Hercules Throws Slough Out

When Slough Town saw that Aylesbury had Hercules playing at centre forward in this Berks and Bucks Senior Cup clash on Tuesday, they knew they were in for a tough evening.

You may think this is just another classical myth; but it was not that far from the truth. Hercules was playing for Aylesbury but in this case it was the somewhat less mighty Clifford Hercules.

And it was his goal after 82minutes which threw the Rebels out of yet another cup competition at swampy Turnfurlong Road on Tuesday evening in this second round tie.

So Slough's tale of woe in cup competitions continues as another lack lustre second half display proved to be their downfall and left the Aylesbury 'Ducks' quacking with delight.

Hercules apart, it was always going to be a tough task for Slough. With Richard Teale, Peter Skerritt and Rowan Dodds all injured and Colin Tate cup tied the Rebels were hardly at full strength.

And more disasters followed with Keith White taking a bad knock on the ankle early in the proceedings and finally limping off after 63 minutes and goalkeeper Peter Rackley having to have a dislocated finger put back into place during the first half.

On a pitch which was more suited to ducks than footballers, Slough, as usual, started brightly. The midfield trio of White, Dave Alexander and Trevor Baron looked assured and composed, while up front Devon Petty, Adrian Smith and Paul Slatter were full of running and menace.

Indeed after only nine minutes Slatter could have put the Rebels ahead but he shot weakly at Keith Baker when well placed. With the pitch quickly becoming a quagmire in places it was always going to be an exciting match with mistakes and furious goalmouth scrambles the order of the night.

In one frantic period as Hercules lifted his Aylesbury colleagues into the Slough penalty area only desperate clearances by Eddie Hutchinson and Moran Dodds saved the day, and then later a Dave Alexander goal line stop rescued the Rebels.

But the turning point in the half - and from Slough's point of view probably the match - came on 30 minutes. Petty seized on a poor back pass and when his effort rebounded back off Baker, Smith was there to strike the loose ball home.

Goal or at least so everyone in the ground thought. But the linesman intervened and ruled that Petty, although clearly not interfering with play as he lay prostrate in the mud, was offside and referee Jefcoate disallowed the effort.

The same linesman was again back in the action after 53 minutes when Peter Coffill's effort sweetly struck the back of the net, but yet another strange offside decision also ruled this effort void.

As the Rebels' midfield started to disintegrate after the break and the defence became ever more uncertain of itself the Ducks started to revel in the conditions which clearly did not suit the town boys from Slough.

But there was still time for Slough to have their chances. One tremendous move down the middle involving Dodds, Petty and Smith put Slatter through, but he went wide and then sliced his shot well off target.

Smith and Petty were always full of running and one stimulating surge by Petty ended with a powerful shot somehow being pushed away by the startled Baker.

Only two superb saves from Rackley then kept Slough in the game as the Ducks started to roast the Rebels defence and John Davie was guilty of a glaring miss from 10 yards out.

In a desperate effort to paddle their way through into the next round Moran Dodds was pushed up front with Steve Proctor replacing Hutchinson, but within a minute of this move that man Hercules struck.

His partner in crime, Cliff Campbell, flicked on a long throw from the right and there was the mighty Hercules, completely unmarked, to head past Rackley after 82 minutes.

A succession of desperate goalmouth scrambles in the dying minutes threatened to provide Slough with a late saver but it never came.

And while Hercules may be a myth to some people he loomed large and menacingly enough to make it another disappointing cup expedition for the Rebels at Aylesbury on Tuesday.

Again it was a second half collapse which cost Slough dear and the familiar tale of too many players disappearing from the action when it mattered most and the pressure was really on.