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Welling United (H)
Sat Apr 20
15:00

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Welling United (H)
Sat Apr 20 15:00
The Vanarama National League South
10th
64pts

Cup stunner as Town crash out

Southall

Southall

1
Doyle (47)
Slough Town

Slough Town

0
FA Cup Barry Metcalfe
SLOUGH Town's hopes of becoming this season's non-League giant-killers in the FA Cup were destroyed at Western Road on Saturday.

Underdogs Southall, struggling near the foot of the Isthmian League Division One and facing the threat of folding up because of financial difficulties, caused one of the shocks of the third qualifying round with a 47th minute goal.

They surprised the crowd and themselves by triumphing in a cup tie which Slough should have won comfortably. Now there must be a question mark about the character of the present Slough side who never really started to show any real commitment until they found themselves behind.

Three years ago Slough missed out on a lucrative cup tie at Crystal Palace by losing to another Isthmian League Division One club, Walton and Hersham. They have never had a long FA Cup run since and now they have again surrendered an excellent opportunity of a money spinning run by losing to a vastly inferior team.

Southall never looked in the same class but Slough paid a high price for complacency by failing to turn their obvious superiority into goals.

In the first-half Lee and Metcalfe had their menacing moments and both went close, with Lee hitting the side netting and Metcalfe heading narrowly wide. But Slough played as if they were already assured of a safe passage into the next round.

Tim Turl, who arrived at the ground only ten minutes before the kick-off after being caught in a traffic jam, and Richard Strong both seemed badly off form, while Mick Kiely was strangely ineffective in attack.

Slough's lethargy was shattered just after half-time when Southall's Derek Doyle popped up to steal the only goal of the game after a fine run and cross by striker Junior Jones had caught out Strong and Mackay.

The visitors replied with an almost continual bombardment of the Southall goal, with Metcalfe missing a 'sitter' almost immediately afterwards. Lee fired over the bar from just four yards and a tremendous 30 yard shot from Dave Russell hit the post.

Substitute Ian Cooke replaced the injured Metcalfe and soon afterwards Slough's frustration showed as Lee was booked for retaliation after he had been fouled.

Southall somehow managed to hold onto their slender lead with the help of misses by Turl and Kiely and their shock win must have been particularly pleasing for their veteran player Chris Mullen, Slough's leading goalscorer in the 1960s.

Southall Lineup

Rebels

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