Match day

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Truro City (A)
Fri Mar 29
17:00

Match day

Team logo
Truro City (A)
Fri Mar 29 17:00
The Vanarama National League South
12th
56pts

Resilient Rebels chase cup glory

Slough Town

Slough Town

2
Abbott Owusu
Kingstonian

Kingstonian

1
Dennis (33)
FA Cup Attendance: 1272 Paul Wilkerson
Slough Town battled for the last half an hour with ten men, but kept their half-time lead intact to book a place in the first round of the FA Cup.

All the goals came within a few first-half minutes, with the Rebels opening up a deserved 2-0 lead, only for the visitors to pull one back virtually straight away.

Lloyd Owusu, preferred to Mark West as a replacement for the suspended Corey Browne, had a hand in both goals, as he was brought down for a penalty which Gary Abbott converted, and moments later saw his goal-bound header deflected in off a defender.

The sending-off of skipper Gary McGinnis on the hour mark, booked for a bad challenge in the first half and receiving his second yellow for a pull, put the Rebels under enormous pressure.

But some stout defending and confident goalkeeping from Paul Wilkerson ensured it was Slough's name that went into the hat for the cup draw at five o'clock, which threw up a home tie against Division Three side Cardiff City.

Manager Brian McDermott said after the game he was pleased with the team's performance, and especially with their resilience when they were down to ten men.
He said: "I just left it the same shape without the sweeper, so we were playing 4-3-2.

"We kept battling and I thought Terry Angus and Matthew Stowell at the back were superb."

The central defenders certainly needed to be strong, and the manager could thank goalkeeper Wilkerson as well for keeping Slough in it when they were a player down.

Kingstonian responded to the sending-off with their best spell of pressure, forcing four consecutive corners, and from the third a snap-shot from Mark Harper brought an excellent instinctive save from Wilkerson.

Another fine save from Lennie Dennis in the 78th, and a confident punch clear from a dangerous free kick in the 87th, underlined Wilkerson's contribution. With Slough's unbeaten run now extended to 11, it is worth noticing that it is also 11 games since Wilkerson's recall.

But Jerome John in the Kingstonian goal was kept just as busy, as he turned Abbott's header around then post then saved from Abbott again, after the Slough striker had been put clear by substitute Lee Randall.

John had been the villain in the first half, after he brought down Owusu for the penalty. The opening goal was no more than Slough deserved, as Owusu, Abbott and Gary Brazil had all had well-worked chances but were unable to finish.

Brazil provided the pin-point cross a minute later for Owusu's header, which cannoned off Colin Luckett to leave John stranded.

But on 33 minutes the Ks were right back in it, with Luckett this time the provider as he sent in the corner for Dennis to head home.

It was not the first time Slough have conceded a goal immediately after scoring, but thanks to a determined second half display, that one goal cushion proved enough.

Kingstonian Lineup

Rebels

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