After last week's excursion into the byways of the Hellenic Supplementary Cup, Henley Town return to the main road this week with league fixtures on Saturday at 3 p.m. and on Tuesday at 7.45 p.m.
Both games are at home, and first Cheltenham Saracens and then Bracknell Town will be the visitors.
Both visiting sides are in the lower reaches of the league table, and so each match could have an important bearing on the fight against relegation. Henley look far less likely to go down now than they did two months back, but Kidlington went past them at the weekend by beating Witney while Henley's attention was focused on their cup-tie. Saracens stand two places above the Lilywhites, having taken one more point from one more game, whilst also having a slightly superior goal difference. The extra point accrued from their trip to Ascot last Saturday, which ended in a 1-1 draw. The meeting will be only the third ever between the clubs. Both previous matches came in the 2001-02 season, following Henley's third promotion to the Hellenic Premier Division. They beat Cheltenham 5-0 at home and drew the return match 2-2 on Saracens' temporary home ground at Harrow Hill. Cheltenham, a multi-sports club, were promoted again at the end of last season and have coped very well in the higher grade considering that they went up from only third position in Division 1 (West).
Although Bracknell are marooned at the foot of the table, Henley face them just as they seem to be improving. They recently drew at Cheltenham and followed this with a 4-1 home victory over Fairford Town. The upturn in their fortunes has been inspired by the arrival of Mick Woodham as assistant manager, bringing several new players in his wake. The only previous first-team meeting between the clubs saw the Town win 2-0 at Larges Lane on December 10.
Henley Town Reserves also have a league fixture on Saturday, travelling to meet Binfield Reserves, kick-off 3 p.m. Jermaine Gumbs, who came on as substitute in Henley's last league match and played the whole of Saturday's cup-tie, adds to the short list of full internationals who have assisted the club. In 2008, he appeared as a striker for the small island of Anguilla in two World Cup qualifying games.
Cup Weekend For Henley - 23 January
This Saturday Henley Town entertain Malmesbury Victoria in the second round of the Hellenic League Supplementary Cup, kick-off 3pm.
If Sir Alex Ferguson looks on the Europa Cup as a punishment for early departure from the Champions League, Hellenic clubs see the Supplementary Cup in much the same light, for all clubs knocked out in the first round of the League Challenge Cup are automatically entered for the less prestigious Supplementary Cup.
However, sometimes a match is thrown up that is not entirely without interest, as is the case now with two teams who have never met before. In addition, it is a match that the Lilywhites will be fancied to win, and, should they do so, that will already put them in the third round as they were fortunate enough to draw a bye at the first stage of the competition.
Malmesbury currently stand 14th out of 17 teams in Division 1 (West), though they have done well in recent weeks, being undefeated in their last three starts. In these games, however, they have scored only once and conceded no goals at all, so, after Henley's goalless draw last week, supporters of both teams must hope that another 0-0 is not on the cards.
There should be some fellow feeling between the two clubs, for Victoria have suffered even more than Henley in recent seasons from flooded and waterlogged pitches.
Henley Town Reserves again have two league matches this week. On Saturday they visit Chinnor Reserves, kick-off 2pm, and then on Tuesday they entertain Holyport Reserves, kick-off 7.45pm.
Postponed Despite Effort - 17 January
Henley Town’s home fixture against Holyport had to be postponed last Saturday because of a frozen pitch. Every effort was made to get the match played, but referee Adam Bayliss had no option but to call play off at 1.30 p.m.
Not for the first time, the trouble arose from the part of the pitch in front of the clubhouse that remains in the shade. But, in contrast with what has happened in past seasons, this was the first time the Invesco Perpetual Triangle had been ruled unplayable during the present campaign, while the first team had already suffered a postponement and an abandonment away and the reserves had also had an away game called off.
As a result of the matches that did go ahead, Wantage strode past Henley and Kidlington in the table, sending the Lilywhites down to 17th position, although this was always likely to happen eventually as Wantage had so many games in hand.
