It's The Dodds' Day

When Rowan Dodds gets the taste for goals he is lethal, as Epsom and Ewell found to their cost in the second half of this match at West Street on Saturday.

And the Dodds brothers certainly enjoyed their little jaunt to the picturesque Surrey town on Saturday afternoon.

While at one end the more famous Rowan was taking his season's tally to 22 strikes at the other Moran Dodds was stopping goals with a masterly display in the Rebels back four.

If ever there was a game of two halves this was it. For the first 45 minutes Epsom gave Slough a battering as they took full advantage of their bumpy, sloping West Street pitch.

Trailing 2-0 the Rebels looked to be facing an uphill battle which was beyond them; but they bounced back in the second half with a superb display to get back on terms and, could even have nicked the three points at the end of an absorbing contest.

Like the Boat Race this Premier Division game started slowly and at one stage threatened to be sunk without trace. But then both sides found a springlike freshness to their play and the match developed into a highly entertaining affair.

And there was a real bonus for Slough fans, because after waiting since November 1983 they saw midfielder Devon Petty finally score a goal.

Unfortunately it came at the wrong end and put Epsom ahead after 14 minutes. Tony Boorman swung in a menacing corner and Petty sent a glancing header into the corner of the net past a dumbfounded Les Currell.

Playing down the slope Epsom now battered the Rebels, but they never failed to fluster Moran Dodds who was brilliant. He dominated the aerial battles and with Joe Moloney formed as solid a central defensive partnership as Slough have had all year.

Twice Dodds saved his side with timely interceptions to foil Richard Strong and then Tommy Tuite when the Epsom striker looked set to score. Epsom forced an amazing ten first half corners while all a jaded looking Slough could muster was one Rowan Dodds header from Dave Alexander's free kick.

And on 43 minutes it looked like curtains for Slough when Kevin Duffell's ball down the left caught Stewart Mitchell napping and with Currell committed Tuite took the ball round the 'keeper and then cooly planted it past the covering Francis Araguez on the line.

More disaster almost followed for Slough early in the second half. Steve Milton broke clear, pushed the ball through the advancing Currell's legs and then with an open goal beckoning saw the tenacious Araguez scamper back to thwart the Ewell winger.

The Slough revival began after 52 minutes. Dodds showed his pace to skin Duffell on the right and then with an element of luck watched his shot-cum-cross race across the goal and enter the net at the far post.

Moran Dodds and Moloney were now in complete charge of the Epsom attack and in the 57th minute Rebels boss Howard Kennedy, played his trump card. He sent on Keith White surprisingly dropped replace Dave Russell. White transformed the midfield and, obviously reeling from the shock of being relegated to the bench, in 30 minutes played as well as he had all year.

One fine pass from White almost put the battling Micky Kiely in and then a superb flick on by Kiely sent Colin Tate scampering down the left. His cross found Dodds, but this time the ace scorer was off target and with the danger still on Tate and Dodds, again, still couldn't find a way past Paul Riley.

But on 72 minutes came Slough's equaliser. Currell's long clearance found Dodds and he played a clever one-two with Kiely, before nipping in past Mick Stratford to score the perfectly executed goal.

Slough then had to call on the brilliance of Currell to keep things in order at the other end as he bravely saved at the feet of Steve Hill, and then the Ewell striker burst through only to fire hopelessly wide.

It was now absorbing stuff and goal hungry Slough could have clinched the issue three minutes from time. Mitchell's cross was delicately back heeled by Kiely into Alexander's path, but the midfield man couldn't keep his shot down and it flashed over the crossbar.

Slough’s committed second half display certainly made it a happier Easter for manager Kennedy, who, at the interval must have wished he could have found a giant Easter Egg to hide in for the rest of the game. And while Rowan Dodds was making sure he finished top scorer at Wexham Park for the fourth successive season, brother Moran made a lasting impressing on everyone at West Street in a display which belied the few first team games he has had for Slough.