With safety now confirmed for the hosts, this game was about setting themselves up for next season and pushing for the upper end of mid table. This may help entice a higher calibre of recruits to sign for the club in the summer transfer window, with several long term absentees unsure if they will be able to force their way back into a squad full of depth and youth.....players are under the impression that both Freddie Newbold and Danny Newcombe will return from their loans at Reading HC and Sam Heaver will overcome his long term health issues.

The game started well for the hosts who seemed composed and well set from the off. Spaff stuck to his man like the staines on his red trousers, keeping their main threat at bay until a dubious decision to award a short corner was made by the umpire. Foggoa, returning in goal after a 4 week ban was unable to prevent the drag flick flying in and Staines took the advantage.

Henley were not fazed by the early goal and continued to set the rhythm through the midfield quartet of Foster, Gupta, Riches and Joyce. After some success in penetrating the Staines D, Walter finally won a short corner. From this, Foster played a clever flick off the defenders stick which lobbed over the Staines keeper and into the net. Until this point the keeper had even kept out the GOAT, something almost unheard of in South Prem 2.

With momentum in their favour, Henley chucked on loose cannon Jeffri Josêf to rumble the Staines defence. He is like a pick and mix, sometimes you get a Haribo Strawberry, other times you get a licorice swirl. My grandad loved licorice swirls until one day it pulled out 3 of his teeth, and that's how it must have felt for the Staines keeper, who rebounded a ball into Josïf's path and was then unable to keep out his slap 'n' roll shot into the side netting.

2:1 at half time and the message from Jose Joycinho was to keep doing more of the same. Heaver, making it to minute 45 (obviously shaking off his illness), was stopping the ball reasonably well and fan favourite Mortimer had not managed a single reducer. Riches briefly saw the red mist until he realised the opposition player was both twice his size and weight. Incredibly, the Staines keeper managed to keep point blank shots from both Riches and Mortimer out without knowing much about them and Goffri Yoseppi went close again.

In a frustrating end to the match, Staines won a short corner with 10 minutes to go and despite the best efforts of Kyle Soulsby, it found its way into the side netting of the Henley goal.

Another point secured for Henley who get back on the road next week to challenge table topping Surbiton.

Goals: Foster, Joseph
MoM: Kyle Souslby
DoD: Sam Heaver

Author: Tom Walter