Slater Seeks New Challenge - 18th April

Henley Town manager Roddy Slater has announced he is leaving the Hellenic League club at the end of the season.

Slater (right) and his assistant Tommy Boylan (left) will walk away from The Triangle after three years in charge, and are now looking for the next challenge. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Henley Town and wish to thank the chairman above all for his continued support to myself, Tommy and our players throughout the three seasons,” said Salter. “I do feel we have developed the club to a higher standard from when we took over and I look forward with Tommy to new challenges that will meet us in the forthcoming season and years.”

Slater took over as Henley manager after they had been relegated from the Premier Division and finished third bottom the following season in Division One East. The management team rebuilt the squad with players mainly from the Reading area and within their first season had reached the first qualifying round of the FA Cup and the first round proper of the FA Vase as well as finishing in a respectable sixth place. Slater successfully mixed experience with youth and has integrated several of the former Henley Town Allied Counties Youth League winners into his side as regulars. Slater said on his decision to leave: “In my first season, I made a commitment to the chairman that I would be at the club for three seasons. In that my plan was to obtain promotion back to the Premier Division. We have been unable to achieve this but I do feel that we have stabilised Henley Town’s position in Division One East as a top seven side and have in my opinion taken the club as far as it can go with the resources and the constant battles we have had with finances and the pitch.” Slater added: “The most frustrating thing was that we were unable to play games for several weeks at a time due to the condition of the pitch and sadly regardless of the hard work and effort put in by the chairman and secretary the pitch itself was never up to the standards of the football that we were trying to play on it. Most of our successful results were on pitches that were flat and where you could play a passing game. Many teams complain about fixture congestion at the end of the season, but anyone involved with Henley understood that this was the norm and in my three years we have always ended April with three games in a week or even five days.”

Club Saved From Immediate Closure - 20th January

Henley Town Football Club has been handed a cash life-line from immediate closure. In danger of going bankrupt within the next two weeks, two businessmen have stepped forward to ease the club’s mounting debt problems.

Caleb Southwell, who owns IBS Office Solutions in Remenham Lane, David Snowdon, of the Health and Safety specialist, Pristine Condition at Northfield End in Henley and Chris Ward Consultancy PLC of Hare Hatch have all handed over cheques for £1,000.

Club chairman Andy Bryan, who last week claimed he was “disgusted” with the lack of support shown by the town on match days said that the club is “not out of the woods yet”. He said: “This was only a short term fix, we are in debt to the tune of £13,500. “We now have £3,000 which is a tremendous help and we can now pay off some of the more serious bills such as rent to Henley Town Council for the pitch and the company who installed our flood lights, which have been there for 10 years.” He added: “Things are on the move, hopefully more donations will come.”

Mr Southwell, who was a keen footballer as a child, was happy to dip into his wallet to support his local team. He said: “I enjoyed playing at Henley Boys’ Football Club and going on tour to Holland and Germany. I really appreciate the amount of work that goes into running a squad and giving children and adults this facility.”

The cash-strapped club, which is the oldest in Oxfordshire, having been formed in 1871, are currently third in the FTL Futbol Hellenic League but the arctic weather has meant games have been cancelled and the loss of gate receipts has been financially crippling. Andy Bryan said: “Hopefully we are now seeing the beginning of the end of the snow.

“Roddy Slater [the first team manager] hasn’t been able to hold a training session for the last three weeks. He is hoping to get a session in at the ground by the weekend. We need to get our minds back on to the football as soon as we can.”

Now club secretary Tony Kingston says the battle is on to raise enough money to clear the club of all its debts. In a bid to safeguard its long-term future, the club intends to enter into discussions with the Henley Football Partnership, AFC Henley, Henley YMCA, and, possibly Newtown Henley, with the view of all the clubs joining together under one umbrella.

The new structure would see all the clubs share resources and football for children from the age of five years to senior football at level five in the non-league football pyramid. It would see teams for young boys and girls, ladies, the disabled, Sunday football, Reading league football and at the top in the Hellenic Football League, all under one banner.

A number of fund-raising events have also been planned. On March 21 the club has arranged a charity match between the ex-Reading players XI against a team of former Henley Town players, which had previously been cancelled due to the weather. Money raised from the match will go to the Duchess of Kent House charity as well as the club. A sponsor for the much is being sought.

The club’s Annual five-a-side weekend will take place on June 12 and 13 with the men’s Tournament on the Saturday and the ladies’ on the Sunday. Entry forms can be down load from www.henleytownfc.com

In conjunction with local motor body repairers, Tabbitt, Henley Town is hoping to enter a team in the local summer darts league and it is hoped the club’s sponsors, Invesco Perpetual, will also enter a team. The matches will take place in the club’s Triangle Suite on Tuesday evenings which could bring in much needed regular revenue over the bar.

Under the banner Friends of Henley Town Football Club, it is also looking to start a weekly bonus ball lottery. The club is just short of the 25 members needed to start the lottery, which would commence with the weekly prize of £30 for the winning ball and increase to £50 per week when the full 49 members are reached.

This will bring the club a regular income to ride the annual problems the weather brings. Friends of the club and supporters interested in joining the lottery should contact Tony Kingston. A ‘pig racing’ night is also being planned at the club. Kingston said: “The Henley Town clubhouse is suitable for most functions and is available for hire a very reasonable prices throughout the week.”

Can Club Survive - 2nd January

Henley Town Football Club almost folded last season when waterlogging meant the ground in Mill Lane Henley was unplayable during most of November, December and January.

