Woolfrey and Wiseman goals help move Henley up to second spot

HENLEY 1sts missed out on a chance to leapfrog visitors BASINGSTOKE 1sts in South Central Premier Division 1 last Saturday as they went down to a 3-2 defeat. Going into the match both sides were both without a win in their opening six matches.

Henley started brightly with striker Phil Laurie going close on a couple of occasions but it was Basingstoke who took the lead through a tap-in at the far post and then followed up with a short corner goal to go 2-0 up.

Just before half-time, Henley’s Ed Foster drag-flicked from a short corner, forcing a smart save from the keeper before Kyle Soulsby, the central defender finding himself on the back post, was able to bundle the ball in for his second goal for Henley — 12 years after his first.

The second half was end-to-end and Henley got themselves back into the match with when Rhys Joyce threaded a pass through to Foster who finished into the far corner.

At 2-2 Henley had a handful of chances but also relied on saves from keeper Lee Rowe-Elliot and Joyce stopping two short corners on the line.

With 10 minutes to go and Henley having spent 14 minutes with 10 men following two yellow and two green cards, Basingstoke smashed home the winner.

HENLEY 2nds went down to a 3-0 South Central North Division 2 defeat at NEWBURY AND THATCHAM 2nds.

Traveling with a reduced squad due to injuries, Henley battled valiantly but were unable to overcome a well-organised Newbury side.

Early defensive efforts from Henley showcased their resolve, as they absorbed pressure from the hosts and worked tirelessly to limit Newbury’s opportunities. However, midway through the first half, Newbury found a breakthrough, capitalising on an umpiring confusion to open the scoring.

Henley regrouped and showed moments of promise, with their midfield working hard to disrupt Newbury’s control. Yet, the absence of key players and limited attacking options made it difficult for Henley to mount sustained pressure on the hosts’ defence.

In the second half, Henley continued to defend doggedly but were undone by quick counter-attacks, which doubled Newbury’s lead. Despite being stretched thin, Henley refused to let their heads drop, with their backline and goalkeeper pulling off key stops to keep the game within reach.

As the game wore on, fatigue began to take its toll, and Newbury added a third goal in the closing stages to secure their victory.

HENLEY 3rds drew 1-1 away at SOUTH BERKSHIRE 3rds in their South Central Division 4 North clash.

South Berks made most of the early running, dominating possession and putting the Henley defence of Austin, Conway-Hughes, Bell and Latchcroft under pressure and forcing a couple of good saves from Dave Bowyer.

Despite defending resolutely, it was the home that tood the lead with a speculative ball in from the left with just enough lift on it to evade several sticks along the way to give the striker a relatively simple finish.

James Rechner on his season debut for Henley 3rds, dropped into the midfield and his energy along side Alex Price helped to sure things up in the middle and give the visitors more of a foothold in the game.

The second half was similarly close, but Henley were steadily enjoying more possession and growing in confidence, with Guy Harmer, and particularly the effervescent Jamie Taylor, beating their players and carrying the ball well, enabling Henley to get forward in numbers and put pressure on the South Berks goal.

It was from a series of second-half short corners that Henley finally drew level mid-way through the half. The South Berks keeper had already made several impressive saves, but he was helpless on this occasion as a passing move opened things up for Gordon Merritt to sweep home for Henley.

Both sides had further chances to clinch all three points, with Tony Conway-Hughes getting into the right spot but being sent to the floor before he could get the finishing touch to a dangerous ball in from the right, and Ian Roberts seeing his strike edged just around the post by the tip of the keeper’s boot right at the death.

In South Central Division 1 Thames, HENLEY 4ths ran out 3-0 winners at home to SOUTH BERKSHIRE 6ths.

Henley opened the scoring from a short corner thanks to a hit from Mike Woolfrey at the top of the D.

Henley extended their lead early in the second half and continually challenged the South Berkshire goalkeeper to make some difficult saves but some industrious efforts by Rupert Wiseman saw him rewarded with two goals from open play.

The experienced left and right backs, Christopher Proudfoot and Alistair Slay, gave a masterclass in aerial passing throughout the whole game, servicing their forwards to continue to apply the pressure. The win left Henley in second place in the table.

HENLEY 5ths went down to a 2-1 South Central Division 3 Thames defeat at EASTCOTE EAGLES 7ths.

Henley went into the match with 12 players, which included Dom Proudfoot who had earlier played for Henley 4ths, and with Tomas Chamberlain playing between the sticks due to the side having no recognised goalkeeper.

In the first 15 minutes Henley were dominant and showed great composure in denying Eastcote possession. With an impressive debut performance from Jonathan Powell helping sure up the midfield Eastcote rarely got the ball past the halfway line.

Henley made several promising attacks with Charlie Tyler-Chamberlain getting several shots on goal away.

In the second half Eastcote managed to play around the defence and keeper to score.

Henley hit back immediately with a goal from Sam Austin to level the scores.

After gaining several short corners, Eastcote managed to score a second goal in open play to secure the points.