Henley Town Football Club - Fans website and magazine

Club Deportivo La Star 1 – 2 Henley Town Reserves

Our Sunday Reserves have started the season with a BANG! They claimed an impressive away win against the tough opposition of Club Deportivo La Star. Henley worked hard in the first half and due to the drive and energy of Ben King was able to muster some decent chances to take the lead. One shot to mention was that of Gary King who saw his 30 yard thunderbolt pushed around the post by the impressive home Keeper. None of the chances to score were taken and half time soon arrived.

The mood of the team at half time was positive as everyone expressed their belief that we could win the game. Shortly after half time the team captain Kieron Anderson was forced to retire from the game due to an injury. Henley continued to create chances but it was the home team who struck the first blow which came from the penalty spot. This however only spurred Henley on and resulted in a goal some 60 seconds later. The determination and energy of Andy Tier tipped the balance and Andy scored from a yard as he saw an Anthony Fox shot come of the crossbar and he applied the finishing touch.

The home team then had its best spell of the match as they put Henley under sustained pressure for a good ten minutes.

More changes were required and duly applied by the ever quick thinking Dave Gosby, which saw the balance of play return to the deserved Henley. It was left for last year's joint leading top goal scorer, Keith Woolfson, to supply the perfect finish to the game. He showed great pace in the dying seconds of extra time to leave his marker for dead, then coolly headed the ball past the advancing keeper and while under considerable pressure from the recovering defender and goalie slotted the ball into an empty net from a tight angle. Special mention should be given to the whole team for their never say die attitude which was fantastic to see. Man of the Match: Andy Tier

Henley Town 3 Oxford Quarry Nomads 2

Henley Town survived a scare last week to maintain their winning start to the season in Division 1 East of the Sport Italia Hellenic League.
Against a promising Oxford Quarry Nomads, the Liliywhites came back from 2-0 to take all three points with a last minute goal.
It started well for Henley when player-manager Bobby Wilkinson went close inside the first three minutes. But they were stunned when Quarry scored minutes later with their first meaningful break.
It got even worse for the Lilywhites five minutes later when they went two down following a goalmouth scramble that was bundled in.
With Quarry now bossing the game it was important for Henley to respond quickly and striker Michael Davies responded brilliantly in the 33rd minute. Picking up the ball in his own half, he outpaced the defence before smashing his shot in the top left-hand corner from 25 yards.
Tristram Dennis went close to an equaliser just before the break but Henley had to settle for 1-2 at half time.
Davies’ goal had obviously given the Lilywhites confidence and, in almost the first action of the second half, Lorenzo Medford scored an early contender for goal of the season. From fully 45 yards out, Medford smashed a perfect strike past the goalkeeper, which clipped the inside of the post on its way in, much to the delight and disbelief of the fans and his team-mates.
All the momentum was now with the Lilywhites and they battered the Quarry goal in search of a winner. Davies and Dion Denney both missed good chances and Trannell Richardson was left red-faced after missing an open goal when put clean through.
The breakthrough finally came with almost the last kick of the game. A goalmouth scramble, following sustained Henley pressure, was forced home by Dennis to wrap up the three points.
Controversy followed immediately after when Quarry had a player sent off for protesting too vociferously about the goal, but it failed to put a dampener on a very good result for the Lilywhites.

Henley Town: M. Shanaham, T. Cook, L. Medford, T. Dennis, T. Richardson, J. Jones, B. Wilkinson, D. Denney, M. Davies, T. Dawson, B. Dunk. Subs: T. Jonies, D. Tarpey.

