Russell saves Slough

A 66th-minute goal from Dave Russell maintained Slough Town's unbeaten record in the Berger Isthmian League Premier Division when they met Woking at Wexham Park on Tuesday evening.

However the Rebels failure to win their second successive home game in the space of three days means they have lost further ground on league leaders Enfield.

Despite being still unbeaten, five draws from their opening seven league games have cost them 10 points. Playing fast, attacking football Woking at times set the Wexham Park crowd alight, and after taking the lead missed several fine chances to clinch victory before Russell put the Rebels back in the match.

As in previous games, however, Russell's goal heralded a Slough comeback. And in the final 20 minutes they came close to taking the three points which earlier had looked beyond their reach. After a lengthy absence through injury Eric Young returned to the heart of the defence, but Keith White failed a late fitness test on his injured groin and Barry Friend replaced him.

The opening minutes of the match were dominated by Slough. After four minutes a searching cross by Pat Morrissey skidded across the face of the Woking goal, but both Micky Kiely and Micky O'Sullivan just failed to touch the ball into the empty net.

After this early period of domination Slough then allowed Woking back into the match. The Surrey side pushed the ball around with authority and confidence and their fast, direct approach work gave the Slough defence several anxious moments.

With 35 minutes gone a cross from Tony Booth beat the Slough defence, but Reg Leather, running in, unmarked, just failed to head home. Five minutes later Will Dixon missed another golden opportunity to score, after good work from Chuck Nwajiobi.

The second half was only one minute old when Teale made a splendid double save to foil Booth and then Morton. First he saved Booth's 30-yard shot and then scrambled the ball away from the advancing Morton. However within four minutes Woking scored the goal they had threatened to do for some time. Receiving the ball inside the Slough half, Tony Field out ran the Slough defence, beating two players, before hitting the ball past Teale into the corner of the net for a fine individual goal.

There followed a sustained period of Woking pressure in which several good chances were missed to add further goals. First Nwajiobi jinked his way clear only to hit his shot into the side-netting, then Morton fired over from ten yards when in a good position.

Against the run of the play, Slough then produced their equaliser. John Beyer pumped the ball into the Woking box, and Kiely headed it square to Dave Russell. The Slough striker advanced a few yards before sweetly tucking it past former Slough goalkeeper Trevor Porter.

There then followed a frantic period of Slough pressure as they looked for a winning goal. Several times the Woking defence came close to conceding a goal but it seemed the ball just would not enter the net. A cross from Friend only needed a touch, but none of the Slough players could turn it in, and then two minutes from time a shot from Eric Young was blocked on the line.

In the end a draw was probably the fairest result, but Slough can be grateful that Woking missed those chances when they were 1-0 ahead early in the second half.