A Henley Town XI did appear at home earlier in the week in a friendly against Mortimer. None of the men who started in the previous Saturday’s league game lined up for Henley, who took the opportunity to give games to the large number of players who have sat patiently on the bench in recent weeks. Tranell Richardson put the Town in front in the first minute, but they had to wait until another 79 minutes had elapsed before Ryan Coker added a second goal. Mortimer reduced their arrears just before full-time to make the final score 2-1.
This Saturday the Town entertain Wokingham and Emmbrook in the Premier Division of the Uhlsport Hellenic League, kick-off 3 p.m. When the sides met at Bracknell (where Wokingham have a ground-sharing arrangement) in October, the home team finished 2-1 winners – with goalkeeper Dave Lyons Henley’s only scorer! That was the first time the Satsumas had beaten Henley in eight attempts.
Largely because of good cup runs but also postponements, Wokingham have been behind with their fixtures for much of the season and now seem less likely to achieve a top-half finish than they did a couple of months back. Nevertheless, they have gained two more points than the Town despite having played three games fewer. By a curious coincidence, the Sunday teams of the two clubs also clash in a league fixture at the Triangle this weekend.
Henley Town Reserves hope to make up for lost time with two league games this week. The weekend sees them travel to Milton United Reserves, kick-off 3 p.m., before a home match on Tuesday when Finchampstead Reserves are the visitors, kick-off 7.45 p.m.
Looking further ahead, the Oxfordshire Senior Cup fourth round tie in which Henley visit Thame United has been arranged for Tuesday 14 February.
No Place LIke Home - 9 January
Henley Town embark on a run of six successive home football fixtures this coming weekend.
They start with Holyport in the Premier Division of the Uhlsport Hellenic League, kick-off 3 p.m. Ground advantage may turn out to be a misnomer as far as Henley are concerned, for, while they have won three cup ties before their own supporters, seven of their eight league victories to date have been gained on their travels. Nevertheless, the Town should be in fine fettle for this game in view of their much improved recent form. They also beat Holyport 2-1 at Summerleaze Village on 25 October, but that heralded a disastrous run for the Lilywhites, with only one win in their next eight league and cup matches. They have followed this, however, by winning five games out of their next six, and, had they not had a player sent off in only the third minute at Ascot, their recent record could look better still.
Holyport, too, have had lengthy runs of good and bad results at different times during the campaign. Last season, they not only finished one place above Henley at the top of Division 1 (East) but also won both the both the principal Hellenic cup competitions. At times, they have been able to reproduce that form at the higher level, but, like many before them, they have found that doing so consistently twice a week in the more demanding Premier Division needs a lot of adjustment.
The first competitive meeting between Henley and Holyport came only in 2006-07, but they have met in every season since and could not have been better matched. Their 12 previous meetings have seen each club win four times, with three games drawn and one abandoned. It should all add up to an absorbing contest this weekend.
Henley Town Reserves, who have had a very disjointed season, have no game this week
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Trip To The Moles - 3 January 2012
Having beaten the team standing fourth in the Premier Division of the Uhlsport Hellenic League on Monday, Henley Town meet the fifth-placed side on Saturday when they are away to Binfield, kick-off 3 p.m.
The sides first clashed in the 1948-49 season and have now met 32 times in all, with the majority of games coming either in the Chiltonian League Premier Division or Division 1 (East) of the Hellenic Football League. Binfield won that division in 2009, when they gained two comfortable victories over the Lilywhites by 4-1 and 4-0. Since then, they have done well at the higher level, finishing as runners-up last season, and they have won the last three games of their current campaign. Despite coming from quite a small community, Binfield are also one of the best supported teams in the league.
Overall, the Moles have had the better of their games with Henley, winning 17 and drawing four of them, compared with the Town's eleven victories.