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Unable to rise even the one position from the foot of the table that would have increased their chances of a reprieve, Henley Town will almost certainly be relegated as a result of their doings in the 2005-06 season. It was a difficult year all round, with problems off the field as well as on.
To get matters into proportion, it must be remembered that the Town have competed for a considerable part of their history at a lower level than the Hellenic League Premier Division. It also goes without saying that a club dating back to 1871 has experienced bad years before – indeed, there have been plenty of them.
What was most disappointing now, however, was that the Lilywhites never looked like extricating themselves from their difficulties at any time from December onwards. The season could not, therefore, be compared with that of 1964-65, the last time they were relegated from the Hellenic Premier, nor, indeed, with that of 1990-91 when they were demoted from the Chiltonian Premier Division, for on both occasions the issue was open virtually up to the last day of the campaign. Now only one league match was won after November, while the last 13 competitive games failed to produce a single victory.
Although some problems had been evident pre-season, the first three league matches brought seven points. With hindsight, this may appear a mixed blessing, possibly having persuaded the management to think that the squad needed no strengthening. Not a single point was gained from a team finishing in the first eleven places in the table, but it was the failures against mid-table teams, rather than the best ones, against whom they often raised their game to respectability, that cost the side most dearly. More points were gained away than at home.
It was an inability to attract enough men of the required standard that was at the root of Henley’s problems. They were served enthusiastically by their youngest players and loyally by their oldest, with Gary Kingston setting the example; but many of those in between lacked the capacity to succeed at such a high level. It is often correctly said that a club’s youth team is its future; by the end of the season, it had almost become Henley Town’s present with as many as six youth players being fielded in the starting eleven.
Another much heard remark is that money determines the outcome of the Hellenic Premier Division as surely as it does the F.A. Premiership, and it is absolutely true that Henley simply cannot match the champions, Didcot, in this regard. Nevertheless, it is believed that Shrivenham, who finished eighth, paid nothing at all, and certainly Henley have fielded stronger sides in quite recent seasons when the players have received no financial reward. This was certainly the weakest Lilywhite team for nine years.
Although a few players drifted away and a few more were hurt as in any season, there was nothing like the bad luck with injuries there had been a year earlier. However, the timing of one departure and one injury was especially unfortunate for the team. Rob Bixby, who had strengthened the side since coming in as a central defender on 20th September, was head-hunted by Chesham United and left just over two months later, directly after an away victory against Pegasus Juniors that was probably Henley’s best performance of the season. Ironically, Bixby returned in time to play the last five games but still missed the two final ones because of injury. Similarly, goalkeeper Michael Pratley, who first came into the team eleven days after Bixby, proved its most consistent member thereafter, and it was a huge blow when he broke his wrist in a Sunday match on the very day after the Town gained their final victory (at Shortwood) – though he was not hurried back into the team at the end of the season.
Even in the absence of both Bixby and Pratley, the defence often looked stronger than the attack, and it was a desperate inability to put the ball in the net that cost Henley most dearly of all. Incredibly, Michael Turner, with seven strikes, was the leading goal-scorer from 49 league and cup games. Manager Bobby Wilkinson could certainly not be accused of failing to try every possible option within the forces at his disposal, for an amazing 22 different forward pairings began matches. The fact that none of them succeeded for long suggests that part of the trouble was that the midfield were not providing them with the right openings. Henley did manage to make one major signing in the latter part of the season, who, they hoped, might have made a difference, but Tanzania international Mohamed Rajab was an uncertain starter from week to week.
Wilkinson, who succeeded the previous management team of Bernie Harris and Garry Stevens at the start of the season, did have a few small successes, most notably in getting greater commitment and organisation from the players when long journeys had to be undertaken. In the F.A. Vase, previously a scene of many failures, a bye followed by a home victory over Ely City led to the club putting up a thoroughly decent performance in defeat at Leiston after a mammoth trip in the first round proper. For the most part, however, the club prospered little more in cups than in the league. Indeed, the nadir of the entire season was a 5-1 débâcle in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup against a very weak Chipping Norton side.
Although any club will mostly be judged on the performances of its first team, Henley could take some consolation from the doings of their other five sides. The reserves won the Oxfordshire Intermediate Cup and finished second in the league. Despite falling away towards the end of the season, the youth team improved on the previous term by finishing third, and so did the Sunday reserves. The ladies, in their second season, were losing finalists in the Oxfordshire Women’s Cup, while the Sunday first team had a respectable enough record.
Henley Town have frequently bounced back before and will surely do so again. But a lot of work needs to be done and a lot of changes need to be made if the hopes engendered five years ago when the club won promotion to the Premier Division by a 20-point margin are to be rekindled.

