What A Way To Go

The Rebels' Wembley dreams were shattered in the cruellest possible fashion on Monday night.

For after drawing level with the GM Conference side with only five minutes left, a Tony Knight clearance ricocheted off Leroy Ambrose and over Trevor Bunting to end Slough's brave bid to upset the big boys. " What a horrible way to go out of the cup" summed up manager Alan Davies.

"We were as good as them and had the best of the chances. We kept battling away and looked all set for a replay and the lads fancied us to beat them at home. But what can you say about a goal like that? It was a very difficult ball to defend and Tony did well to get there first. But if their bloke had won it, he would have gone out wide. And as it was, if the lad had had a free shot at goal, he wouldn't have hit it better. But that's cup football. If we'd have taken our chances we possibly would have won 4-2."

So another chance for the Rebels to take on Conference League opposition, in the shape of Kettering or Altrincham in the last 16 went begging, but they certainly haven't disgraced themselves against teams they hope to join next August.

For although Bath City knocked them out of the FA Cup, basically because they had a top-class striker (Paul Bodin) who is now valued at 15,000 pounds, Cheltenham and Dagenham figured among their cup victims this season and they certainly didn't look inferior at the Surrey Docks Stadium.

The tie finally went ahead and as skipper Keith White said of the pitch after a pre-match inspection: "There's nothing wrong with that."

And the Rebels, with Waites for Dennis the only change from the team that trounced Chalfont, called the early shots.

As early as the third minute, Gary Dodd ghosted behind the Fisher defence, but volleyed Des McMahon's free-kick over when he had time to control and perhaps trouble the 'keeper.

And the team who won the Southern League Championship last season and is presently seventh from bottom in the Conference, had to play second fiddle for a good half-hour.

Kenny Wilson was freed by Paul Waites on the left, with their defence anonymous, but 'keeper David Fry darted towards the edge of the box and blocked the winger's shot with his legs.

Fry got the better when the two met in similar circumstances to deny Slough what would have been a worthy reward. Fisher, fielding no fewer than five ex-Football League players had Gary Cooper looking dangerous on their left flank - and he wasn't too far wide with a cross-shot, as his side started to get into the game.

And in the 35th minute, the Londoners scored with their first on-target effort. Kicking into the wind in the first period, Slough failed to clear their lines. Then Massey found Cooper, who centred for the unmarked Leroy Ambrose to head in at the near post.

Fisher were buoyed up by the goal and began to combine some attractive football with their no-nonsense defending.

Ex-Millwall and Wimbledon forward John Leslie fired a 20-yard free-kick just over, before Neal Stanley went full-length to put a header inches wide after Waites' cross two minutes before half time.

Slough started the second half as they started the first, but still couldn't get behind a scrooge-like defence.

Fry saved from Stanley and Brown, then Bunting had to race out to the edge of the box to clear - yet the ball appeared to hit, of all people, Knight, and went into the side netting.

Fisher were missing the cup-tied Towner and Lazarus in midfield and attack respectively, the latter especially, for after Mehmet got past Jeff Bateman and pulled back from the by-line, no one was waiting and Waites was able to hook clear.

Bunting did spread himself well to block a shot from Ambrose as the pendulum was definitely swinging back in Fisher's favour.

A memorable match it wasn't and there was more excitement in the last 15 minutes than in the preceding 75.

First, some heroic defending stopped Fisher getting a shot in as they swarmed round the box, then Little went within inches of connecting with Cooper's cross with the goal at his mercy.

And Bunting superbly stopped a shot from the winger, before Slough hit back with an equaliser on 85 minutes.

Stanley pierced the home defence with a great pass and reaching the ball before Fry and defender Neil Norman, Brown poked it goalwards. Although it appeared to go in off Norman, no doubt Brown will be claiming that as his 30th goal of the season!

But only two minutes later came the luckiest goal anyone has seen for a long time, as the ball rebounded off Ambrose over Bunting from about 15 yards.

Home manager Dogan Arif said "We had enough chances to put them out of reach- it was a very lucky goal, but we deserved to win".

Few, if any, in the Slough camp agreed.