Henley Town Reserves, who have not played since December 10, are also away this Saturday, visiting local rivals Reading Town Reserves in the league, for a 3 p.m. kick-off.
n the fourth round (quarter-finals) of the Oxfordshire Senior Cup, the Town have been drawn away to Thame United, from the same division of their own league. The date for the game has yet to be agreed.
On The Up - 28 December
No longer in the bottom four positions, even though three of the sides below them have played fewer games, Henley Town seek to build on their recent good work with games on Saturday and Monday in the Premier Division of the Uhlsport Hellenic League, each kicking off at 3pm.
On Saturday, the Town visit Ascot United, who are comfortably placed in the middle reaches of the table, despite a shock 2-1 defeat away to bottom side Bracknell on Tuesday. This is Ascot's third season at the highest level they have reached in their history. Having finished 15th and then 12th in the Premier Division, they are currently 13th. Their five previous meetings with Henley, four league games and one cup-tie, all came within the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. The Lilywhites won one and drew two of these games.
Town will hope for a larger than average crowd at Monday's Bank Holiday game, when Flackwell Heath visit the Invesco Perpetual Triangle. Flackwell currently stand in fourth position, with matches in hand over two of the teams above them. The league championship almost certainly rests between them, Oxford City Nomads, Ardley and Shortwood. The Heathens looked an accomplished and entertaining side when beating Henley 2-0 at Wilks Park on August Bank Holiday, but they, too, received a Christmas setback, losing 1-0 at home to Holyport.
Monday, the draw for the quarter-finals of the Oxfordshire Senior Cup will take place, at 5.30pm. This will be broadcast live on Radio Oxford. The teams going into the hat are: Oxford United (Football League), Oxford City and Banbury United (both Southern Premier), North Leigh (Southern 1 [South & West]), Henley Town, Thame United and Ardley United (all Hellenic Premier) and Headington Amateurs (Hellenic 1 [West]).
Hopes For Kidlington Game - 21 December
With Christmas Eve falling on a Saturday, Henley Town's only game in the coming week is on Tuesday's bank holiday, when they visit Kidlington in the Premier Division of the Uhlsport Hellenic League, kick-off 3 p.m.
As Kidlington stand six places above Henley in the table, it might be thought that they would enter the match as clear favourites, but this is a tricky result to forecast for a number of reasons. First, Kidlington's form in the current campaign has been highly unpredictable, several severe reverses being mixed in with some creditable performances. They have, in fact, conceded more goals than the Town.
Secondly, whilst Henley have yet to win a home league match all season, they have done much better away, where they have taken maximum points on five occasions. Thirdly, both teams have beaten the other recently by the odd goal in league and cup fixtures on the Invesco Perpetual Triangle.
Henley's first ever visit to Kidlington, in the 1952-53 season, was a disaster that still looks bad in the record books, for they were beaten 12-0 in the Oxfordshire Charity Cup, a score against them that has been surpassed only twice in first team competitive matches in the Lilywhites' long history. Usually, matches between the clubs have been much closer, and, in 1963-64, when Henley finished first and Kiddy second in the Hellenic League Division 1, the sides drew four times in all competitions, the league game at Kidlington being an exciting affair that saw the teams share eight goals.
Henley Town Reserves' game at Binfield last Saturday was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch. The reserves team do not play during the next two weeks, though the senior side will be in action again on both December 31 and January 2.
Equanimity In Degrees - 12 December
Struggling in the league this season despite their encouraging win at the weekend, against Premier Division basement team Bracknell Town. Henley Town can turn their attention to Saturday's Oxfordshire Senior Cup match at Bletchingdon with a surprising degree of equanimity.
Victory in this third round tie would take the Lilywhites into the quarter-finals for the first time in nine years, and for once they will be starting a game as favourites. Bletchingdon, standing 12th out of 14 sides in the Premier Division of the Oxfordshire Senior League, have improved in recent weeks and have games in hand over most of the teams above them, but they are the lowest ranked side still remaining in the competition.
