Henley start the year with three points

In their first game back after the Christmas break, Henley Men’s 1st XI welcomed Banbury to Jubilee Park. With both sides sitting on the same points around the potential relegation positions, this was a proverbial 6-pointer.

Henley started the match strongly, with the midfield four of Ralph, Joyce, Hetherington and Land setting a high tempo, which allowed the creative pairing of Foster and Harding to link up with Green on a regular basis in the first 15 minutes. Despite the early pressure, Henley were caught on the break, as Banbury launched a slick passing move down the left wing, resulting in a neat far-post finish from Simon Boardman.

Despite the set-back, Henley looked confident on the ball as the half went on, and deservedly equalised through Captain Ed Foster, whose diving effort rifled past the Banbury goalkeeper, following an astute through-ball from Sam Heaver.

With the scores level at half-time it was anyone’s game, but Henley came out strongly after the break, resulting in them taking the lead on the 40-minute mark. After some determined play from Luke Gupta, Henley won a short corner, which was despatched into the net by Sam Heaver.

It was backs to the wall for a 10-minute spell then, as Banbury threw men forward in order to try and force an equaliser. Henley stood form though, with goal keeper Rob Green making some excellent saves to keep the away side at bay, supported by some brave last ditch defending by Rowe, Hughes-Burne, Walter and Slay.

In the last 10 minutes, Henley had several opportunities to increase their lead, but were unable to take them, leading to a nervy finish. However, the home side remained calm in the final minutes and saw out the match to take an important three points with a 2-1 victory.