BANBURY United came so close to holding Premier Division high-flying visitors Weymouth to a draw in a tight contest.

The Dorset side hung on for a 2-1 victory, but only after suffering a dramatic close shave in the dying minutes.

With the Puritans going all out for an equaliser, Luke Carnell saw his header from Tom Winters’s cross saved by keeper Mark Travers.

The loose ball fell to Leam Howards, who stabbed the ball goalwards only for Stephane Zubar to clear it off the line.

Banbury players and supporters appealed firstly that it had crossed the line before the big defender had knocked it away and secondly that he had cleared it away with his arm.

But the referee waved away their appeals and Banbury finished pointless.

The hosts went behind in the fourth minute, when Calvin Brooks broke through down the right and crossed into the path of the incoming Harry Baker, who struck the ball from 12 yardsinto the far top corner of the net.

Banbury were second best for the next 25 minutes, with Weymouth having a number of attempts on goal.

But Banbury stepped up their game and the visitors were grateful to Travers, who made an acrobatic save from George Nash’s excellent strike.

But United’s efforts got their reward in the 44th minute when a Charlie Hawtin cross from the right found Winters who fired in from a narrow angle, the ball deflecting off defender Abdulai Baggie into the back of the net.

Banbury were the better team early in the second half and Travers pulled off another good save from Conor McDonagh’s fierce shot.

But in the 56th minute, Weymouth broke quickly and Ben Thomson centred to the incoming Baker, who had an easy tap-in.

Weymouth looked relatively comfortable until Banbury were denied in the dramatic finish.

Banbury Utd: Harding, Hawtin, Felix, Nash, Bradbury, Carnell, Pond, Sandy (Humphreys 67), Johnson, McDonagh (Howards 73), Winters. Subs not used: Ngathe, Peake-Pijnen, Macdonald.

Attendance: 377.