HENLEY TOWN 2-2 FLACKWELL HEATH: FULL MATCH REPORT...

Profligate Flackers Thwarted By Resilient Red Kites…

Henley Town 2-2 Flackwell Heath

This game, played on a balmy, then turning cool evening near the banks of the River Thames, was dramatic, frenetic, inexplicable, remarkable and surprising. Dramatic due to a dismissal, plus so many misses; frenetic because Flackwell Heath play a high-tempo game, leading to desperate opposition defending; inexplicable because Henley were 2-0 ahead against ten men, yet had been dominated since the first whistle, and finally surprising, for despite their dreadful finishing, the flunking Flackers netted twice to take home a consolation point. The referee appeared to miss one or two key situations which arose, he became embroiled in a wafting of yellow cards and in truth, caused some of his own problems. An alleged spitting incident by a player at an opponent, the information relayed to me by the target of the flobbing was an unnecessary outcome of such an absorbing league encounter…

THE TOSS...

Thanks to the guy in the bar who made me a fine hot-dog, providing the marvellous brown sauce too… 

MORRIS: A MAN OF INDUSTRY...

Flackwell were ascendant from the start, were suckered into conceding twice and then contrived to squander so many chances that even two groundhoppers from Walsall began to display their frustration, despite their non-allegiance to any other team but the Bescot Saddlers. Strikers Dan Burnell and Jon Bennett really did not have the kind of evening they will look back on with any satisfaction, although Burnell’s excellent goal was one to savour, the situation not being helped by the buffeting Burnell felt he was suffering and the lack of interest he was receiving from the main official, who ignored virtually every fall. Indeed, the referee allowed a pull, 19 yards out, then an immediate trip inside the penalty-box to go unpunished during the opening 45 minutes, as the Flackers’ fury fired itself up. 

MOLLOY THREATENS...

Burnell had fed the fast, attacking right-back Liam Tack early in the match and his excellent 30 yard drive was superbly tipped over his crossbar by Henley’s arching Matt Hill. The ensuing corner led to a melee, during which Dan Bayliss had a shot blocked, then Burnell drove too high from the next left-side delivery. Jon Bennett was unable to head on target from the influential Adam Morris’ corner and drove wildly over the crossbar, following good work by Joe Blount but the new Flacker struggled to make an impact. The pull on Morris and then the trip on Blount, both by the same covering Red Kite-man, led to a free-kick maybe? A penalty? No, a corner. Check the video clip…

JON BENNETT: NO LUCK AT ALL...

In moments of real first-half pressure, home ‘keeper Hill did well, by flicking a Morris corner away, although not one visiting player moved towards the ball, he dropped right to hold onto a low Blount drive and also a downward header by Dan Hicks, as well as thanking Morris so much as a low Jon Bennett pass from the right deflected off a defender onto the inside of Morris’ boot, before trickling into the goal-minder’s gloves. 

STILL SEARCHING...

Mentioning Hicks, ‘Dismissal Man’, it has to be recorded how he received his first caution: he was adjudged to have fouled an opponent, yelled, as players do, when they miscue or mis-kick, “F*** off…”  and the referee dragged a yellow card from a pocket. Hicks had pleaded to an unimpressed official: “Not you, ref’…” He would be sent off later in the game…

THE EXILE OF HICKS...

James Tripp’s fine cross saw Burnell attempt to kick the ball, when Andy Gray in a Villa shirt would have launched himself into a thigh-high attempt to head for goal, Burnell headed over the crossbar at the left upright and was denied in another melee, before Hicks could get no direction on his glancing header from yet another Morris corner and the half ended with frustrated Flackers… 

THE COACHES: FLACKED OFF...

But what of the beleaguered defenders of the Thames, Henley? Well, they had scored a goal. Easy, yes? Nile O’Meally took possession of a pass from a colleague at inside-right, after Burnell had been mugged and with no real sign of danger, the striker turned inside and beat ‘keeper David Lyons too easily at his near post, as Tripp attempted to cover in vain. And? Well, Jack Thomson-Wheeler was offside when O’Meally passed to him and Thomson-Wheeler was allowed too much time on the right to turn but his low centre crossed the 6 yard box untouched. And Ben Blackwell was cautioned. He was fortunate to escape a second booking himself in the second period to come, when his trip on a rushing Flacker resulted only in a warning. Tripp was not so fortunate.

