HENLEYS ATHLETIC 4 KILDALE 0
By Ricky Butler at the Calvert Stadium
Highlights of this match are available here
HENLEYS ATHLETIC retained the League Challenge Cup on Thursday evening as a brace from Mark Raw, a penalty from Josh Knox and a goal from Andrew Shepherd saw off the challenge of ten-man Kildale.
Raw had already headed Bedale-based Henleys into an early lead when Kildale defender John Shelton was shown a straight red card by referee Stephen Foster for a handball on the line. And when Knox slotted home the resulting penalty there was only going to be one winner.
Raw grabbed his second just before the break while Shepherd completed the scoring with a close range header three minutes into the second half.
Henleys manager Dean Wilkinson was delighted with the professionalism his side showed to retain the cup. He said: "I'm over the moon, can't believe it. The boys put in a performance. Obviously the sending off helped us a lot but we still stayed professional and we won 4-0.
"[Kildale] defended well. We were finding it hard to break them down a bit, we had a few chances, but the red card; he had to go really and the extra man told in the end.
"The game died [after we got the fourth goal] but we stayed comfortable, stayed professional and did the job."
Henleys may only have reached the final by default after their semi-final conquerors Northallerton Police were thrown out of the competition for fielding an illegible player, but they made the most of that reprieve with a dominant display.
The holders looked determined to retain the cup and it took them just six minutes to take the lead. Mark Hemingway clipped in a free kick from the right and when the Kildale defence were unable to clear their lines, Raw nodded home from six yards.
Kildale, who had lost 10-0 to Henleys earlier in the season, were struggling to find any rhythm to their play in the early exchanges, and with Callum Fletcher running riot down the right, a second Henleys goal looked inevitable.
And it duly arrived just past the half-hour. A header from Hemingway struck the arm of defender Shelton on the post and referee Foster had no choice other than to award a penalty and produce a red card for the unfortunate Kildale man. Knox then extracted further punishment with a coolly dispatched spot-kick.
The cup was only heading one way now and Henleys sealed it with further goals either side of the break. Raw added his second two minutes before the interval after clever play down the right from Fletcher, before Shepherd made it 4-0 in the 48th minute; heading home a right wing cross from Raw.
It would have been easy for the Kildale heads to drop after that but it was to their credit that they did not allow that to happen. Driven on by substitute Thomas Nichols they took the game to Henleys and perhaps deserved at least a goal for their endeavours.
But the holders were not prepared to give them even a consolation and Henleys had several chances to increase their lead in the closing stages. Hemingway, in particular, should have hit the target with two late efforts but any further goals would have been harsh on Kildale, who were left to reflect on what might have been.
Henleys man of the match Fletcher said: "I'm very pleased. The lads worked hard. It was a physical game, but football came out on top, I suppose.
"It was a shame about their red card but I still think we dominated the possession and scored a few goals. We have played well this season, we worked hard throughout the whole 90 minutes and got what we deserved."
No one can argue with that.
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| For the victors the spoils. Henleys pose with the cup after the 4-0 victory over Kildale |
KILDALE - Shelton (H), Pennock, Dodds, Sonley, Marsey, Stephenson, Atkinson, Grainge (A), Rose, Shelton (J)), Grainge (J). SUBS - Nichols, Gill, Lawson, Lewis.
REFEREE - S. Foster.
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