Thame United mid- table at season’s end

LEAGUE GAME – 26/04/08 – MATCH REPORT – Thame united 2, Henley Town 1.

THAME United rounded off the season with a deserved win against sixth placed Henley Town, last Saturday. As a result Thame finished the season mid-table, in 10th place. In many ways, this game summed up the season, as with better finishing, they could have won by a much wider margin.

The opening exchanges were fairly even but then Thame started to control the game. Matt Graves almost put Thame ahead in the 11th minute when he cheekily met a kick by the Henley goalkeeper with a superb volley, from the half way line, which just went wide. Thame piled on the pressure and forced three successive corners. The home side took the lead in the 34th minute when Luke Ricketts played a great ball over the defence into the path of Matt Leach. Leach collected the ball and ran at on the visitor?s goal before hitting the ball pass the oncoming Henley keeper. It was one-way traffic and Adam Rhodes, Sam Cowan, and Matt Ansell all had shots deflected or saved. Just before half time, Leach put a good chance wide. The teams went in for half time with the Thame goal largely unthreatened.

Henley came out fired up for the second half, changed their formation to play with three strikers, and as a result immediately put Thame under pressure. They were however vulnerable on the break and Thame almost increased the lead when Ricketts made a superb run on the left and hit a cross creating a difficult heading chance for Leach, but he failed to make contact. The unfortunate Leach missed a good chance a few minutes later when he did well to win a 50/50 ball near the half way line and ran at goal, but then seemed to trip over the ball. A visiting defender collected it, played it to striker Lorenzo Medford who made a run of the left before passing to John Donegan, who finished well from 10 yards. It was therefore 1-1 with 25 minutes to play. Thame came back and Adam Rhodes got on the end of a Ricketts cross but his goal-bound header was cleared off the line. Ben Connelly made Thame?s winner in the 77th minute. The tenacious Connelly picked the ball up at the half way line and beat two defenders before crossing from the right by line to Ricketts who met the ball at the far post, and headed to substitute Paul Searle, who in turn headed in from close range.

The last 10 minutes were full of incident with both goalkeepers forced to make good saves but it was however Thame who took the points.

Thame United: Higgs, Thompson, Graves, N. Rhodes, Hocking, Cowan, Connelly, A. Rhodes, Ansell (Watkins), Leach (Searle), Ricketts.