Segrue hammers home late goal to sink Newbury and Thatcham

HENLEY 1sts were on the wrong end of a 5-3 scoreline at BOURNEMOUTH 1sts in last Saturday’s South Central Premier Division 1 clash, despite racing into a three-goal lead.

The visitors were missing some key players from their usual lineup and despite this setback, Henley started strong with a stunning first first team goal from Adam Herbert.

The visitors continued their attacking momentum when Phil Laurie scored a screamer to put his side 2-0 up.

Soon after Ed Foster added to the tally with a clinical finish, showcasing Henley’s finishing prowess.

However, Henley came under increasing pressure as Bournemouth began to find their rhythm. The hosts capitalised late in the half, scoring a short corner goal just before the break.

The second half was all Bournemouth. As their key players stepped up, Henley struggled to regain control of the match. Bournemouth’s dominance became clear as they scored four unanswered goals, exploiting the gaps in Henley’s defence and taking full advantage of their newfound momentum.

Despite some spirited efforts, Henley couldn’t recover the goal deficit, as they returned with no reward from the south coast.

In South Central Division 2 North, HENLEY 2nds drew 1-1 against THAME 1sts at Jubilee Park in a fiery encounter.

Henley started the stronger of the two sides, pressing high and creating numerous chances in the opening exchanges. Their persistence paid off midway through the first half when a well-worked move saw them break the deadlock.

The goal gave Henley a deserved 1-0 lead going into halftime, though they could have been further ahead had they capitalised on more of their opportunities.

The second half saw Thame regroup and apply increasing pressure, but Henley’s defence held firm. Despite all the gppd plays in the Henley attack, none resulted in the vital second goal.

As the minutes ticked by, it seemed Henley would secure the three points but with just two minutes remaining on the clock, Thame snatched a late equaliser.

HENLEY 3rds ran out 4-1 winners in their home South Central Division 4 North clash with OXFORD HAWKS 5ths.

In South Central Division 1 Thames, HENLEY 4ths went down to a 3-1 defeat at PHOENIX READING 2nds. Henley struggled to show the form of previous weeks against their younger opponents.

Phoenix opened the scoring after some defensive lapses. Just before half-time, a fast-paced break from midfield was not adequately halted by the visitors as the hosts went into the break 2-0 up.

Henley played better in the second half and were rewarded with a penalty corner which was well worked by Mike Woolfrey and Jody Measures. During the play, the ball struck a Phoenix player on the foot as it headed for the goal, resulting in a penalty stroke which was subsequently converted by Ian Rechner.

However, any possibility of a Henley resurgence was snuffed out by a good back stick deflection from a Phoenix play down the blind side.

In South Central Division 3 Thames, HENLEY 5ths needed a second half comeback to secure a 3-2 win at NEWBURY AND THATCHAM 6ths.

Despite the setback of an early green card for Simon Taylor, Henley took control in a first half that featured some great link-up play down the right side from Tomas Chamberlain, Albie Townsend and Sam Austin, providing numerous attacking opportunities and the first goal midway through the half when centre forward Noel Williams converted a cross from Austin.

Henley’s attacking play almost created a second goal, but it was Newbury that struck back from a short corner in the final minutes of the half.

Henley were slow to start the second half and Newbury took full advantage, taking the lead 10 minutes into the half and almost went further ahead from a short corner when the ball became trapped in keeper Edward Hems’ pads. Quick thinking from Jon Williams helped keep Hems from stepping over the goal line and kept Henley in touch.

As the half progressed Henley grew into the game with some solid play in the heart of the team from Dan Bradbury and Ed Newbold setting the tone and Austin and Noel Wiliams combined again to bring Henley level.

Continued pressure from Henley, including a disallowed goal from John Powell, was finally rewarded when several short corners in quick succession led to Charlie Tyler-Chamberlain feeding the ball back in to the D and Nicholas Segrue hammering home the winning goal.