Kings Langley’s fine start to 2017 ran into the buffers of a well-drilled Banbury United side, who took home all three points after Conor McDonagh had scored the only goal of the game in the 70th minute on Saturday.

From the start, the visitors looked to be a sterner test than either of the home side’s two previous play-off chasing opponents and a pitch that had turned heavy for the first time this season didn’t help a Kings side playing their fourth match in 12 days.

However, the surface nearly caught out keeper Jack Harding when Manny Duku almost nicked the ball off him in the third minute. But it was soon to be the Puritans asking all the questions as a Luke Carnell header from a corner produced a fine double save from Xavi Comas and the keeper was again in action on the half hour to tip a fierce Zac McEachran shot round the post.

For all their possession, the visitors were making little headway against a resolute defence that took their fine form of the previous three matches into this encounter. The problem was creativity, as the home midfield and attack was getting little or no change from their opponents.

However, with two minutes of the half left, they almost delivered the sucker punch as a slide-rule David Hutton through ball sent Ryan Plowright through on goal only to see his shot go wide of the post.

Kings began the second half in better fashion, but any hopes of a turnaround of dominance as in the previous match against Dunstable Town, gradually faded as United continued in the same vein and the introduction of Lewis Toomey alongside Duku still failed to make an impact.

Conversely, the Puritans were still being frustrated by the excellence of Comas and his back four and it seemed possible that the home side could hold out for another valuable point.

Ironically, they were to be the architects of their own downfall as, after a lively period of attacks, they lost possession after an ill-judged short corner and United broke at pace for a two-on-two situation. McEachran played the ball wide left to McDonagh and the striker took the ball to the edge of the area before hitting a screamer into the far corner.

Kings kept pushing to the end, with a James Verney cross producing a Toomey blocked shot, but Banbury held out to register their sixth successive clean sheet in the league and their opponents had to concede that, on this occasion, their spirited performance was not enough to tip the balance.

Kings Langley: Comas; Pattison (Connolly 47), Folarin, Johnson, Balogun; Hitchcock, Plowright; Ward (Toomey 62), Hutton, Rodrigoe (Verney 81); Duku. Subs not used: Cox and Waldren.