This was a battle against a well-drilled Reading side on a hot, sunny day that sapped the energy from both teams.

Reading came out hard from the start and enjoyed plenty of early possession, but perhaps their downfall was failing to make it count. Against the run of play, at the sharp end of the pitch, Henley’s young Alex Woolfrey combined with the experienced Ian Rechner, with Ian finishing the move to put Henley 1–0 ahead.

The home side took their lead into half-time, but shortly into the second half Reading equalised after Henley lost possession.

Henley regrouped, although the ball was still given away on a few occasions, with Man of the Match Tomas Chamberlain called upon to make some heroic saves to keep the scores level.

As the game progressed, however, something really started to click. The defence and midfield gelled, becoming an increasingly well-structured and disciplined unit. Players supported each other, worked for one another and Henley began to look like a true team.

Towards the end, another Woolfrey–Rechner combination caused problems in the Reading D and created the decisive second goal.

A well-deserved and hard-fought 2–1 victory for the Henley 4s — built on determination, discipline and an increasingly impressive team performance.