The only previous meeting between the two first teams was also in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup, in 1994-95, when the Town gained a 4-1 home victory but at the cost of a broken leg for central defender Neil Hollis. Prior to that, in 1974-75 and again ten years later when Henley football was at a low ebb, the Town's senior side twice knocked Bletchingdon Reserves out of the county intermediate cup. Supporters travelling to the match should note that Bletchingdon is confusingly also known as Bletchington, with both spellings being allowed. As the home club have no floodlights, the kick-off time is 1.30 p.m.
Also on Saturday, the reserves visit Binfield Reserves in the league, kick-off 3 p.m.
Bottom Teams Meet For The First Time - 4 December
Having taken only one point from their last six completed league fixtures, Henley Town are now in a much more worrying position than was the case at the start of November.
They could have no better chance of ending this unhappy run than they do this coming Saturday, 10th, when they visit Bracknell Town, the only team below them in the Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division table, for a 3 p.m. kick-off.
Dave Tuttle, the Henley manager, has a further incentive to gain a victory, for he was in charge at Bracknell the season before last when they were relegated to the Hellenic League. While Bracknell have had a few mammoth defeats in the present campaign, their form is sufficiently unpredictable for them to have beaten Highworth at home and Holyport away.
Considering that the Wednesday teams of the two clubs first met 111 years ago and that the youth and ladies' sides have also met often, it is odd that the two first teams have never previously clashed except in friendlies. It is also remarkable, in view of the high levels at which they have competed since, that Bracknell's first team were playing only in Division 2 of the Reading and District League in 1957-58, alongside Henley Reserves. Henley were then crushed 10-3 at home, when this writer's abbreviated report, which managed to include the times at which all 13 goals were scored, was said to resemble a railway timetable. But the difference in standard between Henley's two senior sides then was phenomenal, and, with the first team's fixtures ended, five were included in the reserve team for the return match, which the Town won 6-1 with such style that home supporters refused to believe that the whole senior eleven had not turned out.
Next Tuesday, the Town have another away league game when they visit Shrivenham for a 7.45 p.m. kick-off. Though they have a superior record to Bracknell, Shrivenham are another side who have little realistic chance of finishing in the top half of the table, despite their impressive victory at Wokingham last Saturday. The season opened with Shrivvy winning 1-0 on the Invesco Perpetual Triangle. Henley supporters judged this reverse charitably in the Lilywhites' first outing after promotion, but it should have been remembered that Shrivenham avoided relegation last season only because two higher clubs were demoted because of inadequate facilities.
The Bracknell and Shrivenham games are the first two in a series of five away matches for the first team, while the reserves are in the middle of a run of eight away fixtures. Apart from this week's Sunday team match, there is not a single game scheduled for the Triangle before the new year, and Town supporters will be starved of football unless they travel away.
The reserves travel to Kidlington Old Boys in the third round of the Oxfordshire Intermediate Cup on Saturday, kick-off 1.30 p.m.
Vital Fixture This Weekend - 28 November
Henley Town face another vital league football fixture Saturday when they entertain Kidlington, kick-off 3 p.m.
The Lilywhites were decidedly unlucky last week, when they could easily have taken four points but had to be satisfied with only one. Although the referee was perfectly correct to abandon the midweek game when he did as the fog thickened at Scours Lane, Henley had matched their opponents throughout and looked well on their way to gaining a hard-earned away draw against the team standing seventh in the table when the game reached its premature conclusion. Fortune then deserted the Town on Saturday when they deserved more than a draw for their efforts against Fairford.
The fact remains that these results have hit Henley hard. After a run of very difficult fixtures, the Fairford match heralded in a succession of games against less well placed teams, and victory at the start of these would have given the Town's confidence a strong boost. As it is, they remain in a hazardous position as far as relegation is concerned, and they desperately need to beat Kidlington if they are to advance towards firmer ground.
