MIKE Ford says he is willing to give younger players a chance at Banbury United, after getting pre-season off to a winning start against Stratford Town.

Louis Joyce scored twice in a 2-1 victory on Saturday and was one of nine players to sign for the club after the match.

Defenders Andy Gunn, Bradley Cox, Zak Eadle and Jon Steedman, midfielders Niall Higgins, Carl Tappin and Brian Bowles and striker Ricky Johnson have also committed to the club.

Five of the players are under 23-years-old and manager Ford is keen to give them an opportunity in Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West.

He said: “It will be a young squad, but first impressions are that they are willing to work hard, listen and apply themselves in the right way.

“I look at some of the younger players and I am really excited by them.

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“They might be in and out of the team to start with, but I want to build an environment where players will get that opportunity.

“It is very pleasing and refreshing that I have got players in my group that want to play for the club.”

Banbury travel to Easington Sports tonight (6.45) and Ford is hoping to see further improvement from Saturday.

He added: “It was a good start on Saturday.

“We are trying to prepare for the season and we have got a lot of work to do.

“Players who played a small part on Saturday will play a larger part against Easington.

“It is an opportunity to push themselves into the team.”