Pre-season football friendly: AFC Totton draw 1-1 with Banbury United FC

Pre-season friendly

Banbury United FC 1

AFC Totton 1

AFC Totton made a 97-mile journey to Oxfordshire to face Banbury United in what turned out to be a 1-1 draw in their fourth pre-season friendly.

The Stags took the lead through Josh Owers near the end of the first half before the Puritans levelled in the 68th minute through a trialist.

Totton began brightly and created several chances early on, but they had to settle for just the one goal by half-time, courtesy of a Josh Owers lob to register his second strike of the summer.

As the match progressed, and both teams made several substitutions, Banbury increasingly imposed themselves on proceedings.

The hosts grabbed a deserved equaliser mid-way through the second half from one of several trialists on show at the Banbury Plant Hire Community Stadium.

The home side struggled to assert themselves during the opening stages.

Luke Hallett intervened on one attack to force the ball back to goalkeeper Lewis Noice, who put the Stags back on the front foot with a quick pass to the right wing.

The lively Marcus Daws controlled it and raided down the flank before his low cross was turned away by a retreating red-and-yellow shirt at the near post.

A sweeping pass from midfield by Josh Owers put Daws in behind the Banbury defence, but he had the ball nicked off his toe before he could properly get it under control and get a shot away.

Daws continued to be a thorn in the side of the Banbury defence, and a trip on him resulted in a free-kick not far from the corner of the Puritans’ box. Owers fancied his chances and bent a left-footed shot narrowly wide of the top-left corner. Some Stags players claimed the keeper had helped it on its way, but the referee indicated that it was for a goal kick.

With 37 minutes played, Ethan Taylor chipped the ball forward to match the run of Owers, with a Banbury defender in close attendance. A nudge from Owers was enough to ensure the ball dropped behind him, allowing the Stags man to execute a beautifully measured lob from 25 yards out that flew over the misplaced keeper.

After a raft of changes, Banbury levelled the scores. From a throw-in, they managed to work the ball into a crossing position from the left wing. The delivery landed at the far post, where the trialist wearing the number 11 shirt finished with a low shot into the far corner.

The Stags had the better chances down the home straight, but the final whistle came with no further goals scored.