Rebels Exit From Cup

This year’s Wembley trail for Slough Town ended in Runcorn, Cheshire, on Saturday, when the Premier Northern League side defeated the Rebels by two clear goals in a hard bruising game.

Slough in the past have had experience of what it takes to overcome these Northern teams before their own supporters and memories of Skelmersdale, Whitley Bay and West Auckland quickly sprang to mind on the Canal Street ground on Saturday.

Oddly enough Slough had the mid-field won throughout the match, but no one of the class of Barry Howard who had just returned to the Runcorn team after three weeks absence due to injury. This player was a thorn in the visitors defence throughout and it was he who made the vital difference laying on the first goal and scoring the second to finish Slough just as a replay looked on the cards.

Slough kicked off down the slope and came near to upsetting the home defence in the opening minutes. However the Runcorn leading goalscorer Trevor Finnigan almost scored with a brilliant shot on the turn after ten minutes. Slough came back again and Alan King had to resort to desperate measures to clear the ball over his own bar following a fast low centre from Terry Brown.

For the remainder of the first half the game became somewhat rough, Slough being forced a little out of their stride by the physical northerners and in consequence losing their rhythm.

Runcorn went ahead after 25 minutes when Finnigan fed Howard on the left wing, Howard dribbled past Turl and sent a long cross to the far bye-line where Hipwell just managed to prevent the ball from running out of play, placing the ball to the oncoming Finnigan who lashed an unstoppable shot just under the bar to record Runcorn's 100th goal of the season and his 32nd.

Shortly after this John Beyer became the first Slough player to be booked this year when he caught Wilson in a 50-50 tackle, an incident that the home player made much of but a tackle which seemed innocuous enough.

Slough made a great bid to equalise and Tim Turl appeared to have scored a good goal only for the referee to disallow for a foul on goalkeeper Rawlinson. Runcorn made a determined effort to increase their lead just on the stroke of half time, Slough conceding free kicks just outside the area but the defence was equal to the occasion and half time saw Slough just trailing by the odd goal.

Local pundits were proclaiming that Slough would be annihilated playing uphill in the second half, but it was the visitors who gradually took control and looked all set to pull level when in the 65th minute Alan Gane dribbled into the area and had his low shot parried by Rawlinson. As he moved in for the rebound his legs were "taken away" and Terry Brown was also pushed off the ball. All this seemed quite legal to referee Sewell and while the Slough players were still looking aghast the ball was driven downhill to the unmarked Howard who was able to advance quickly on the Slough goal and slip the ball past Barron.

Despite this further setback Slough now produced their best football of the match to earn remarks of admiration from the hitherto hostile home crowd. Pattison got in a fine shot, Hill was palpably sandwiched in the area without reward and Tim Turl and Gane combined well but it was not to be Slough's day. The players and supporters gave all they had and no doubt returned happy in the knowledge that Isthmian League Football is obviously more enjoyable than the hard stuff that is offered as a diet in the Northern Premier.