Onehundred80, sorry if ambiguous but the battery wasn't flat, I just wanted to see how it reacted to a trickle charge.
Steve Jr, I cleaned the connections but fair point I will check along the cables to see if any corrosion. I'm at the stge were I'd be quite happy to get a failed or even a laboured engine startup to confirm a flat battery causing the issue. While the car continues to start first time I'm still a bit wary of replacing what may be an adequate battery.