade Town | W | 2-0 | Flemming, Gordon | |||
| Nov | 2 | PISLPC | Hitchin Town | L | 1-2 | 709 | Bell | ||
| Nov | 9 | PISLPC | Bishop’s Stortford | D | 1-1 | Ofosu | |||
| Nov | 16 | PISLPC | Stourbridge | D | 0-0 | 734 | |||
| Nov | 23 | PISLPC | Harborough Town | L | 1-4 | Own goal | |||
| Nov | 30 | PISLPC | Lowestoft Town | L | 0-2 | 441 | |||
| Dec | 14 | PISLPC | AFC Telford United | D | 1-1 | Ball | |||
| Dec | 21 | PISLPC | Barwell | L | 1-2 | 451 | Prosser | ||
| Dec | 26 | PISLPC | Redditch United | D | 0-0 | ||||
| Dec | 28 | PISLPC | St Ives Town | W | 1-0 | 631 | Flemming | ||
| Jan | 4 | PISLPC | AFC Sudbury | W | 2-1 | Ofosu, Jarvis | |||
| Jan | 18 | PISLPC | Bishop’s Stortford | D | 0-0 | 544 | |||
| Jan | 25 | PISLPC | Bedford Town | D | 2-2 | Dias, Gordon | |||
| Feb | 1 | PISLPC | Spalding United | W | 2-1 | 566 | Gordon, Prosser | ||
| Feb | 4 | PISLPC | Kettering Town | W | 1-0 | 602 | Reilly | ||
| Feb | 8 | PISLPC | Hitchin Town | L | 0-1 | ||||
| Feb | 15 | PISLPC | Biggleswade Town | L | 0-2 | 464 | |||
| Feb | 18 | PISLPC | Alvechurch | D | 0-0 | 403 | |||
| Mar | 1 | PISLPC | Harborough Town | D | 2-2 | 559 | Ferguson, Ofosu | ||
| Mar | 8 | PISLPC | Halesowen Town | L | 0-1 | ||||
| Mar | 11 | PISLPC | Stourbridge | D | 0-0 | ||||
| Mar | 15 | PISLPC | Royston Town | W | 1-0 | 415 | Reilly | ||
| Mar | 22 | PISLPC | Bromsgrove Sporting | W | 2-1 | Reilly, George | |||
| Mar | 29 | PISLPC | Stratford Town | D | 0-0 | 723 | |||
| Apr | 1 | PISLPC | Lowestoft Town | W | 5-2 | Stanley.3, Ofosu, Bruck | |||
| Apr | 5 | PISLPC | Leiston | L | 0-3 | ||||
| Apr | 12 | PISLPC | AFC Telford United | D | 0-0 | 818 | |||
| Apr | 19 | PISLPC | Stamford AFC | L | 0-2 | ||||
| Apr | 21 | PISLPC | Redditch United | W | 4-0 | 560 | Ferguson.2, Stanley, Ball | ||
LAST DAY OF THE REGULAR SEASON -TRIVIA
This will only be the third time the Poppies have been at home on the final day of the league since our move from Rockingham Road in 2011. This is the first home game since the 2018-19 season’s 5-1 win over Stratford who were then managed by former Poppy Tom Baillie.
The Poppies won both of the other games against Farnborough (attendance: 712) – 6-2 & Stratford Town (attendance: 660) – 5-1
The Farnborough game also included the last league hat-trick scored by a Poppies player – Matt Stevens.
Overall final league game of the season since 2011.
Won 5, drawn 4, lost 3, 1 void (Nuneaton Borough)
The highest home attendances on the final day of the regular season since 1950-51.
Latimer Park – 1,247 v Chester, 2022-23
Rockingham Road
Since 1979-80. 3,451 v Macclesfield Town, 1996-97
Since 1950-1979. 5,886 v Cambridge United, 1960-61
Lowest attendance – 311 v Dover Athletic, 1964-65
