This local derby drew an impressive attendance of 127, who enjoyed a close 1st half, but the home side dominated the 2nd half, running out deserved 3-0 victors.
Claydon piled the pressure on from the start, pinning Henley back early on, but without creating anything substantial. Claydon’s Rudge was fortunate to stay on the pitch in the 12th minute after an aggressive lunge at Bell, the lack of minutes on the clock, probably the only thing that saw a yellow rather than a red produced. Claydon continued to have the better of the early exchanges, continually looking to release the impressive Codrington, but Storey and Bell stood firm and managed him well. Henley found some form and came into the game more, a Tejano header from a Liam Ablitt corner scrambled off the Claydon line to safety. The Henley defence did well to deal with an indirect free-kick from the edge of the 6-yard box, then Dixon dived low to his left to safely collect another free kick from just outside the box. But it was Henley who came the closest, a goalmouth scramble involving George Ablitt and Bull, saw the ball appear to possibly cross the Claydon goal-line before being desperately cleared, leaving it 0-0 at HT.
The 2nd half was a different proposition, Henley dominant from the off, Tejano and Cowan controlling the game, instigating attack after attack. The Claydon goal led a charmed life on 62 minutes, Tejano’s header from a Hammond throw, coming back off the post, in the melee which followed, Tejano also hit the bar. In a case of Deja-vu, 5 minutes later another Tejano header from a Hammond throw, hit the same post in the same place. Henley weren’t to be denied though, taking the lead after 70 minutes, when Bruce’s whipped corner, was headed into his own net by defender Dennington, under close pressure from Tejano and Cowan for 1-0. A couple of minutes later George Ablitt came close, his 25 yard strike whistling just wide, before Watling had a header cleared off the line. It was captain Storey who doubled the Henley lead, bundling the ball home from a corner for 2-0 after 78 minutes. The goal of the game came only two minutes later, Watling winning the ball back on the edge of the box, beating his man, cutting inside and curling an exquisite left footed shot into the top corner for 3-0.
Despite an even 1st half, Henley’s 2nd half showing was more than deserving of the 3 points, those 45 minutes, the first time this season which showed signs of what we are capable of. Unlike last week’s landslide, the MOTM votes were spread between Hammond, Storey, Bell, Ablitt and Cowan, but in the end it was Tejano that just pipped it. In truth, any would have been worthy of the award, all playing big parts in the win. Despite having big players missing, Henley were much improved today, moving the ball quicker and with greater invention, than of late.