A dominant first half display from Sinclair United saw them come out convincing 3-1 winners away to newly promoted side AFC Bicester. Two goals from Nathan Lee and a Luke Whitehead free kick had seemingly ended the division one contest but a controversial penalty on the stroke of half time gave the home side a glimmer of hope. But a resolute and efficient second half defensive display saw United comfortably deal with Bicester attacks and they saw the game out with ease to bounce back from last week's defeat to Wroxton Sports. United boss Steve Nash kept a similar line up to his side with debutant Clark Miles starting up front with Luke Butterworth and Jason Pritchard returning to the left side of midfield. And it was Miles who was proving to be a real handful for the Bicester back four, using his hold up play to good effect as United piled on the pressure with some slick passing. The first chance of the game fell to Miles when the ball fell kindly to him on the edge of the box and his shot was well met by the Bicester keeper. The visiting side didn't have too long to wait until the first goal, with Miles again at the heart of the attack. Following some more slick passing in the middle, the ball fell to the striker on the edge of the box and he fed Lee through on the right to fire home emphatically. On the wide pitch United were enjoying more possession and threatening in the final third, with Pritchard and Whitehead working well on the left and Lee using his pace to good effect on the right. United doubled their advantage in the 20th minute when a long free-kick from the left by Whitehead evaded everyone in the box and looped over the keeper into the far corner. It was the least Nash's side deserved with their energy and intensity in the final third. And they were to get their third goal of the game on the 30-minute mark. A great cross field ball from Karl Woodcock in the middle found Lee bursting into the box on the right and his shot took a wicked deflection which wrong footed the keeper and ended up in the back of the net. And it was very nearly 4-0 when similar to Whitehead's free kick, an innocuous cross from Pritchard looped over the keeper and come back off the bar, but Lee was unable to put the rebound away. It was looking comfortable for United but they still needed to be on their toes. Toby Jones needed to be alert to a dangerous free kick on the edge of his box and did superbly well to tip the shot onto his cross bar and out for a corner. And following a succession of corners, Whitehead bravely headed the ball off the line to make sure the score remained at 3-0. But on the stroke of halftime Bicester were given a lifeline when they were awarded a controversial penalty. As the ball was fed into the box, Adam Timms was deemed to have fouled the Bicester forward when replays in fact showed he had got the ball first. Much to United's frustrations the referee pointed to the spot and the Bicester player converted to ensuing kick. The second half saw Bicester come up with more intensity in the second half, but with what attacks they fired at Jones in goal both he and his reliable back four comfortably dealt with the pressure as the game wore on. The introduction of Jamie Grant in the second half added some pace up front in the dying moments and he very nearly got on the score sheet himself when his shot looked to have squirmed under the keeper. But the ball failed to cross the line despite appeals from the United players. The result was a convincing one for United given the strength of AFC Bicester, given their pre-season billing as title contenders. Nash's side go into next week full of confidence and take on Banbury United Youth back at Hanwell Fields.