Though Kidlington stand six places above Henley in the table, a win should certainly be within the home side's capabilities, for it is less than three weeks since they despatched Kiddy from the Oxfordshire Senior Cup, when Paolo Cicero's goal was the only strike of the game on the Invesco Perpetual Triangle. This does not mean that the game will be an easy one, for Kidlington came within seconds of taking a point at Ardley on Saturday before going down to a 2-1 stoppage-time defeat at a venue where Henley had lost 5-1 a week earlier.
Also on Saturday, the reserves visit Newbury Reserves in a league fixture, kicking off at 3 p.m. This will be the fourth in a run of eight successive away games for the reserves unless there are any changes to the schedule. Their opponents have a 100 per cent. record.
The draw for the third round of the Oxfordshire Senior Cup has been kind to Henley. They visit Bletchingdon on December 17th and seemingly have a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in nine years.
Henley Town have concluded the transfer of Rhys Cunningham, a young midfield player from Bracknell Town.
Route From The Mire - 24 November
Henley Town have a vitally important match on Saturday when they entertain Fairford Town in the Uhlsport Hellenic Football League Premier Division, kick-off 3 p.m, both teams being deep in the relegation quagmire.
Henley visited Fairford in their second league match of the season and won 3-1, then remained above the Gloucestershire club in the table for a long while and seemed likely to stay there. All that has changed in recent weeks, however, whereas Fairford have won three of their last six games and count Oxford City Nomads among their victims, the Town have lost their last four completed league fixtures and slid down to the penultimate position in the table, with only Bracknell beneath them and more matches played than the teams directly above them. While it was obvious even last season that the Lilywhites would have a rough ride in the top division unless they were able to strengthen their side, such is the fighting spirit that Dave Tuttle has instilled in his men that until recently they looked a good bet to avoid relegation. They have had a cruelly difficult run of fixtures, however, all those four successive defeats being against teams standing in the first four positions in the table.
Tuesday night's abandoned game would have concluded the first half of the Town's league programme, and there will be a lot of work to do in the second part of the campaign if they are to survive. As long as morale is maintained, however, they could well achieve their goal, for they have played 13 games so far against the top 11 sides in the table and only six against those in the bottom ten. Another point at issue is how many teams will be relegated this season. As Bicester Town withdrew before the start, there is a vacancy in the Premier Division, and only three sides should be relegated. Logic does not always prevail at football, however, so the Town would be unwise to take this for granted.
The reserves also have a league fixture Saturday, visiting Penn and Tylers Green Reserves for a 2.15 p.m. kick-off.
Seeking Win - 17 November
In a precarious position following three successive league defeats, Henley Town face two away matches this week in the Premier Division of the Uhlsport Hellenic Football League.
On Saturday they travel to Ardley United for a 3 p.m. kick-off only a week after losing to the same opponents at home. Although that result, which was Ardley seventh successive league victory, took United to 2nd place in the table and Henley down to 18th, the Lilywhites did make their opponents fight every inch of the way last week. They also have a far better away than home record, which may add to their hopes, though that could be a freak statistic that will iron itself out when more games have been played. When Henley last visited north-east Oxfordshire's leading club six years ago, the Ardley ground was being redeveloped, and it resembled a muddy building site, but they should see a huge improvement now all the work has come to fruition.
Tuesday sees the Town on the road again, but only to make the short journey to Reading Town, kick-off 7.45 p.m. Since the sides drew on the Invesco Perpetual Triangle at the start of September, the Scours Lane club have steadily climbed the table, and they were still as high as 7th on Saturday night despite losing 2-1 at home to Wokingham. They will certainly enter the match as favourites, though they are another side who, like Henley, find it easier to pick up points when playing away. The Reading side's line-ups often look like a Henley Town Old Boys team, so the match is a real local derby, but such games can be tense affairs, and the clubs' last two meetings have been disappointing spectacles.