Between Tuesday of last week and Monday of this week, Henley Town have brought their fixtures for the season to a close with two games for the youth team and two for the ladies.
At home to Slough, Henley Town Ladies gained a point from an excellent game. Sinead Thompson gave the Lilywhites the lead on the half-hour, and they held this until quarter of an hour from the end, when the visitors equalised. On Sunday, the ladies travelled to Wycombe Wanderers and for a long while looked to be on their way to victory. Despite conceding the first goal, they took the lead through strikes from Rosie Woolcott and Charlotte Mullins. However, key player Tina Leahy was injured ten minutes into the second half, and Henley, with no substitite available, had to finish the match one short. They continued to fight hard, but Wycombe equalised at the 75th minute and scored the winner two minutes before time.
The Youth Team finished well beaten when journeying to meet Northwood Youth, who had already won the divisional title, but only after their brilliant football in the first half had given the home side a real scare. Henley went in front on the half-hour direct from David Tarpey’s free-kick, and, ten minutes later, Tom Morris won a goalmouth scramble to score another. In first-half stoppage time, however, Northwood reduced their arrears and, following some unsuccessful changes in their line-up, Henley let in four further goals in the second half, some of which might have been prevented.
Despite five successive defeats in three competitions, the youths had already assured themselves of third place in the league before Monday night’s game, when, happily, they returned to form on the Triangle against the improved Brook House side. Henley scored five superb goals besides being robbed by the crossbar twice.
Tarpey gave the Town a 21st minute lead with a clever dropping side across the goal, and Michael Davies added another in the injury time before the interval, showing brilliant control of the bouncing ball before firing it home. Daniel Offley’s pile-driver went in off the crossbar to make it 3-0 after 53 minutes, but Brook House reduced the arrears eight minutes later. Following Morris’s interception, Michael Davies skilfully side-footed in Henley’s fourth goal on 84 minutes, while Matt Davies sent Tom Wilson through right at the end to complete the scoring at 5-1.