With the club still struggling with the debts this incurred, the severe winter weather has struck once again to make the finances of the club even worse.

Matches in December and over the Christmas period have been postponed due to waterlogging, the frozen pitch and then snow. One of these was a big fund-raising game between a team of Ex-Reading FC legends and the Thames Valley Police which was well advertised and would have attracted a large crowd.

The club’s Christmas party was also cancelled because of dangerous icing on Mill Lane bridge, the road to the ground and the car park. Although these events wouldn’t have cleared the club’s debts, they would have paid off a few bills.

Club Secretary, Tony Kingston (pictured) said: “As the club exists almost entirely on income from the Triangle Suite bar it now has a major financial problem. Unlike a lot of other clubs, Henley Town has a large mortgage; has to pay rates and ground rent; plus bills for electricity, burglar alarm, insurance, maintenance etc. The clubhouse used to be thriving but bar sales have gone down dramatically and the club has even thrown beer away because it has gone past the sell-by date.


“Although Henley is one of the most affluent areas in the country with more multi-millionaires per head of the population than most, the football club gets very little support from the community apart from Invesco Perpetual who give a generous annual donation and sponsor the clubs kit.”

A few small companies also help by sponsoring matches. Although the club’s teams are near the top of their respective leagues, the average home attendance is around 30 and the majority of these have travelled with the visiting team.

Kingston added: “We are the oldest club in Oxfordshire and has been in existence since 1871. It has seen many ups and downs in those 139 years but the financial crisis the weather has caused is very worrying for the current committee who are looking for donations to help the club out of its current nightmare.”

Next season, the club is hoping to ignite local interest by restarting the Henley Charity Cup which was last played for in the early Eighties. All the matches will be played under floodlights at the town ground and eight local teams will be invited to compete for the cup.

Also in conjunction with Tabbitts and Invesco Perpetual, teams will be entered into the local darts league and games played in the Triangle Suite on Tuesday evenings.

The club would also like to invite local pool enthusiasts to contact them about entering teams into the local league. The Triangle Suite is also available for hire at all times for functions at reasonable prices.

If you can help the club or would like more details, email the club secretary Tony Kingston: tonykingstonhtfc@hotmail.co.uk or phone him on 07712 139592 or 0118 967 0196.

The club is looking for a Treasurer. The job is voluntary and would suit a retired person with a financial background. Although not essential, an interest in football or sport may be helpful.

For more details, contact chairman, Andy Bryan on 0118 972 3962 or 07730 924100

Henley’s Best Summer Signing - 14th September

Henley Town manager Roddy Slater believes the best move he made all summer was persuading Wrightchoice founder Simon Chandler to join him at Mill Lane. Former Chelsea player Chandler has established a flourishing youth and senior set-up at Wrightchoice CSA and now Henley are beginning to feel the benefits. Slater said: “Simon is managing our Allied Counties League side, and the link-up with Wrightchoice is a major asset with the number of players available to me.“Simon was the best signing I made in the summer.” Already Wrightchoice Sunday players Diak John, Phillip John, Aaron Lynch, Jermaine Hamilton and Adam Cashin-Murray are making their mark with Henley in the Hellenic Division 1 East. And with Wrightchoice boasting youth teams at all age groups, Slater is hoping that a conveyor-belt of talent will keep Henley stocked with talent for years to come.

Slater, though, isn’t just relying on youngsters to fuel his bid for promotion to the Hellenic Premier. He has also held on to most of last season’s squad, and also added vital experience in the shape of former Reading ace George Friel and ex-Chester, Torquay and Cambridge striker Marcus Richardson. Former Northern Ireland and Reading centre-half Barry Hunter is also on the coaching staff, and Slater is confident Henley are heading in the right direction. He said: “We have knuckled down and sorted out the way we are looking to play this year and called on the experience we have around, which has made a difference. “The atmosphere has been great all season, even after we lost our first game against South Kilburn.” It’s all a far cry from this time last year, when Henley was struggling near the foot of the table. They rallied to finish sixth, and they have maintained that form so far this season as they have climbed up to second place in Division 1 East, with just that setback against Kilburn blotting their copybook. Slater said: “It has been a good start and I am loving it this season. “We did well to keep hold of the promising Alex Salmon, and bringing in young Sam Whiting from Wokingham & Emmbrook has also been a very good signing.” Slater is out for revenge against Kilburn when the sides meet in London on Saturday. And Slater said: “Hopefully we can get revenge, but it will be a challenge because they were a good side last year and I think they are even better this season. “I think they will be in the reckoning this season along with Wokingham & Emmbrook, Holyport, Thame United and Milton United – and I would like to think that we will be up there too.”

Ex Pro's Sign At Henley - 14th August

Two former professional footballers have signed FTL Futbol Hellenic League forms for Division One East club Henley Town. Former Northern Ireland International Barry Hunter, pictured, who played centre back for Coleraine, Wrexham. Reading and Rushden & Diamonds has signed as player/coach.

Striker Marcus Richardson plied his trade at Hartlepool United, Lincoln City, Yeovil Town. Cambridge United and Farnborough Town

Lillywhites Face Reading League Big Guns! - 7th July

The club will take on Reading Senior League top guns Theale Royal Mail and Westwood United in a Tournament at Bradfield College on Saturday, July 11th. Henley face Theale Royal mail at 11am and Westwood United at 1.30pm. Town will also play South Midland League outfit Bucks SU ay the Invesco Perpetual Triangle ground on Saturday 8th August KO 3.00pm