Men's 4s Promotion Chances Fading

An early departure from Jubilee Park for this away game combined with a number of notable absentees attending key sporting events in West London meant the Gold and Blues were struggling to field a truly representative team. The result was a make shift XI with many players filling roles out of position.

The impact of this scenario was clear from the start as players found their feet in unusual positions whilst others were acclimatising to the environment. Oxford were immediately strong on the attack keeping James Lane, Jonathan Williams and Enzo Cheesman very busy at the back, with keeper Joe Selvester cat-like in goal coming to the team’s rescue on a couple of occasions. Eventually the Oxford pressure paid off and a sloppy pass across the back line was picked up by the on-rushing Oxford forward who deftly slipped the ball into the back of the net.

Henley re-grouped and, stirred on by some excellent play by the youngsters Max Hems and Henry Davis tigerish in mid-field, openings were beginning to be made in the Oxford defence. Kepa Biggs with his mane like beard rampaging down the right flank was way too hot for the Oxford defence but sadly so were his crosses to the waiting attackers who couldn’t get a stick on the ball for the final touch. It was now Henley in ascendance and a goal-mouth scramble following another run by Biggs resulted in Jamie Furness beating the keeper at the near post to bring the scores level.

With minutes to play in the first half another loss of focus from Henley gifted a second goal to Oxford with a mis-hit bobbling in over the outstretched foot of Sylvester.

Knowing only a win would do to keep faint promotion hopes alive Henley threw caution to the wind in the second half and pushed Oxford back into their own defensive quarter. Fine inter-working between Davis and Hems resulted in a defence splitting ball into Martyn Watkins in the D who calmly defected the ball goal bound, the Oxford keeper made a smart save but Watkins showing panther-like reactions was the quickest to react deftly lifting the ball over the prone keeper to make it 2-2.

With 10 minutes of the game left it was now anyone’s game, Davis slipped Furness in for a shot on goal but the pass just eluded the on rushing striker reaching for the ball as if it were a ball of knitting yarn just out of reach of his claws. A series of short corners came Henley’s way but again the killer blow was missing. Somewhat inevitably the better organised Oxford team recovered their composure regrouped and starting applying pressure on the Henley back line. Following a somewhat disputed free hit in the 25, Oxford worked the ball around the back of the Henley defence and found a gap to score to make it 3-2 to the hosts with minutes remaining.

Try as they might the visitors couldn’t respond and the game fizzled out as a very disappointing catastrophic defeat for the Gold and Blues.