GLS FOOTBALL HELLENIC LEAGUE – PREMIER DIVISION
Henley Town 1 Almondsbury Town 2 (18th March 2006)
Henley Town have lost monotonously often this season, and mainly that has been no more than they deserved. But, at home to Almondsbury Town on Saturday, they were decidedly unlucky to gain no reward for their afternoon’s work.
The Lilywhites’ first moment of misfortune came just prior to the interval when they had what looked a good goal disallowed. Although it was a less clear case, they also felt that the goal that put the Almonds in front after 51 minutes was offside. Then, as if to prove that it was never meant to be Henley’s day, after the Town had equalised, their visitors claimed a winner in stoppage time.
Even with fortune favouring the visitors, Henley could still have taken something from this game but for their usual fault of being unable to turn possession into goals. Yet if this was no classic contest, the players of both sides deserved some sympathy from the watchers, for another strong, cold wind was sufficiently variable in direction to be very difficult to judge.
The Town showed five changes in their starting personnel compared with the game in midweek. Importantly, Adam Brown, who has been coming on by leaps and bounds in recent matches, was unavailable, while Mohamed Rajab had severely injured his eye in the Chipping Norton game. Aidan Lewis, who has received good reports from his appearances in the youth and reserve teams, was promoted to make his senior debut as left wing-back.
Henley’s defence was soon caught out on its left-hand side, but Jack Chapman did very well to turn Paul McKelvaney’s resultant shot over the crossbar. The Town retaliated via a long-range free-kick from Shane Small-King that forced a corner. As the ball continued to speed from end to end, McKelvaney set up Danny Copeland for a clear scoring chance, but Chapman did enough to save the day.
With the exception of a header from McKelvaney that was ultimately cleared, the longer the opening half continued, the more Henley began to get the upper hand. Towering above most of the other players on the field, both literally and metaphorically, was Tim Cook. Despite being the Town’s last line of defence, he took almost all their throw-ins. Half a dozen of these came within striking distance of goal and achieved vast length. His colleagues should have put them to better use, and Cook perhaps decided that his side would score only if he did the job himself. He looked to have succeeded when he rose above the opposition to head home Clifford Alleyne’s corner, but the Almondsbury goalkeeper and a defender both finished up on the ground. They appeared to have collided with one another, but referee Bill Christie decided that a foul had been committed and struck out the goal.
It was unclear where the advantage lay at half-time, for Henley were about to gain the advantage of the slope but probably to lose the best of that unpredictable wind. However, Almondsbury went in front only six minutes into the second period through Danny Copeland. The Town defenders insisted that the Almonds had been offside in the build-up, although an opening that was neglected by one player before being converted by another ought not to have brought a goal.
Henley fought back, Michael Turner sending in a good header from another Alleyne corner, though with Dimiter Dimitrou well positioned to save. Dimitrou could only gather in Small-King’s shot at the second attempt, but there was little following up from the rest of the Town side. The ball was never at one end for long, and Copeland managed to get past not only Michael Hancock but even Cook, but Chapman turned his shot for a corner.
David Tarpey, one of the many youth-team players who have helped out in the Town’s senior side this season, came on now for Austin Best and had been on the field only five minutes when he was brought down inside the penalty area. This was a silly offence for Almondsbury to commit as a goal had looked far from certain. Incredibly, it was also the first time all season that the Town had won a penalty – a clear indication of how little they have occupied their opponents’ penalty areas. This being the case, no one in the crowd knew who would take the kick, and possibly the players did not either. The injured party, however, grabbed the ball and, showing no signs of nerves or inexperience, Tarpey placed the kick wide of Dimitou with 73 minutes played. In all, Henley had four youth players in the squad, all of whom showed some promise, especially the improving Scott Dewar on the right flank.
Almondsbury substitute Richard Kerr then picked up the only caution of the game when the referee spotted an off-the-ball incident, though Henley were none too pleased to be pulled back as they were going through on goal at the time. Lee Gitson sent a half-volley just over the Henley bar, but the Town surged forward again, and Small-King made two good efforts, the first going hard but wide, while the second, from one of his typically dangerous long free-kicks, appeared to force a corner although a goal-kick was given.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Gary Kingston was again getting through much good defensive work, Almondsbury were constantly being caught offside, and a point for Henley looked certain. However, a lengthy amount of stoppage time was quite rightly added to the 90 minutes, and it had just begun when Copeland’s pass across the goalmouth found Karl Madge, who scored with some ease. The rest of the game saw the visitors’ goal survive as though protected by some magic charm, though it would be equally true to say that the Lilywhites’ lack of ruthlessness near goal was again a factor in their defeat.
Henley Town: Chapman; Hancock, Cook, G. Kingston; Dewar, Alleyne, Small-King, Forde, Lewis; Turner, Best (Tarpey 68 mins). Subs not used: Wilkinson and Freeman.
This match was sponsored by G.K.S. Motor Services.

Michael Davies scored twice in the first ten minutes and then again at the start of the second half after just two passses from the kick-off. The home side pulled one back but Manager Andy Dell made it 4-1 before Davies got his fourth of the afternoon on a pitch just outside the ground of Oxford City. It was good end to end stuff in the sunshine and Henley came under a lot of pressure once Marston scored. They will play Carterton Reserves in the Semi-Final.

Team: Jenkins, Lewis, Shrubb, Digby, Illsley; Mendy, Herbert, Cornell, Ritchie, Hobbs, Davies, Dell and Cornell. Ref. Brian Proffitt. Away linesman Mike Trendall.

Headington Amateurs Res. 1 Henley Town Res 1 (aet 2-4 on penalties) 14 Jan 2006

Henley Town Reserves ultimately won through to the quarter-finals of the Oxfordshire Intermediate Cup when they visited Headington Amateurs Reserves on Saturday, but not before the game had gone to penalties. With Gary Kingston injured, Kevin Digby and James Rusby played so well at the heart of Henley's defence that David Jenkins had little to do for long periods, while the home goalkeeper was able to prove himself a player of some talent. The game had reached the 82nd minute before either team could score, and then it was Headington who did so. Shortly afterwards, however, the Town drew level, when two substitutes, Greg Allan, who took a free-kick, and Andy Dell, who flicked it on, gave Rusby the opportunity to blast the ball home. So the game went to extra time, when neither team could add to their tally. When Digby failed with the first penalty of the shootout, Henley 's prospects looked bleak,

but David Tarpey, Rusby, Michael Davies and Michael Herbert all found the net, while Amateurs missed their last two spot-kicks to lose the shootout 4-3.

