After a fantastic 3-1 victory on Saturday against high flying playoff candidates Quorn, KTFC are back in action seeking another valuable three points under the lights at Latimer Park today where we entertain Banbury United in our game in hand Southern League Premier Central fixture, kick off at 19:45.

Banbury is a historically significant market town in Oxfordshire known for its 2,000-year history, key role in the English Civil War, and the famous Banbury Cakes. It is an important commercial centre featuring the world’s largest coffee factory together with Tooley’s Boat Yard (Britain’s oldest working dry dock).

The Puritans secured a 1-1 draw at home to Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday. After a great run of form earlier in the year Banbury have lost form recently although they have six wins in their last ten games, With two wins in five, (1-0 at home to Harborough; 2-1 at home to Alvechurch) The Puritans have achieved one draw (1-1 Bishop’s Stortford again at home) and two away defeats (0-2 versus Quorn;  3-0 to Halesowen).  This leaves Banbury, managed by ex-Poppy Kelvin Langmead, four places below KTFC in eleventh place, with only five points separating the teams with both teams having played thirty-four games. In the form league, they reside in thirteenth place with seven points  from their previous five games. However, they are in a dowdy sixteenth place in the comparative away standings taking seventeen points from sixteen games.

For the Poppies, with the additions of Sordell and Mitford into the squad there have been no additions to the squad at the time of going to press and no reports of injuries at this juncture following Saturday’s exhilarating encounter. However, watch this space for further information.

KTFC are unbeaten in our past three games. In our last five matches KTFC have recorded three wins ( 3-1 against Quorn; back-to-back wins against AFC Sudbury 1-4 and 6-0;1-0 at home to Bromsgrove and 2-0 at home against Stratford Town) punctuated by a defeat at home against Alvechurch) scoring fourteen and conceding four. The Poppies have lost only once in the past ten matches.

Kettering are second the in-form league, just behind Harborough Town by a point taking twelve points from a possible fifteen in our past five matches and are eighth in the overall home table with thirty points from sixteen games. The Poppies have moved to seventh place in the league  with fifty-seven points, just three points off the playoff places with two games in hand on current fifth placed Quorn and fourth placed Halesowen Town.   

Today’s matches provide an opportunity for teams to capitalise on their games in hand, with Alvechurch entertaining St Ives, Real Bedford in third play league leaders Harborough Town and AFC Stamford travel to Stratford.

Whist the team have met a total of twenty-six times in all competitions, last time out, Banbury defeated a lacklustre Poppies side 2-0 on 21 October 2025 in the corresponding away fixture earlier in the season at the Spencer Stadium. With eight games left to play, five at home all against tough oppositions, the run-in is going to go to the wire. Banbury have already proved worthy opponents for the Poppies and today’s match will be no exception. So, let’s get behind Liam and the team today to secure three points.

Enjoy the game.

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     N/A     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        H        PISLPC        2-2      1862  Loza.2

                     A        PISLPC        0-1     602

2025-26        A        PISLPC        2-0     574    York, Powell

POPPIES WINS:     11                                       GOALS FOR:                      45

PURITANS WINS:   6                                        GOALS AGAINST:              33

DRAWS                  9

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.             

Managers (3)

Billy Jeffrey, Kevin Wilson, Kelvin Langmead.

Managed both clubs (1)

Simon Hollyhead

League debuts (1)

Dalton Harris           2012-13(h)

Club debuts (2)

Lewis Elsom GK     2018-19 (a)   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 (4)

Tony Jacques, Nabil Shariff, Harry Reilly, Dan Jarvis,

Puritan players who have scored against Banbury United for Kettering (2)

Tony Jacques, Ben Baker.

BANBURY UNITED

Manager                           Kelvin Langmead

Ground                             The Spencer Stadium

Nickname                          Puritans

Position in League           11^th – 52pts from 35 games

League top scorer            10 – Connor Ferguson

FORM (last 5)

POPPIES                WLWWW     12pts

Puritans                  WWLLD        7pts

BANBURY UNITED SO FAR….