After last week’s bruising defeat at home to Buckingham, Henley’s men’s 3s hit the road this week in search of better fortune at Amersham & Chalfont.
The early signs were that the visitors would be in for a long afternoon as Amersham, flush with the energy of youth and substitutes, set out to press aggressively and keep Henley penned into their own half for much of the first period. Henley struggled to retain the ball under this pressure and rushed clearances were giving the home side plenty of opportunities to attack.
Mercifully, their goal threat did not match the intensity of their press and through dogged defending by Grocock, Nicholson, and Conway and some fine saves from Dave Bowyer, the scores remained level until the closing stages of the half. A & C finally broke the deadlock with their skipper completing a swift passing move with a composed finish. A few moments later they extended their lead, capitalising on a turnover and breaking quickly to make it 2-0.
The half-time whistle came at the right time for Henley to take a breath, regroup, and identify a way back into the game. For all that the home side had enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, they had not achieved a great deal with it and for Henley’s part, whilst they had not spent too much of the game in the attacking 3rd, every time they had the defence had looked nervous, so after a minor reshuffle the message was simple – stay calm at the back, stay awake up front, and the game is still there for us.
The second half possession stats were very similar to the first, with the home side again pressing forward, but Henley’s defence and midfield remained resolute. A&C were indulged with a veritable bonanza of short corners but rarely looked like coming close to scoring from any of them.
Henley’s forward line of Barrass, Merritt, and Barrass had fought for scraps all game but were ready to capitalise ruthlessly as A&C’s levels dropped. Alex McDonald-Smith intercepted an errant pass and quickly set Tim Barrass free to get behind the defence and send it across to Gordon Merritt to drive home and make it 2-1 mid way through the half.
The home side pushed forward again and as well as the short corner spree, Henley also endured several spells with 10 men as first keeper Dave Bowyer, then midfielders Roberts and Price were shown cards. They could not capitalise though and as the half wore on it seemed to be the home team that were the more anxious and rushed despite their lead, with their quality on the ball noticeably dropping.
With moments remaining, Henley’s scrapping forwards once again got their rewards, with Tim Barrass robbing a full back of possession, sending it inside for Merritt to strike across goal where Zac Barrass was on hand to tip it in at the far post for a well-earned goal on his 3rd team debut making it 2-2 to secure a point for the weary travellers.
The 3s return home next week, welcoming Eastcote for a 13.30 push back