25/26 Banbury United: Season preview

As the off-season winds down and pre-season friendlies loom on the horizon, I find myself reflecting on the summer ahead and what the 2025/26 season might hold for us as Puritans. This blog may be my last for a while, not because the passion has faded for the club I adore, but because life is about to change in a big way. I’m soon to become a dad imminently, and with that joyful responsibility, my trips to Banbury games will become less frequent in the mean time. It wouldn’t feel right to offer thoughts and opinions on a season I may only catch glimpses of. So, with a full heart and hopeful eyes, here is maybe the only 25/26 season blog as I share my thoughts on Langmead appointment, what we can expect with the playing squad and expectations.

The Langmead Era

As Kelvin Langmead prepares for his first managerial tenure there’s a renewed sense of energy and optimism around the club. Langmead’s philosophy is refreshingly clear and grounded in the kind of football fans want to see. “I was an uncomplicated player; I’ll be an uncomplicated manager. It’s a simple game, I want my team to leave everything out there to win a game of football,” he said when speaking about his approach. That no-nonsense mindset is set to define his leadership—straightforward, committed, and built on hard work.

One of Langmead’s main goals is to implement a style of football that’s both effective and entertaining. “They’ll be hard-working. They’ll play fast-tempo football—exciting, something that draws people in; the kind of football I enjoy watching,” he said. This statement not only reflects his dedication to high-energy, attacking play but also his intention to rebuild the connection between the team and its fans—something the club has been missing for the past three years. His summer signings reflect this vision, combining the experience of Reece Styche with the drive and potential of young, energetic players eager to make their mark. This approach aligns with Langmead’s strong background in coaching youth and college-level programmes, as well as his time with Northampton Town’s U18s, all backed by a distinguished playing career that spans over two decades.

Under the previous manager, Simon Hollyhead, the team suffered through 18 games without scoring, 9 of which came at the Spencer, playing a conservative, risk-averse brand of football that drained the excitement from matchdays and caused fan numbers to dwindle. So hopefully with langmead fast tempo football, the fans will return to pack the terraces.

There’s also another stark difference in langmead approach to what we witness from last season is the importance of fitness. As a collective I felt we wasn’t the fittest and this showed with only 2 points gained from scoring in the 80th minute or later - but that was probably because Simon spent training sessions debating which sideways or backwards pass was the most effective and then applauding the character of making that pass in training. This season langmead has already expressed It’ll be a tough pre-season for them. “I want them fit and raring to go,” he said, setting the tone for a physically demanding summer. That drive for fitness is more than just talk. During the 2021/22 season, Banbury fitness regime was a secret to our success with 11 points gained from scoring in the 80th minute or later changing draws into wins or defeats into draws. In addition to the league, we also had two FA Cup qualifying rounds which saw last-minute goals from Sam brown against Nantwich town and Ethan Johnson away at Basford, sending us on our way to FA cup glory of experiencing the magic of the first round of the FA Cup on ITV4. Langmead himself was instrumental in that campaign, famously stepping up with a striker’s instinct to score a late brace against Leiston and secure three vital points. He was at the heart of high levels of fitness at the prestigious age of 36 and this will be reflected of his teams on the pitch.

Perhaps most importantly, Langmead understands the club and the community. “I know how amazing this place can be—that’s what we’ve got to work towards,” he said, acknowledging both the club’s potential and the need to rebuild the emotional connection with fans. Memories of langmead will live long in the memory on the pitch of langmead, reminiscing about his historic Fa cup 4th round goal v Bath, him being a centurion league winner, and his brace at Hereford away with 1 knee. Now it’ll be time to write his history of the pitch in the dugout and etch in more memories for the fans and the club. If he can deliver on his promise to combine fast-paced, entertaining football with the defensive stability he displayed throughout his own playing career, Banbury United could become one of the most exciting sides to watch and grow over the upcoming season in what has become a very challenging league.

