Scrappy New Year

Untidy finishing meant that Slough failed to get 1986 off to a winning start on Wednesday.

They wasted good second half chances that should have treated the Wexham Park fans to a welcome revenge victory over a Wokingham side who beat them 4-0 last month. Instead the Rebels fans saw two home points go down the drain, points they cannot afford to lose if their already slim hopes of mounting a Vauxhall-Opal League challenge are not to disappear completely in the winter frost.

Manager Howard Kennedy refused to be downhearted: "You can get carried away with feeling depressed at losing two points. But if we play like that against most sides in our league we will beat them. “

Slough weren't exactly threatening for every second after equalising just before half time, but they did work two or three good openings in an impressive 15 minute spell midway through the second period.

Kennedy continued: "They took the chances in frantic way they played football. Nobody was relaxed on the ball. We didn't create too many chances, but battled well and were superior in that department. With a little more composure we might have won.”

Composed football was difficult on a pitch that looked soft on top, but was, in fact, like concrete under the surface. With players struggling to find their feet most of the day's constructive forward play came from Terry Glynn, his delicate touch remaining with him even in such trying conditions.

Glynn almost set up Petty after 15 minutes, but the ball rebounded off the Rebels' midfield man's heel and was held low at the post by 'keeper Frank Parsons.

Jimmy Brown, still, struggling to settle in with his new club, drove the ball just wide from 18 yards, but after 29 minutes Wokingham took the lead. The referee amazingly let a Rugby League style tackle on Glynn from Micky Noade pass unpunished and Steve Aries beat Jeff Bateman on the right before crossing into the six yard box, where Nicky Collier appeared between Shannon and Petty to clip the ball home on the volley.

Glynn pounced on a loose ball in the Wokingham area with a fierce first time shot that Parsons could not hold cleanly, but it needed a penalty after 40 minutes to get Slough back on level terms.

Wokingham failed to clear a corner and as Petty slipped the ball out to the left edge of the box Collier went through with a bodycheck on White that gave Derek Harris a chance to thump in an equaliser from the spot.

Shannon, still deputising for flu-stricken Chris Way, did well to recover his position and punch a Wayne Wanklyn chip over the bar after 15 minutes. But with Harris becoming more commanding as the game progressed and Dave O'Flaherty fighting fatigue to give a solid performance Wokingham's dangerous forwards were kept in check.

It needed a slip from Bateman to let the lively Micky Spencer in on the corner of the box, but he found Shannon coming out to block his shot. As Slough's best spell of the game began Keith White put a difficult volley wide after Brown had hooked the ball deep into the box.

After 75 minutes Glynn had the best chance of all, forcing his way past a couple of reluctant challenges only to fire well over the bar with just Parsons barring his way. Kenny Wilson, happily over his bout of flu, saw Noade head his cross against his own post, while 10 minutes from time Dodds ran on to Brown's diagonal through ball, but poked a rather tentative first time effort past the upright with Parsons diving at his feet.