CHRIS IS A WREH OF LIGHT FOR PURITANS
LEAGUE leaders Banbury United clinched victory in the first-versus-second clash with Rushall Olympic to extend their lead at the top of the table to a massive 20 points.
Goals traded in the opening eight minutes lit the touchpaper for a fiercely-competitive game which was settled by Chris Wreh’s winner – agaimnst his former club – 13 minutes into the second half.
Olympic got off to the perfect possible start when Rackeem Reid opened the scoring after only five minutes. Tom Thorley picked up the ball in the midfield before playing a defence splitting through ball into Ben Usher-Shipway on the right hand side of the penalty area. Shipway squared the ball into the near post and after a huge scramble, Reid poked the ball into the back of the net despite being on the floor.
The lead, however, lasted just three minutes when a through ball found Wreh, who beat his man to go one-on-one with Tom Palmer. A last-ditch tackle saw the ball go loose and Jack Stevens curled handsomely past Palmer and into the top corner.
Both teams showed, in spells, why they occupy the top two places in the league with some excellent build-up play.
Olympic’s Ben Usher-Shipway nearly found the head of Reid in a dangerous position
before Banbury nearly pulled themselves ahead on the stroke of half-time. Wreh danced past multiple Rushall players before shooting over the top of the crossbar.
Both teams sensed the chance to pick up three points in an intriguing second period with passions spilling out onto the terraces with the game interrupted due to objects being thrown on the pitch.
Rushall looked threatening on the break but it was the league leaders who pulled themselves ahead before the hour mark. A long throw wasn’t cleared by the Pics as it fell to Wreh, who volleyed the ball home on the turn from around the penalty spot.
Chasing a point, the Pics battled on bravely and might have got themselves level on a number of occasions – the best of which seeing substitute Tyler Lyttle fire just wide of the post in the final minutes.