Core group maintained

After two difficult summers where only Jack Harding remained on the books, Banbury United finally has what supporters have wished for — a group of players who want to be here. Players who aren’t just passing through, collecting another tracksuit for there collection but are proud to fight for the shirt, the town, and each other. The past few seasons have been filled with change, uncertainty, and rebuilds. But this time, Kelvin has a strong purtian backbone retained. And that’s thanks to the club Captain Yaw Ofosu and Club legend Jack Harding to keep the group together.

Towards the back end of the season it seemed inevitable that Simon Hollyhead will just trudge to another season in charge, as the narcissist believed the players will only play for him. Simon Hollyhead couldn’t take the heat. Couldn’t take questions. Couldn’t take responsibility. A man who demanded loyalty and belief, but gave neither. He dressed up empty promises as ambition, handed out fake trust like sweets, and the players saw through it. Fragile to criticism, obsessed with image — and the first to jump ship without him realising the players Chose Banbury and not him. A dent in his ego.

Because while Simon ran, our skipper stood tall all his 6 ft 4 frame and remained and speaking ahead of the pre season to the club, Yaw Ofusu’s words speak volumes about what this club means “Everyone makes their own decisions. He made his; I made mine. All the best to him. We’re moving on… I decided I wanted to stay at Banbury around Christmas. I like the people, the aspirations… We have a strong nucleus here — not just players, but the volunteers, the Board, everyone.”

That nucleus includes Yaw, Jack Harding, Gedeon Okito, and Alex prosser — players who chose Banbury As Yaw explained, even while on holiday in Bali, he was in constant communication with the group, all of them determined to stick together and push forward. That’s the kind of leadership we’ve been missing. That’s the kind of unity this club has been crying out for. “You focus on the ones who do want to stay.” With the secure confirmation of a leader in the dugout who shared some of his best playing times in the red and gold shirt in conjunction with players determined to stay and show their character it instantly brings the fan/player connection a whole light stronger ahead of the season.

Expectations

One thing I will give credit for from last season is that we managed to steady the ship and avoid falling into a rut like Blyth or Bradford Park Avenue did after their relegation from the National League North. With the core group retained and some young but experienced players signed, fans have reason to look forward to the season ahead. However, amid the excitement of having a fan favourite in the dugout, we must approach things with caution and remain realistic.

Firstly, while the Southern Premier Central was arguably one of the weakest divisions in recent seasons, it’s shaping up to be much tougher this year. Promoted sides like Quorn and Worcester are already showing ambition with their spending. The Faithful have recruited Dan Sweeney, while clubs like Stamford and Stratford have also made strong additions. And that’s before even mentioning Halesowen, Spalding, and Harborough, teams that have spent big on players capable of playing regularly at Step 2. If you finish above those three, you’re likely to be having a very good season.

Secondly, this will be Langmead’s first season in charge, and I fear some fans may expect an immediate return to the heights of the Whingy era. We need to give him time and support, rather than setting high expectations simply because he’s a fan favourite. The club remains in a transitional phase off the pitch, with new ownership not yet secured, and funding for the playing squad tightening fast. As a fan-owned club, we’ve proven we can be sustainable and that model has worked but with limited budgets and other teams spending heavily, we need to accept that overspending just to compete isn’t an option.

My viewpoint, a successful season would be a top 10 finish, playing attractive football with more goals to celebrate and trust being built in the players and management team (which has already been gained from there intentions this summer). This will be seen as a successful season.

However, when all is said and done, football is more than just results—it’s a community, a support system, and a place where we come together as one. This season, the most important thing is that we look out for each other. Check in, express your feeling as it okay to talk in these difficult periods, we’re not just fans, we’re one club and one community. After a difficult summer where we said goodbye to three beloved Puritans, Geordie, Paul, and Dave, it’s more important than ever to stand together. They’ll always be part of this club, and they’ll never be forgotten.

Thank you for reading, as always your retweets, shares, likes, quotes tweets and comments are deeply valued as a lot of time, effort and enjoyment goes into writing these blogs.

Roll on the langmead Era, and I just can’t seem to get enough of…..

UTP

Spencer Reds

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