The reserves face another cup-tie on Saturday, visiting Finchampstead Reserves, kick-off 1.30 p.m. The game is in the 2nd round of the Reading Junior Cup, in which Henley drew a bye in the first stage.
140th Anniversary Celebration Match - 7 November
Both Henley Town and Reading Football Clubs were formed in 1871 and on Sunday 13th November 2011 a team of Former Henley Town Stars meet the Royals Legends at the Invesco Perepetual Triangle ground, in Mill Lane Henley-on-Thames kick off 2.00pm to celebrate the clubs 140th birthday.
The neighbouring clubs were formed during the great explosion of association football along the Thames Valley in the 1870’s. Reading have progressed through the League system over the years to reach the heady heights of the Barclays Premier Division in 2006. Henley Town Football Club is the oldest recognised club in membership of the Oxfordshire Football Association and first entered the FA Cup in the 1879-80 season but they have stayed in the non-league system throughout there long history.
Henley Town Football Club have mostly lived a up down existence throughout it’s lifetime playing in the Reading Temperance and Reading & District League’s in its formative years before moving up to the Spartan League in the 1931-32 season. After the Second World War Henley dropped down to the Great Western Combination and back to the Reading & District League. A bold decision to join the Hellenic League in 1957-58 quickly was quickly rewarded in an upsurge in fortunes by winning two major cups and championships.
Just as the club was about to celebrate its centenary it was struck by a series of major disasters culminating in the loss of the Reading Road ground it had occupied for 70 years. Despite only running a Youth team on a regular basis during this period the club played 3 centenary matches on a borrowed pitch one of which was against an FA eleven. Although the club fielded a regular team again from 1973 the facilities were not up to the required standard to allow them to climb the non-league pyramid ladder until the club moved to the Triangle ground. The clubhouse was built in 1995, a little latter floodlighting was installed and a 52 seater stand was erected which enabled the club to start moving forward again. Now the Club has moved up to the Hellenic League Premier Division the facilities must be upgraded again, the seating accommodation must be increased to at least 100 and standing covered accommodation for 100 erected by the 31st March 2012.
The Former Henley Town Stars squad:
Stuart Gosby, Paul Hawkins, John Wylie. Paul Trendall, Mark Summerwill, Paul Ilsley, Adam Markwell, Gary Kingston, Peter Bryan, Paul Wylie. Clyde Masson, Luke Harris, Mick Kenyon, Olly Maskell, Justin Yorke, James Hollidge, Robbie Wright, Martin Morrin, Andy McIntosh and Guest player Dave Tuttle the current Town Manager who formerly played for Tottenham Hotspurs.
Henley Town’s Mascot for the day is William Butler.
The Team will be managed by to previous managers Albie Stevenson and Andy Bryan. Physiotherapist Neil Archbold may be the busiest man of the afternoon looking after the old limbs.
The Royals Legends squad will be: Charlie Stallard, Mick Gooding, Ady Williams Martyn Williams, Barry Hunter, Simon Osborne, Michael Gilkes, Keith Scott, Andy Gray, Mark Holzman, Matthew Stowell, Ross Harrison, Darren Brett, Jordan Norris, Graham Kemp, Phil Wilkins, Radio Berkshire’s Tim Dellor and Evening Post reporter Jonny Fordham. Team Manager George Friel
The Legends Mascots for the day are Jack and Harry Ashfield
The officials for the match are: Referee Chris Boyles (Woodley), Craig Boyles (Woodley) and Steve McMahan (Caversham) 4th Official Geoffrey Biggs (Caversham)
Besides celebrating the 140th Anniversary the match will also raise funds for The Duchess of Kent House (the Royal Legends preferred charity) and the Henley Town Football Club ground development fund. Please come along and support this worthy cause. The match kicks off at 2.00pm but the clubhouse and bar will be open from around 12-30pm. Admission for the match is Adults £5, Concessions £3 Children under 16 accompanied by an adult free.
