Muddy Marvelous

Glorious Rebels. Slough superbly battled their way to a second round FA Cup tie at either Swansea City or Wealdstone with another first class performance in Tuesday night's replay.

"Everyone here from Slough should be proud of their team," said jubilant manager Alan Davies, "I'm more than pleased for them, they deserved everything they got."

The fourth division Welshmen and the Vauxhall Conference outfit were scheduled to replay at the Vetch Field last night (Thursday), but neither can be relishing the prospect of facing a Slough side that has now won a record seven successive away games.

Davies and his players expressed a preference to take on the league side, but Tuesday night's victory has already swelled the club's coffers. For being the last remaining Vauxhall-Opel League outfit remaining in the competition, they will receive £1,000 from the league sponsors at the end of the season.

They earned the prize last season too, after taking Orient to a second-round replay and the prospect of being only 90 minutes away from a possible dream tie at Anfield or Old Trafford will not daunt the Rebels in their ultra-confident mood away from home these days. “They were two of the hardest games we'll have this season,” but as their manager Davies said, “we deserved to win,"

The winner came in the 73rd minute when Jeff Bateman headed home in a similar fashion to his equaliser at Dover in the last round, to cap an outstanding display." It just got past his (the 'keeper's) hand," said the modest central defender. "We should have won on Saturday, but we created clear-cut chances tonight and the heavy pitch helped us really."

In fact, the going was so bad Bognor had a pitch inspection before the Slough party left Wexham Park. But despite persistently heavy rain from start to finish, the pitch held up well and the home side could have no excuse at the outcome.

Slough retained the 11 which started Saturday's tussle, but less than fully fit skip-per Kevin Tilley was switched to midfield to keep an eye on Dave Thomas and Jimmy Jacobs reverted to right back.

The move worked a treat.

Tilley kept the international quiet and gave his Bognor counterparts something more to think about, while Jacobs battled effectively in the back line. The first half was noteworthy only for the heavy police presence ejecting a small number of fans from the ground after they had greeted the late arrival of the Slough supporters coaches less than charitably.

Cox did well to deny Cooper on the half hour and Tilley was on hand to stop Marriner's goalbound flick just before the break.

Both sides went about the task far more adventurously in the second period and from a savagely dipping shot by Pullen, it was Slough who created all the chances. Wilson wreaked the havoc he did on Saturday, but Dodds and Brown couldn't apply a suitable finishing touch to his probing crosses from the flanks.

Then, after 72 minutes, the Rebels went in front with a goal as simple as it was deserved. Bateman rose to meet Wilson's corner at the near post and his cross-goal nod evaded Sperring, so impregnable at Wexham Park.

The Rebels continued to frustrate the Rocks by refusing them time and space and, in fact, the best chance of the match fell Jimmy Brown's way in the 88th minute, but he miscued completely. A 2-0 verdict would have been a more adequate reflection of proceedings, but the Rebels had already done the job in style. Here's to December.