Slough's Dulwich Disaster

Slough Town's FA Trophy hopes died in a disastrous 19 minute spell during the first half at Wexham Park on Tuesday evening and not even a tremendous late surge by the Rebels could repair the damage already done.

The Rebels started brightly and finished strongly but what happened in the middle of this match was a total shambles as Slough virtually handed Dulwich victory on a plate.

This amounted to Slough's most important match of the season and it started all so well after Dylan Evans fired them ahead. But then disaster struck when a minute later Ian Parsons was sent off and Slough were reduced to ten men for the next 74 minutes.

A series of defensive errors then allowed Dulwich to score three times in the space of 15 minutes and for the second successive season Slough were on their way out of the Trophy at the first hurdle.

Slough made just the start they needed to in this First Round Proper clash with a delightful opening goal. Rowan Dodds flicked the ball onto Parsons, his superb pass put Evans clear and the veteran midfielder made no mistake with a well executed goal.

However, within a minute Slough were down to ten men. Parsons was fouled by Alan Rougham but in an off-the-ball incident retaliated by kicking the Dulwich defender.

Referee Bonce booked Rougham and then gave Parsons his marching orders, a blow that the Rebels were soon to pay dearly for.

They quickly became an undisciplined and disorganised side, losing all their earlier rhythm and within four minutes Dulwich were level.

Joe Moloney failed to clear the ball and Paul Edwards' cross was turned home by Derek Williams.

Five minutes later came another defensive error and Dulwich were ahead. Eddie Hutchinson hesitated fatally and when Andy Edwards took advantage he was blatantly checked by Moloney and from the resultant penalty Palmer made no mistake.

Slough were now a shambles and on 35 minutes Neil Norman blasted home Dulwich's third goal giving Steve Walton no chance.

With the Slough defence so unsure of themselves it was quite amazing that Dulwich did not increase this lead before the interval.

And things did not get much better for Slough in the second half. Rowan Dodds and Keith White worked tirelessly up front and Evans used all his experience in midfield but the Rebels looked incapable of creating anything likely to worry Dulwich.

After 55 minutes Gary Attrell replaced the out of touch Moloney but some 18 minutes later Dulwich apparently made the game safe when Peter Kingston scored after Rougham's free kick had again thrown the Slough defence into chaos.

But then suddenly Slough sprung to life and within a minute the hard-working Evans reduced the deficit, when after a Howard Kennedy corner, he drove the ball home through a posse of Dulwich defenders.

Slough now started to produce the attacking football they are capable of and three minutes from time a superb solo goal from Attrell - who out ran the Dulwich defence and then from the acutest of angles scored - gave them a tiny lifeline.

Dulwich were now at panic stations and it took a brilliant save from Bobby Know to foil a rasping shot from Evans. In the dying seconds Slough won a free kick and the crowd waited in anticipation that White could repeat one of the blockbusters he had scored at Dulwich in the league.

But his shot rose just over the bar and Slough's hopes of a spectacular comeback were over.

Really the Rebels only have themselves to blame for this defeat against a Dulwich side they should have been capable of beating. Once again a sending off has cost Slough dear as it did at Poole earlier in the season in the FA Cup. In fact, referee Bonce was a busy man, booking Steve Norman and Dulwich's Williams, Richard Langley and Peter Carolan in the second half.