LYONS PAWED AIR...

O'MEALLY SCORED AT THE NEAR POST...

1-0...

Unbelievably, the visitors were a goal adrift, despite all of their offense but one has to commend Henley’s fine defence, in which Callum Carlisle, Mitch Cooper, Brad Hoy, plus Warren Baxter and Dan Davies were heroic. Indeed, after the break, Blackwell received his pardon but Davies WAS booked, which resulted in the second chance for the guests to score, post-interval. Jon Bennett had just glanced a Morris cross beyond the far stick from a couple of yards out, the free-kick led to a scramble, Hill reached for another, deeper free-kick but no shot ensued, a Jon Bennett shot was superbly blocked, Morris was cautioned and Dan Molloy, lively on the Flackwell left, drove too high. But the hosts had already added goal two. Rich Bennett was slipped into the left side of the penalty-area and he simply poked the ball inside the left upright, past an exposed Lyons.

2-0...

RICH BENNETT, I THINK. ALTHOUGH THE 6, 8 & 9 NUMBERS ON THE HENLEY SHIRTS LOOKED MORE LIKE SIMILAR EGYPTIAN HIEROGLYPHS...

Bookings and substitutions happened for Henley, Carlisle and replacement Tommy Elmore receiving yellows but Lyons did earn his tea with a diving save to his left from Rich Bennett, in a rare eleven against ten break, but for the eleven men… After Hicks was exiled to the facilities, Bayliss miscued in another goalmouth melee and Tripp shot the rebound wide, the frustrated Burnell was cautioned for a high boot, Jon Bennett and Molloy were replaced and the latter complained to me about a spitting incident, with Jamie West and Joe Gritt replacing the two retiring Flackers. The visitors changed to a defensive back-three, with busy, infectious skipper Ben Sturgess helping out and Carlisle blocked a Blount free-kick on the end of his team’s defensive wall, then a Tripp header from Morris’ corner was hacked from the crowded goal-line by a home defender. Finally though, just when it seemed that the Red Kite which had hovered over the ground before the game had cast a predatory spell upon the Flackers, they scored a fine goal…

 

ANY RED KITES?

A left-foot cross, I think by Bayliss, bounced on towards Burnell, poorly marked for once and his instinctive left-foot volley flew over Hill and far away high into the left corner of the net. No time to celebrate after all of the team’s previous misses but soon, after Morris had been replaced by Matt Stockill, Tack tacked a course forward into the Henley penalty-area and beat Hill low with a left-booted effort and parity had been regained by the undaunted Flackers.

BURNELL: 2-1...

TACK ATTACKS...

...& EQUALISES: 2-2...

It remained only for Blount and Bayliss to fail to get accurate shots at goal in pressured melees and the game ended with the guests still in dominant, if not clinical mood… Sturgess and Morris were irrepressible in midfield, Burnell was always noticeable, being no shrinking violet and Blount and Tack kept up the lively raiding throughout. Tripp was a stalwart at the back but how the Flackers failed to win this will haunt their coaches for several days, coming on top of a home defeat on the previous Saturday.

Henley were tremendous in defence, with a host of players heading, blocking, hacking the ball away and generally keeping their shape to the very end and even tough they leaked two late goals, they would surely be pleased with a point in such a one-sided offensive game.

Me? Long way back to Solihull, but was home by 11.05pm and I began the long job of watching video clips from two matches, listening to dictaphone comments and editing images…

After all, it’s what I do…

TEAMS:

HENLEY TOWN:

MATT HILL, CALLUM CARLISLE, MITCH COOPER, WARREN BAXTER, SIR BRAD HOY (IS THAT RIGHT?), DAN DAVIES, BEN BLACKWELL, JACK THOMSON-WHEELER, RICH BENNETT, CHRIS NELSON, NILE O’MEALLY.

SUBS:

TOMMY ELMORE, BEN FRENCH, MATT GODWIN, TOM HOGAN.

FLACKWELL HEATH:

DAVID LYONS, LIAM TACK, DAN BAYLISS, ADAM MORRIS, JAMES TRIPP, DAN HICKS, JOE BLOUNT, BEN STURGESS (CAPT), JON BENNETT, DAN BURNELL, DAN MOLLOY.

SUBS:

JAMIE ESSEX, MATT STOCKILL, JOE GRITT, JAMIE WEST.