Match day

Team logo
Tilehurst Panthers LFC (H)
Thu Mar 28
19:45

Match day

Team logo
Tilehurst Panthers LFC (H)
Thu Mar 28 19:45
Thames Valley Counties Women's Football League
1st
45pts

Trophy replay for Rebels and Bluebirds

Slough Town

Slough Town

1
Burnell (50)
Chippenham Town

Chippenham Town

1
Powell (54)
FA Trophy Attendance: 251 Danny Murphy
Slough Town will travel to Chippenham Town on Tuesday evening to replay their FA Trophy First Qualifying Round tie after an entertaining draw at Holloways Park.

Danny Burnell opened the scoring on 50 minutes after a horrible mistake from Bluebirds keeper Chris Snoddy, but this was quickly cancelled out by Lewis Powell's header for the Wiltshire side.

Chippenham handed a debut to right winger Daryl Taylor, who appeared for Walsall against Slough in the Rebels’ famous FA Cup victory in 2004, and he went close to opening the scoring for the Bluebirds, but his effort was deflected over the bar as Chris Seeby blocked just in time.

Slough responded well and Stuart Swift forced a simple low save from Snoddy, before Sean Sonner rose majestically to meet a Steve Sinclair cross, but headed wide.

As the rain started to fall midway through the half, Chippenham started to win the midfield battle, and Gullick volleyed well wide under pressure from Murphy. Lewis Powell then turned and stung Ricky Perks’ hands with a fierce drive from the edge of the box.

Powell forced another good save from Perks, who held the slippery ball well. Slough burst down the other end of the park and as Sonner brought the ball inside, cries for handball against a prone defender fell on deaf ears. As play continued, Danny Burnell had a header tipped over by the tall Snoddy.

Slough went closest to a goal moments before half time as Swift’s free kick was tipped wide by Snoddy at full stretch.

But five minutes into the second half, Slough were gifted the lead after a horrible moment for Chris Snoddy. The keeper missed the ball completely as he attempted a routine clearance from a backpass, and Danny Burnell was on hand to take advantage, taking a touch before rolling the ball past Snoddy.

However, this lead lasted barely four minutes as Adie Mings’ side recovered and levelled the scores. A good team move saw Ashley Edenborough, a half time substitute for the injured Taylor, find Sam Allison on the right wing with a superb ball. Allison crossed to the unmarked Lewis Powell in the six yard box, who headed home past the helpless Perks.

For the remainder of the game, Slough appeared the more likely of the two sides to go on and take the tie, and Steve Sinclair went agonisingly close when put through on goal, but Snoddy got a foot to the winger’s effort, and the ball rebounded off the post and into the keeper’s grateful arms.

Swift thundered a free kick a couple of feet wide of Snoddy’s goal before Edenborough shot just past the post after a mistake in the Slough defence.

But Burnell went close twice more without testing Snoddy, first putting an audacious overhead effort wide before firing wide after Sonner capitalised on a terrible Allison throw.

The draw sets up an intriguing replay at Hardenhuish Park on Tuesday evening against a Chippenham side suffering a chronic injury crisis, with injuries to Nathan Rudge and Daryl Taylor limiting Adie Mings’ options further.

Chippenham Town Lineup

Snoddy, Martin, Tindle, Williams (c), Casey, Rudge (Halliday), Taylor (Edenborough), Gullick, Powell, Harvey, Allison. Subs not used: Lye, Kite.

Rebels

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