Hellbent On Revenge!

Slough were hellbent on revenge at Cherrywood Road on Saturday - even six goals against top-of-the-table Farnborough was an understatement as they savaged Ted Pearce's title hopefuls into submission.

Three first half goals in four minutes turned this slow starter into the most enthralling and devastating Vauxhall Opel league display by two sides this season.

Good old Dr Jekyll kept the unsavoury Mr Hyde locked in the changing room toilet on Saturday - and the Rebels demolition job couldn't have come at a better time. It was so satisfying to destroy the side who so rudely interrupted Slough's charge towards the championship title in front of the largest league crowd of the season at Wexham Park (1765) the day after Boxing Day....and in such style.

"What we did today, we should have done at home" said a triumphant Alan Davies. " Six-two is a thrashing and I'm very pleased for the players who've taken a lot of criticism. It was a tremendous exhibition of football. We've come to Farnborough, Read had one chance and stuck it away and they've gone ahead when they didn't deserve to" he said.

"We got straight back into the game, went 3-2 up early in the second half and for ten minutes they've turned up the heat, but we absorbed the pressure, came out of it and suddenly tore them apart. It's done the players egos and confidence a world of good" said the Slough boss.

For the supporters, at least, seeing Slough play like they did on Saturday looking every inch a side that could have won the championship, all the frustrations of a season that "might have been " came to a head.

How did the players feel now dishing out such a battering to the would-be Vauxhall Opel Premier Division champions after losing to them while flying high at Christmas.

"With three or four players out injured and watching from the stands, they knew they had to give 100 per cent. Obviously they're disappointed knowing they had a tremendous chance to win the title, so winning here is something of a bonus and a credit to the players" said Davies.

It was certainly credit where credit's due after the bootless Jamie Horton began an enthralling clutch of goals in the 11th minute, threading a neat ball through for Simon Read to chip home the opener past the advancing Gary Lester.

But within three minutes, Neal Stanley had poached one off the boot of centre back Croad and 'keeper Smeulders following a low cross from Mark Adams, then swivelled to deliver a cracking volley into the net to put Slough 2-1 ahead.

The explosive spell set the mood of the game as both sides fought for supremacy but Slough held the edge with Adams' corner kicks causing havoc in the Boro defence.

Keith White caught debut 'keeper Smeulders unaware with forcing him to back pedal and tip an ominous free kick over the bar while the home side tried to pierce Slough's defence at the other end with Lester pulling off a marvellous save from Read at close range.

Davies admitted that a striker of Read's lethal finishing could well have swung the season in their direction.

A minute before the interval Read crashed home his 46th goal of the season from a Jim Wigmore head-on, volleying home his fourth goal in two games against the Rebels to reinforce his reputation.

Despite the loss of Tony Knight through a first half knock at the interval forcing Dodd into the back four, Slough overcame early Boro pressure to rip them apart with four glorious second half goals.

Ball play and work rate by the Rebels was second to none with Neal Stanley desperately searching for the hat-trick and his 18th league goal of the season only to see a diving header brilliantly tipped round the post by ex-Bournemouth 'keeper Smeulders.

Sub Paul Waites delivered flashes of inspiration on the right flank after setting up the third Slough goal, finding Adams to beat the offside trap. Adams drove in a low cross for Thompson who was denied by the 'keeper again minutes after a point blank save, but Trevor How was on hand to blast the ball against the underside of the bar and home.

Read had a penalty appeal turned down before Stanley discovered he was trying too hard to score and was guilty of two horrendous cock-ups, hoofing the ball over the bar with an open goal, then later seeing it bobble away from him after a fluid exchange of passes with Thompson.

Boro went all out for the equaliser with a double substitution, exchanging Dave Osgood and striker Mark Frampton for centre backs Wooler and Croad - but were fully punished for their mistake.

As the Rebels carved through the defences, Barry Rake rolled the ball into the path of Steve Thompson who sped ahead of defender Osgood to ram home from the edge of the box in the 77th minute.

Rake himself added an opportunist goal from a seemingly impossible angle on the edge of the box, hooking the ball over the 'keeper with his back to the goal in the 81st minute as Slough oozed confidence and built on their immense superiority.

And when Thompson capped a stunning performance with a charging run at the defence, dancing past two defenders before picking his spot and rifling past the 'keeper, a crunching 6-2 defeat was no April Fool..... what a shame it didn't come in December.