Worcester City fell to their first defeat of 2026 after a 1-0 loss to Banbury United at Sixways on Saturday afternoon in the Southern League Premier Central.

The opening ten minutes were well contested between the two sides, but it was City who had the first chance of the game when a Charlie Wise header was tipped over the bar by the visiting keeper.

As the midway point of the first half approached, neither side pressed enough to create a clear goalscoring opportunity, as City continued to push for back to back wins.

Ten minutes before half time, City had the best chance of the game to break the deadlock when Nathan Hayward’s driven shot narrowly went wide of the far post as both teams began to grow into the fixture.

Neither side could convert before the break, with the match goalless at half time.

City pressed well as the second half got underway, with Shay Palmer cutting inside and curling an effort wide of the post as the match remained scoreless.

With under thirty minutes left, Worcester continued to press the visitors as Charlie Lutz’s shot flew narrowly over the bar.

In the 77th minute, Banbury United did break the deadlock when a curling strike from outside the area by Connor Ferguson clipped the inside of the post and found the back of the net.

With ten minutes to play, City almost grabbed an equaliser when Dan Sweeney struck the ball from the edge of the box, smashing it against the post and back into play.

Despite late pressure and further chances from City, it was not enough as Banbury ran out 1-0 winners.

Worcester City will be back in action when we host Stamford in the Southern League Premier Central on Saturday 17th January at Sixways, as City look to build on the 3-0 win in the reverse fixture back in November.

Match report by Harry Wilcox