JUST when everyone hoped that the bad weather was behind us, a frozen pitch at the Invesco Perpetual Triangle wiped out Henley Town’s first team game against Rayners Lane on Saturday, writes John Bailey.
The reserves’ match at Carterton, the youth team’s cup tie at Oxford City and the Sunday team’s visit to Goring were all postponed because the pitches there were similarly affected at the weekend.
Frustratingly, when icy conditions were not a problem, matches had to be called off because opposing teams had to play cup ties that had been rearranged as a result of earlier postponements. The youth team’s league match at Oxford and the ladies’ home game with Maidenhead were called off for such reasons.
The week was not a complete blank for the Town who fitted in two games before the worst of the weather returned.
On the Wednesday, the reserves made the earliest possible exit from the Reading Junior Cup when they went down 2-1 at home to Hungerford Town Reserves. These are two of the best reserve teams in the FTL Futbol Hellenic League, and it was unfortunate that they should meet at such an early stage of the competition.
Matt David gave the Lilywhites the lead in the first half, but Hungerford fought back to equalise at the 67th minute and then to go through to the next round via an 80th minute goal. It was an exciting game of high quality, and the Town can feel some consolation at being beaten by such a good team.
Remarkably when so many games have been called off, the one played on the Triangle on the following evening was not even on the fixture list until a few days beforehand. Henley Town Youth, whose fine cup form had not been equalled this season at the exalted level of the Allied Counties League’s Premier Division, were pleased that the match against Sun Postal Sports Youth could be fitted in as it brought them their first league win of the season.
The three points earned take Henley off the foot of the table, although it will be very difficult to avoid relegation with four of the ten clubs due to go down.
Henley took an interval lead through Nick Thompson only to let in an equaliser but Vinnie Nash made sure of victory ten minutes from the end.
Left-back George Brewer, who recently regained a place in the Town’s first team, has been transferred to Milton United at his own request.
Published on 08 February 2010
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