Joyce goal helps Henley bounce back

Henley Men’s 1sts were victorious against Sonning Men’s 1sts last Saturday, in what proved to be a convincing 4-0 win.

Following their first disappointment of the season last week, the Henley side were determined to bounce back quickly — especially in front of a home crowd for the first time.

Rhys Joyce opened the scoring from the penalty spot on 20 minutes, after captain Ed Foster’s penalty corner drag flick struck a defender’s leg on the goal line.

From this point on, Henley took control of the game and doubled their lead just five minutes later through Chris Green, after Foster found the marksman unmarked at the far post.

Starting the second half 2-0 up, Henley continued to push forward and after 10 minutes, Fergus Heggie scored his first goal of the season from a well-worked penalty corner routine.

The home team’s dominance continued all over the pitch, snuffing out any potential Sonning pressure and five minutes before the end sealed the game as Geoff Joseph pounced on a loose ball in the Sonning D from a slick penalty corner routine to take the goal tally to four.

Saturday’s early push back at Thame Leisure Centre saw Henley Men’s 2nds rediscover their winning touch with a well-earned 2-1 victory over Thame 1sts, bouncing back confidently after a loss and a draw in recent weeks.

Thame started the stronger of the two sides, applying sustained pressure from the outset. Their crisp ball movement exposed some early uncertainty in Henley’s defensive structure, and the hosts took the lead inside the opening 10 minutes.

Henley grew steadily into the match and as their composure returned, so did their attacking rhythm. They forced a series of short corners before the break and one was expertly finished by Tim Herbert, who combined neatly with the injection and routine to level the score.

Unlike in their previous two outings, Henley used the momentum from their equaliser to push on, winning valuable battles throughout the second half. Their pressure again told from a short corner, with Herbert stepping up once more to convert and give Henley a 2–1 lead.

Although some late lapses in discipline resulted in cards and a nervy final few minutes, Henley held firm to secure a valuable three points.

The victory keeps them within striking distance of the league’s frontrunners and marked a welcome return to form. Henley 4ths went into Saturday’s match against old rivals South Berks 5ths propping up the league and in need of a win with only one victory in the season so far.

The home side, on their excellent new pitch, started much the better of the two sides and, despite the odd incursion into their own D by their Berkshire opponents, deserved their two-goal lead at half time.

A welcome return by experienced defender Ali Slay saw Henley take the lead with his drag flicked short corner. The long-limbed JJ Cotton followed up to double the lead.

Henley knew against a less experienced than normal Berks side that extending the lead to three in the second half would all but seal victory.

That they did and although South Berks responded almost immediately, with a two-goal cushion the game result was assured.

Henley pressed well down the right thanks to their youngest player, Dominic Proudfoot. Final score
3-1 to Henley.