Harris Is Spot On But Rebels Need Extra Help

Slough needed a disputed Derek Harris park penalty and an extra-time rocket from Keith White to take a game they should have won by a street.

The Rebels tore a full strength Reading reserve side to shreds with a powerful second half display on Saturday, but only just secured a Berks and Bucks second run tie at Windsor.

Their own finishing and a virtuoso performance from England youth 'keeper Derick Williams prevented them from banging in five or six after Harris had finally broken Slough's penalty hoodoo after 48 minutes.

And for a while Reading the poorest team Slough have faced this season threated to earn a replay after equalising with their own penalty after 88 minutes.

Their cause was not helped, though, by the sending off of full back Darren Bailey in the 99th minute. Bailey, cautioned six times this season, was banished for a second grizzly over the top tackle.

Slough boss Howard Kennedy greeted the win by saying: "It was worth staying for extra time to see Keith White score that goal. “And he added: "If somebody had got out there with the confidence to start scoring we would have scored a hatful. Soon we are going to get a cricket score against somebody. “

The star of Slough's show was Tony Knight, playing once more in midfield. This time he looked much more at home, winning the ball and powering forward down the middle at every opportunity.

Even his eighth minute booking, for a bad foul on Neville could be forgiven after such a performance when not fully fit.

It has to be said, however, that he wasn't up 25 against much. The Reading midfield was as timid as their defence was lacking co-ordination and their clueless forward line unimaginative.

The game was a stream of Slough near misses. The Tel pick of the first half action was Micky Kiely's disappointing poke at Williams from a great position and Jeff Bateman's rifled header, nodded against the post by Steve Head on the line.

Having failed for the eighth game running to score in the first half, they went ahead three minutes after the break when Rowan Dodds appeared to be dragged back by Deane Foster in the area, although Reading didn't see it that way.

With Harris having seconds earlier blazed well wide after a neat move with Jimmy Jacobs, the chances of another miss seemed high, but he buried his shot high into goal.

Slough resisted the temptation of getting out their fireworks a few days early to celebrate the occasion. Glen Burvill's continued dispute of the penalty earned him a booking and Graham Cox had his first test of the afternoon when he flapped a Ray Harding free-kick over the bar.

From then on the action became more processional than the Lord Mayor's Show as Williams saved excellently at Rowan Dodds' feet; kept out a low Kenny Wilson drive; and rose to tip over a header from the unmarked Dean Woodley.

His best save came after 70 minutes when a Harris free-kick found Woodley at the far post and his header produced a top class reflex save from the 'keeper.

Dodds' point blank header moments later needed no help on its way over the bar. But when Reading broke out of their own half with two minutes to go Steve Norman acrobatically pushed the ball over the bar after Andy Jones' header had beaten Cox.

John accepted the penalty gift to take the game into extra time. Bailey, booked earlier for an assault on Wilson, was given the boot by the referee after slicing down White and after 101 minutes Woodley came close again, this time his header clipping the bar.

The game was finally won in the 107th minute when White stepped up for a 22 yard free-kick and crashed an unstoppable shot past the wall and through Williams.