Ahead of a run of four home friendlies, Andy Peaks’ Lambs travelled to The Spencer Stadium, welcomed by recently appointed Puritan’s manager, and one-time Lamb, Kelvin Langmead (3 appearances in the 2003-4 season), while another former player, Reece Styche, wore number 9 for the home side.
Playing on grass for the first time in pre-season, Peaks fielded a mix of the squad in each half, with newest signing Stefan Mols starting the game.

With Banbury fielding their new sky blue and navy away kit, Tamworth played in a red and black non first team kit, and after an earlier downpour the game kicked off under floodlights as the late evening sunshine cast low shadows towards the clubhouse end of the ground and the Puritans, of the Southern League Premier Central, got the game underway with The Lambs kicking with the shadows.
And there was another quick goal for the Lambs, Roberts and a trialist working well to keep the ball with Roberts getting on the end of it to slip it past the keeper to open the scoring. (0-1, 4 mins)
The second half chance of the game came on 6 when Styche wormed his way into the box and saw his shot deflected and cleared by Fairlamb, covering the goal behind Singh.
A Tonks throw from the left on 8 was aimed at the tall trialist Lambs striker but headed away and Tamworth forged a header for Mols on 10, but he as unable to direct it on target and it dropped wide of the mark.
The Lambs went close on 20 with a low ball into the box but Roberts was unable to turn it home, and the same player beat his man on 25 but saw his cross headed away for a Tonks throw which keeper Harding punched away.
Sayer beat his man down the right to force a corner when the same defender recovered and blocked his low cross on 32 but the Lambs were unable to get the resulting flagkick on target.
There was a booking for a Banbury player following a foul on the edge of the Lambs box on 39 and Tamworth responded by forcing play in the opposite direction, including a couple of Tonks throws from the left, the second of which allowed pressure be maintained and Roberts beat his man with a deft touch into the box, pulling the ball back for Wyatt but his shot only found the hoarding above the small covered terrace behind the goal.
Sayer then was brought down as he advanced over the halfway line on 42 and nearly found Hollis racing into the box but he was unable to get his boot to the ball before it skipped past the far post.
Sayer was in the action again on 44, curling a shot from the right just over the far corner of bar and post in the final action of another positive performance.

HT: 0-1

With a changed eleven for the second half, featuring three trialists who had featured in all the previous games, Tamworth restarted the friendly.
Good work by the trialist on the left wing caused problems when his low ball in for Ponticelli was not held cleanly by the keeper but he recovered sufficiently to deny the Lambs striker a clean strike and smothered the ball at his feet.
McGlinchey loaded a freekick from the left on the hour and it allowed The Lambs to exert pressure as Curley sent a throw in before a game of head tennis disrupted the flow temporarily.
Harding had to deal with a couple of crosses from Ponticelli, which he did comfortably and when the right sided Lambs trialist made a run towards the box he found three Banbury defenders on his toes to prevent any sight on goal.
Messenger had to be helped from the field following a clashing tackle on 78 brining their second chance of the half, and on 82 the left sided Lambs trialist forced a corner after his run into the box but it was too long for Cockerill-Mollett to head back into the area before home keeper Harding made way for his younger counterpart Whyman with 5 remaining.
And on 89 when the left sided trialist chased down the ball into the area, the sub-keeper cleared it but the Lambs winger took the ball in his body and play had to be halted while treatment was given.
He was OK to continue and Banbury pushed on as the game ticked into added time but failed to capitalise on their possession as the final whistle blew.

Banbury United:
1st Half: Harding, Trialist, Fuller, Trialist, Jones, Ofosu (c.), Trialist, Kola, Styche, Cherchi, Gardiner-Solomon
2nd Half: Harding (Whyman 85), Flannagan, Ofosu (c.) (Fuller, 74), Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Okito, Cartwright, Messenger (Gardiner-Solomon 78), Ferguson, Abimbola
Subs:, Kola

Tamworth:
1st half: Singh, Trialist, Cullinane-Liburd, Hollis, Fairlamb, Tonks, Wyatt, Sayer, Mols, Roberts, Trialist
2nd half: Phillips, Curley, Digie, Fairlamb, Cockerill-Mollett, McGlinchey, Bates, Trialist, Trialist, Ponticelli, Trialist

Referee: Mr. Stuart Lathan
Assistants: Mr. David Froom, Mr. Ian Brown

Attendance: unknown