Levi Steele: Ready to Steal the Show

It has not taken Levi Steele long to make himself at home at Banbury United. Admittedly, when you are born in Banbury, joining the Puritans is less about finding a new home and more about finally getting the keys to the front door.

Two goals on his competitive home debut, the captain’s armband in the following match and enough running to cover most of Oxfordshire it has been a busy start for Banbury’s new number nine.

After missing a golden chance in the opening-day draw at Bishop’s Stortford, he responded in true striker fashion with both goals in a 2–1 local-derby victory over Racing Club Warwick.

Two goals, three points and 682 supporters watching his competitive debut at the newly named TUGO Community Stadium, it was the prefect introduction after years of the club trying to sign him.

Goals, movement and pressing

Steele opened the scoring after only 15 seconds, heading home Finn Howell’s cross, before adding his second from the edge of the box in the 57th minute.

The first showed classic fox-in-the-box instincts: anticipating the delivery and arriving in the right place at exactly the right time. His second demonstrated that he can also punish opponents from outside the six-yard box pulling back away from the defenders to find space.

Steele offers a different profile to Chris Wreh and James Alabi in which we had last year as His game is built around mobility, energy and relentless pressing which allows the midfielders to find more forward balls with success and confidence that the striker may actually latch onto them.

Steele’s mobility, energy and tenacity could give Kelvin Langmead a new dimension without moving away from the successful mid-block used last season. Instead of pressing constantly, Steele can recognise the trigger to jump forward, cut off a passing lane and force the opposition into a hurried decision.

That allows Banbury to remain compact while becoming more aggressive at the right moments. If Steele’s pressure enables the team to regain possession slightly higher up the pitch, the Puritans can create quicker turnovers and attack before opponents have time to recover their defensive shape. Even when Steele does not win the ball himself, his movement can force the mistake which allows a teammate to do so.

With a surname like Steele, taking possession away from defenders was always likely to be part of the job.

Captain Steele

Captain steele, sounds more like a superhero than a star striker in the Southern League Premier but Levi took the captains armband for Banbury against Real Bedford in only his third league appearance. With Yaw and Alex Prosser unavailable, fans may have believed the armband would of gone to either Jack Harding who has taken the arm band on many occasions or even Managers player of the Season, McCreadie, yet, the armband went to Levi, showcasing how quickly his effort, intensity and leadership have been recognised.

From Step 7 to Step 3

Steele’s journey to Banbury makes his opening impact even more impressive. Levi’s roots (not the founder of reggae reggae sauce, however he could be named twice as his finishing is so good) began his rise through the lower reaches of non-league football with Southam United at Step 7, scoring an extraordinary 57 goals in 36 competitive appearances.

FC Stratford then secured his services, and Steele responded with 16 goals in 19 appearances. He moved to Easington Sports and scored 12 times in only 10 matches, encouraging North Leigh to take him further up the pyramid. Steele initially recorded 16 goals in 19 games for North Leigh. His later spell included nine goals across 30 appearances during the 2022/23 campaign.

Another prolific stop followed at Pershore Town, where he scored nine goals in 12 matches and helped the club win the league.

His most sustained success came with Evesham United. Steele made 119 appearances and scored 54 goals in all competitions, including 21 goals in each of his first two seasons. He also played his part as Evesham earned promotion to Step 3.

After leaving Evesham in February 2026, Steele joined Ardley United in search of regular football. His response was emphatic: 10 goals in nine appearances.

From Step 7 to captaining his hometown club at Step 3, Steele’s rise has been meteoric. Every move has been earned through goals, hard work and an ability to prove himself at the next level.

Local players, local identity

Steele’s arrival also strengthens the relationship between the team and its supporters. Banbury now have three hometown players in Jack Harding, Ben Nash and Levi Steele. That matters because supporters can see local players representing their local club, rather than a squad made up entirely of footballers passing through.

That homegrown core is complemented by players such as Alex Prosser, Yaw, Connor Ferguson and Aaron McCreadie, who have fully bought into the club’s ethos and developed genuine relationships with the supporters. Results will always come first, but identity is especially important in non-league football. Fans want players who understand the community, appreciate the club’s history and appear genuinely proud to wear the red and gold and we got that in an abundance currently.

That connection matters. Non-league football is at its strongest when supporters can see themselves and their town represented on the pitch. Steele’s two goals in front of a bumper Tuesday night crowd were more than the perfect home debut it they felt like the beginning of something. From Step 7 to leading the line for his hometown club, his journey reflects the ambition, resilience, balls of Steel and local pride Banbury United want to embody in a player.

A promising formula

There has been plenty to like about Banbury’s football throughout pre-season and the opening weeks of the campaign. Four points from the first three league matches represents a positive foundation, while the performance against the Bitcoin boys offered encouragement despite the final scoreline. The challenge now is to produce those spells consistently and turn promising performances into points.

With the play-off places extended this season, there is a genuine opportunity for a well-organised and hard-working side to remain in the conversation. Langmead may be beginning to find a formula capable of taking Banbury into that race.

For it to work, the Puritans will need their hometown number nine to keep pressing, keep arriving in the right places and, most importantly, keep scoring.

If he does, Levi Steele will not only strengthen Banbury’s connection with its supporters, he will also “steel” the show.

Thank you for leading and it’s been a pleasure writing again after a year off. As you can tell that 13 month away being a dad has made the dad jokes out in full force. Please like, share and comment your thoughts.

Will Levi Steele score more than 15+Goals this season, let us know in the comments.

Up the puritans

Spencer Reds ❤️💛