JEROME Sinclair played 45 minutes as Oxford United beat Banbury United to claim their second win of the day.

The striker, who is without a club and spent time on loan at the Kassam Stadium in 2019, started the pre-season friendly after training with the U’s this week.

United were 2-0 up by the time Sinclair went off, thanks to Cameron Brannagan’s third goal in two games and Tyler Goodrham’s second in as many years in this fixture.

Andy Whing’s side looked dangerous throughout and Henry Landers halved the deficit midway through the second period, but they could not prevent the U’s claiming their second win of the day.

United’s line-up resembled the XI that scored four in the first half at Oxford City last Saturday, with Sinclair the most notable of the changes. Teenager Erion Zabeli started at right back, while Slavi Spasov led the line.

Sam Long and Sam Baldock dropped out as a precaution, with Anthony Forde also rested and Alex Gorrin not yet risked following last season’s knee injury.

Banbury’s XI included former U’s players Giorgio Rasulo and Jack Stevens, while summer signing Jak Hickman started at right wing back.

The Puritans were positive from the start and Connor Roberts volleyed into the side-netting inside the first two minutes, before Henry Landers struck the foot of the post. The ball ran loose and Steve Seddon made a brilliant block, with Stevens scuffing the follow-up wide.

Brannagan soon showed the former U’s trainee how to finish as he continued his prolific pre-season form.

Goodrham and James Henry kept an attack alive with their tenacity and the ball ran loose, with the U’s No 8 curling beyond Jack Harding’s right hand from 20 yards.

Banbury remained bright and forced several corners in the first half, with the lively Ben Acquaye testing Zabeli down United’s right.

Eastwood pushed Giorgio Rasulo’s header away and the U’s quickly made it 2-0, almost against the run of play.

Goodrham showed impressive strength to outmuscle his marker on the edge of the penalty area and both players fell to the ground. Spasov took possession and returned the ball to his teammate, who fired low beyond Harding.

Stevens thought he halved the deficit five minutes later when he fired past Eastwood, but the former U’s forward had strayed offside.

It remained an entertaining game as the interval approached, although Sinclair would have wanted to be more involved despite making some good runs.

The striker was replaced by Gatlin O’Donkor at the break, while Whing brought on goalkeeper Ben Taylor and Harvey Beckett for Harding and Connor Roberts.

The home fans thought their side had scored nine minutes after the restart when Acquaye raced between two U’s players and fired past Eastwood, only to realise the ball was nestled in the side-netting rather than the goal.

Banbury went close again just before the hour mark when Landers brought down Rasulo’s pass in behind and raced clear, with Eastwood making himself big to save.

James Henry forced Taylor into a flying save, with O’Donkor flicking a header wide from the resulting corner, before the Puritans halved the deficit.

Landers again found himself one-on-one with Eastwood after some hesitation in the U’s defence, with the former North Leigh man keeping his cool to dink the ball over the goalkeeper.

O’Donkor headed just over from Henry’s cross, before Amari Davis-Stephenson fired wide at the back post shortly after replacing Goodrham.

United made a host of changes with 11 minutes left as the same group of youngsters who came on at North Leigh earlier in the day entered the fray.

Enrique Tiamuna forced Taylor into another good save, while Stevens had a strong penalty shout turned down late on when he was bundled over at the byline.

Banbury United (3-4-3): Harding (Taylor 46), C Roberts (Beckett 46), Williams, Brown, Hickman, Rasulo, Babos, Acquaye, M Roberts, Landers, Stevens.

Unused subs: Flanagan, Reilly, Milford, Bucknell, Yerolemou.

Booked: None.

Oxford United (4-3-3): Eastwood (Brearey 79), Zabeli (Sankoh 79), Moore (Smith 79), Golding (Franklin 79), Seddon (Trialist 79), Henry (Brennan 79), Johnson (Elliott-Wheeler 79), Brannagan (Tiamuna 79), Goodrham (Davis-Stephenson 71), Sinclair (O’Donkor 46), Spasov (Iheanacho 79).

Booked: None.

Attendance: 954.