Before the kick off of the main match young players from AFC Henley will have a penalty shoot out competition.
If you are unable to attend the match but would like to donate please send your cheque to Michael Trendall, 20 Clements Road, Henley-on-Thames RG9 2HJ and made payable to the ‘Friends of Henley Town FC’
Henley Town Football Club are most grateful to Graham Harris of the ‘Out to Lunch Catering Company’ of 23 Queen Victoria Street Reading for supplying and sponsoring the after match buffet
Lillywhites Weekend Actiion - 25 August
In the midst of a run that sees them play twice in each of the first six weeks of the competitive season, Henley Town again appear both at home and away in the Premier Division of the Uhlsport Hellenic League in the week ahead.
On Saturday they entertain Highworth Town, kick-off 3 p.m. The match promises to be a compelling one. Henley found the Worthians to be well-matched opponents during their previous stay in the Premier Division, when they met them in all five seasons, each team winning four times with two games drawn. Even in the disastrous campaign of 2005-06, which ended with the Lilywhites trapped at the foot of the table, they beat Highworth 2-1 at the Invesco Perpetual Triangle though they went on to lose 4-0 in Wiltshire. Last season, Highworth finished fourth, and, despite problems off the field that saw them fined for selling wrongly labelled drinks in their clubhouse, they have again started commendably. They won their two opening league fixtures, although they were well beaten by the strong Odd Down side from the Western League in Sunday's F.A. Cup tie.
On Monday's bank holiday, the Town travel to Flackwell Heath, again for a 3 p.m. kick-off. Over the years, Flackwell have been consistently able to produce stronger sides than one might have expected from a club based in a comparatively small community. Since they first met Henley in the 1952-53 season they have not only beaten the Lilywhites in the great majority of their games, but there was also a period in the 1970s when Henley's first team could only aspire to meet the Heathens' reserves. Old rivalries were resumed last season in two cup competitions. Henley fielded a shadow side in the first encounter when they went down 5-0 at home, going on to lose 2-0 away later when they turned out a much stronger team. Eighth last season, Flackwell beat Fairford 5-0 on the first day of the new term but lost 3-0 at fellow Hellenic leaguers Ardley in the F.A. Cup last weekend.
In total contrast to the position with the first team, Henley Town Reserves, in spite of their increased number of games, face a peculiarly attenuated start to the season. They have a blank date on Saturday, and, subject to any late changes, play only once in the first four weeks of the season.
Henley's Contrasting Opponents - 15 August
Henley Town again have two league fixtures in the next ten days. Their previous experience against their two opponents could not be more contrasting.
On Saturday they travel to Court Place Farm to meet Oxford City Nomads, whom they have never met previously, before on Tuesday entertaining Thame United, a team they have already played 52 times at first-team level. Oxford City Nomads emerged from the Oxford City and Quarry Nomads clubs, both of which Henley have met on plenty of occasions. Nomads made an appalling start last season but recovered so well that they were in little fear of relegation during the final months. They now have a new management team and began the fresh term in style, winning 4-2 at Cheltenham Saracens. The kick-off on Saturday is at 3 p.m.
Henley first met Thame 121 years ago and in total have beaten them 21 times. Thame have gained 26 victories, only four games have been drawn, and one was abandoned. United have habitually fielded a strong side over the years, and the Lilywhites have gained only one point from their last five meetings, at the end of which Thame were promoted to the Premier Division last year. They adapted well to the higher grade, finishing tenth last season, during which they moved to an impressive new stadium. They suffered a disappointing reverse on the opening day of the new campaign, however, going down 3-1 at home to the strong Highworth Town side. Tuesday's kick-off time is 7.45 p.m.
Henley Town Reserves begin their competitive fixtures on Saturday with a home league game against Reading Town Reserves at 3 p.m. Not only is this a local derby, but it is the more interesting as the visitors have only just reformed their reserve team this season.
