Knockout Punches

Slough Town’s slump was extended to five successive defeats on Tuesday evening as their performance resembled that to a boxer trying to fight his way out of trouble.

This latest contest took place at Wexham Park and the opposition was a Wokingham Town side beaten only once in eight Servowarm Isthmian League, Premier Division outings this season.

For 25 minutes the Rebels successfully punched their way off the ropes, then took a slight battering from two decisive blows before again replying with a spirited counter attack.

But in the end it was Wokingham who delivered the knockout punches to win this contest but at least the Rebels made a fight of it against their high flying Berkshire rivals.

Compared to the dismal displays they had put up against Staines Town and Chippenham Town, in particular, Slough looked a different side and although everything was far from right, what an improvement we saw.

Slough in fact had every opportunity to have won this game which produced some bizarre goals. And the Rebels can probably point to one crucial miss from Rowan Dodds and an error from Francis Araguez as to the reasons why they didn't end the slump on Tuesday.

The Rebels paraded new signing from Hendon Adrian Smith, and he linked up well with Rowan Dodds and David Lloyd before fading a little in the second half.

Things could hardly have started better for Slough after all their recent disasters, because within four minutes they were ahead. Eddie Hutchinson's corner left the Wokingham defence flat footed and the ball bounced off Trevor Baron's shin and crossed the line despite the efforts of David Cox to clear.

And ten minutes later came the Rebels' golden chance to consolidate their position. Devon Petty worked wonders on the right before crossing perfectly to Dodds, but the striker headed woefully over the bar when a goal seemed certain.

Just how costly this miss proved was emphasised after 28 minutes when a bizarre goal allowed Wokingham back into the game. Former Windsor striker Steve Butler, chased a long ball down the left and just when his eventual cross looked like coming to nothing disaster struck as Peter Rackley and David O'Flaherty collided going for the ball and it bounced off O'Flaherty and into the net.

Wokingham now raised their game and showed some silky skills and it took a brilliant one handed save by Rackley to foil what looked a certain goal from Neal Stanley.

Just minutes into the second half Rackley produced another stunning save to keep out a Derek Cottrell piledriver but on a night when corners and crosses proved a decisive factor Wokingham went ahead on 53 minutes, when Jim Brown was allowed to head home Des McMahon's corner at the near post.

But Slough were not finished and showing true battling spirit they struck back after 62 minutes when this time it was O'Flaherty's turn to head home another well flighted Hutchinson corner.

However, Wokingham's knockout punch came on 70 minutes when a double mistake by Araguez on the right saw Stanley punish it unmercifully as he scampered clear and then shot past Rackley.

Slough replied with a Trevor Baron free kick which Steve Aldham did well to turn away but it was the power of Butler up front which came closest to continuing the goal glut.

And then in the last seconds Micky Spencer added Wokingham's fourth goal from yet another cross, this time by the impressive Bobby Purser.