Two goals from substitute Reece Styche salvaged a draw for Banbury as they recovered from a 2 goal deficit to earn a point against 10 man Royston.
The first half was a largely forgettable affair as both sides struggled to put any series of passes together and when they did they lacked any penetration as both sides cancelled each other out. The home crowd had to wait until the 42nd minute to have any excitement as Kian Harness picked up a Harrison Rookard flick on and spun sharply before firing home to give the Crows a halftime lead.
The second half was a much livelier affair, with the Crows quickly doubling their lead as Thomas Agvostidis latched onto another Rookard header to calmly lob Puritans keeper Jack Harding.
The game changed in the 67th minute as home defender Anton Matthew’s was given a harsh looking second yellow card to reduce Royston to ten men.
It didn’t take long for Banbury to get themselves back in the game, as Styche was on hand to head home from close range after a scramble in the box.
Seven minutes later a needlessly conceded corner ended with the award of a penalty after Yaw Nantwi-Ofosu was allegedly bundled to the ground in what looked another harsh decision in the context of the match. Styche stepped up and a centrally placed penalty was good enough to beat Jamie Head.
It nearly got worse for the home side, who were indebted to Head for an instinctive close range save from Nico Jones in the 96th minute as Royston held on for a draw.
