Henley Men’s 5 welcomed Wycombe 5s for a closely contested encounter, but despite a determined performance and plenty of effort, the home side eventually went down 2-0.

Henley started positively, with youngsters William Soles in midfield and Thomas Wigfield up front combining particularly well and showing plenty of promise. Newcomers Ed Hutchinson, making his debut in goal, and Tom Manwaring, adding energy in midfield, both settled in well and made valuable contributions.

The defensive unit of Nick Shuttleworth, Dan Bradbury and Andrew Wigfield worked tirelessly to keep Wycombe at bay, while Rowan Austin, Ed Newbold, Clint Botha and Simon Taylor battled hard in midfield to create opportunities. Up front, JP Watts, Duncan Gray and Neill Emmett worked tirelessly to put the visitors under pressure.

Henley enjoyed good spells of possession and created several opportunities, particularly from short corners, but unfortunately couldn't find the finishing touch. Against the run of play, Wycombe proved more clinical, scoring twice on the counter-attack despite Henley's best efforts to get back into the contest.

Although the result didn't go Henley's way, there were plenty of positives to take from a spirited team performance, with the youngsters and new arrivals making particularly encouraging contributions.

Next week, Henley Men’s 5 travel away to face Eastcote, looking to turn their hard work into points for their push to climb up the league table.