Henley 4 - 5 Achilles 20/1/18
A large crowd enjoyed a pulsating match as Achilles left with the points after narrowly defeating Henley 4-5 in a game that, despite the awful conditions, was a credit to SIL football.
Achilles took the lead when Donovan fired home under Holland for 0-1 in the opening minutes. Henley were level on 8 minutes when White’s cross was smashed in by Cowan. After 28 minutes Henley took the lead, after Bruce was crudely brought down he slotted home the penalty for 2-1. Achilles came close with a long distance strike hitting the post, but it was 2-1 at HT.
Achilles levelled in the 1st minute of the 2nd half when a defensive slip saw Grimwood finish neatly. After 15 minutes Achilles took a 2-3 lead when a fall allowed Grimwood through to score. After 25 minutes it was 2-4 as another slip saw Van Oene shoot across Holland to score. Henley were back in it as Tejano turned and fired home for 3-4. Grimwood twisted and turned before completing his hat-trick for 3-5. Booth came off the bench for his Henley debut, his first contribution saw him cross for Field whose precision header made it 4-5.
Tejano came close, his superb volley crashing off the bar to safety. In the last 5 minutes Henley were denied a clear penalty as Cowan was clipped in the 6 yard box when clear through, sadly the referee was the only person in attendance who thought otherwise and the appeal was waved away.
Report by Tony Stone
