ANDY Whing says Banbury United won’t panic if they miss the chance to win the league title this afternoon.

The Puritans need four points to seal top spot in Pitching In Southern League Premier Central, but a win at Lowestoft Town can secure the title if nearest rivals Coalville Town lose.

While it may appear straightforward with Lowestoft rock bottom and four points inside the relegation zone, the Suffolk side grabbed an invaluable three points by beating Coalville 3-2 last time out.

Read also: Banbury United within touching distance of title + results round-up

That win against Banbury’s closest competitors means Whing is wary of the threat Lowestoft possess.

He said: “We always focus on ourselves and we’ll obviously try and win the game.

“It’s going to be a tough game, I know Lowestoft are down there but they’re scrapping for their lives.

“They went away at Coalville who are second, and won on Saturday, so they’re going to be really buoyant after that.

“It’s a long journey, it’s a tough place to go, but we’re looking forward to it.

“We can wrap it up this weekend but all we’ve got to focus on is ourselves and get the three points, and see where that takes us.”

If results don’t go Banbury’s way, Whing is relaxed, knowing there would be five more opportunities to seal the league.

“We’ve still got six games to go, or five games after Saturday, and we need four points out of those six games,” he said.

“It’s all in our hands, we don’t have to worry about it.

“We just want to try and win every single game, and that’s what we’ve done all season.

“The lads have done fantastically well, to be 20 points clear at this stage of the season – I don’t care what league you’re in, it’s an unbelievable achievement.

“We’ve just got to go and finish the job now.”

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Outlining what has made the difference for Banbury this campaign, Whing said an assortment of off the pitch decisions had proved beneficial.

“It goes back to last season, I know Covid cut short the season but we got to the first round of the FA Cup, it all started then really,” he said.

“Knowing what people we had in the building, knowing what players we had in the building, and what we needed to be better at.

“Our budget is still less than what it was last season, which is incredible.

“We’ve done a lot of work off the pitch in terms of bringing in a head of recruitment and a new assistant manager, pre-match meals before home games, eating after training – little things like GPS units have made us better and the club better.

“It’s a fantastic club to be at and we’re enjoying every minute.”

One player who has impressed is Oxford United loanee James Golding, who signed his first professional contract with the U’s earlier this week.

Read again: James Golding signs first professional contract with Oxford United

Whing said: “James Golding is a fantastic player, a fantastic person, he’s a really good lad.

“He’ll continue his journey with us, he’s played centre half and a few games at right back so he’s learning different roles.

“He’ll probably play in a three before the end of the season, he’s been great for us and that’s what we wanted at the beginning of the season.

“If we were bringing loan players in, we wanted to make sure it’s a good environment for them and the feedback’s really good to the clubs.”