A FAILURE to adapt cost Banbury United dear in their 4-0 humbling at Winchester City in Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West on Saturday, according to boss Mike Ford, writes MATTHEW BRUCE.

Ford has championed attractive passing football since taking over at the Puritans at the start of the season, but the former Oxford City manager felt his side needed another option against a free-scoring Winchester side.

He said: “We have a style of play and teams are going to come and try to counteract it, so we have to be able to deal with that.

“We had a Plan B and we just didn’t use it very well on Saturday.

“There are no dramas; they’re a young team and they’ve still got a lot to learn.”

The hosts took the lead in the sixth minute, when Jamie Barron took advantage of a defensive mistake to shoot past the Banbury goalkeeper Jack Harding.

After Zac McEachran and Ricky Johnson went close for Banbury, Barron made it 2-0 just before the interval.

Hopes of a revival were dashed earlier in the second half by two goals in four minutes from Warren Bentley.

The defeat saw Banbury slip to ninth in the table heading into last night’s trip to North Leigh.

Banbury Utd: Harding, White, Steedman, Stanbridge (Martin 63), Wise (Westbrook HT), Gunn, McEachran, Nash, Johnson, Howards, Kalakoutis (Browne HT).

Sub not used: Blackstock.

Attendance: 192.