Henley Town Sunday had an exciting game away to Abbey Rangers, who came back to gain a point almost solely through the efforts of Didcot star Stuart Beavon. Terry Ashfield gave Henley the lead, and Ollie Maskell increased it from the penalty spot. With further goals from Ben Fenning and Nick Kingston, Henley established what looked an unassailable 4-1 lead, but two superb individualist goals from Beavon, who also converted a penalty, kept the home side's hopes alive, and they finally made it 4-4 in the last minute of stoppage time.

The Sunday reserves scored through Keith Woolfson before the interval, away to Thames Conservancy, and Mark Slater increased their lead in the second half, but the home side struck twice in the last quarter hour to come back and share the spoils.

JOHN BAILEY

There was a presentation to mark his 50 years of reporting on 22nd October 2005. This milestone was reached on 15th October and John followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather before him. I wonder if this is a record.

From behind a packed bar I saw little of the game apart from Gary Kingston marking that legend, Kerry Dixon on his debut on a lovely sunny afternoon. Dave Hobbs and Jason Kingston were our scorers while for the visitors, Dean Selby celebrated his 40th birthday with two, Steve Finnieston, Clive Walker, Peter Rhoades-Brown and a young sub also hit the back of the net.
Working with me at the bar was Rob Green who was called away to play in goal for the second half and he only let in four apparently. We also called on Bobby Wilkinson and Anton Beckley while Chelsea manager Mark Westwood had Micky Droy at the back.
Our thanks to all those who made it a special day including 210 FM, the bouncy castles, Colin Howard, John Oakes, Katrina Kingston, Andy Green, Mick Keeley, Mavis Crook and to Malcolm Jackson who organized the whole event along with Tony Clark of One Better Day Ltd.

Henley started the match full of confidence and Danny Offley threatened the Oxford goal down the left flank from the kick-off. Home keeper Ian Collins had to be alert from long range shots from Illsley, Hathaway and Wilson and it came as no shock when Henley took the lead with Hathaway`s shot from 18 yards slipping through his hands. Oxford came back and a shot from McClearly was tipped onto the bar by Jack Chapman and then he saved the rebound after a tremendous scramble in the goalmouth.

Henley settled down and got back on top and in the 38th minute, Offley crossed from the left wing and although Illslley missed the ball, there was Tarpey to crash home.

Brown and Wagner defended well and Chapman`s long clearance found Wilson whose mazy run ended when Perkins brought him down on the edge of the penalty area. Illsley took the fee-kick but Collins saved well.

On their own ground, Oxford made two substitutions at half-time but Saleem and Maynard dealt ably with raids down the flanks and again Chapman started another move to Saleem and Tarpey found space on the right but Collins was equal to his shot. With 18 minutes to go, manager Bobby Wilkinson started to use his three substitutes with Hathaway playing deeper though he still found time, along with Dewar to test the home keeper.

To the amazement of the large contingement of Henley fans, the fourth official added on another five minutes for stoppage time but Henley held on for a well deserved victory. Although all the players were a credit to Henley Town Football Club, Akmal Saleem took the man-of-the-match award. With 12 of the 16 squad still available for next years competition,

Henley should start as favourites to retain the cup next season. If Henley can retain the majority of these players then the club can look forward to a very promising future at senior level.

TEAM: Chapman,Maynard, Brown, Wagner, Brown, Saleem; Tarpey, Illsley, Dewar, Offley; Wilson, Hathaway. Subs: Hylton, Kingston & Best. Not Used: Morris and Turnbull.

Match Reports (some shortened)