Henley Town Preview - 8 August
After an interval of five years and three months, newly promoted Henley Town will embark upon a Premier Division fixture in the Uhlsport Hellenic League when they entertain Shrivenham at 3 p.m. on Saturday. This game will be followed by another league fixture on Tuesday, away to Fairford Town, kick-off 7.45 p.m.
This is the fourth time Henley has been promoted to the Hellenic Premier, and in the past they have always found the gap between the two divisions to be a very big one. In 1964, they went up as league winners, and, fuelled by adrenaline, won their first three games before drawing at professional Amersham Town, who had just lured away key player Tony Alexander. Yet, though only two sides were relegated in those days, Henley still went down at the end of the season.
n 1968, the Town won Division 1 without losing a match, while in 2001 they headed Division 1 (East) by a 20-point margin, but the transition to the higher grade was not an easy one on either occasion. However, some good judges last season felt that the disparity between the divisions might be closing. As evidence of this, they could point to the unprecedented achievement of Holyport in winning both principal league-cup competitions as a Division 1 side. The main difference as one climbs through football's levels, however, is seen not so much in skill as in dedication, organisation and strength in depth. It is the increase in the amount of matches and the amount of travelling that can take any team by surprise. The number of league fixtures alone that the Lilywhites will be called upon to play this year exceeds the total of all league, cup and friendly games they undertook last season.
Nevertheless, with 11 differences in the make-up of the Premier Division now compared with when the Town were last in it, their average length of trip will be far more humane than before. Slimbridge is now the longest journey, compared with Pegasus Juniors at Hereford, while Abingdon Town, Ascot United, Binfield, Bracknell Town, Flackwell Heath, Holyport, Oxford City Nomads, Thame United and Wokingham & Emmbrook are all excursions of no more than 25 miles, which should also help to boost the figures for home gates. There are also two surprises in the make-up of the division. Witney United have been wound up, but their place will be taken by Witney Town, resurrected after a ten-year absence. Very unusually, the new club will continue at the same level as the old one. Sadly, Bicester Town, one of Oxfordshire's oldest clubs, having been locked out of their ground by their landlords, have now folded, so that there will be only 21 participants.
Ironically, when Henley were promoted in 1964 and 1968, their first opponents were Bicester each time, the Foxhunters being beaten 3-1 and then 3-2 on the old Reading Road ground. The Town have always managed to raise their game for their first Premier Division fixture. In 2001, George Friel instigated a still memorable move that he finished himself with a late run from midfield to give the Lilywhites a 12th minute lead at Cirencester Academy, where they went on to win 3-2. If last year's form is anything to go by, the Fixture Secretary could hardly have given Henley a more kindly start to the season as both Shrivenham and Fairford would have been relegated had vacancies not occurred. That could be misleading, however, as Shrivvy have signed many new players and had an encouraging pre-season. They have met Henley only four times previously, winning on each occasion. Still, the most recent meeting, two years ago, a cup-tie on the Berkshire club's ground, saw the Lilywhites go down only after extra time and penalties. Henley met Fairford twice each season in their previous stint in the Premier Division, winning three and drawing two of these ten clashes. Their very last game at the top level was a 2-0 home defeat against these opponents.
It is hard to read many signs from the Town's long run of pre-season friendlies as these have all been against teams who play at higher or lower levels than they do, but it seems safe to forecast that one or two of the new faces seen will make Saturday's starting line-up. Certainly, Henley will be without three key members of the team that won promotion: goalkeeper Dave Lyons has moved to Didcot Town, defensive lynchpin Gary Smith is suspended for the first two fixtures and Seve Maybury, who scored seven goals in the last two games of the season, is suspended for four.
The long awaited divisional restructuring of the Hellenic League has finally taken place – but in a different form from that originally mooted. There will be five sections to the league in future instead of six. This means that Henley Reserves, in Division 2 (East), will have an increased league programme of 30 games this season.
