Slough Town
4
West (15, 25, 85), Sayer (20)
Marlow
0
League
Attendance: 1005
Mark West
Mark West took his goal tally for the season to an astounding 25 from 29 matches with a hat-trick which shot down Marlow at Wexham Park on Saturday.
Fans' hero West struck twice in the first-half and once in the second to complete a miserable afternoon for the Rebels' local rivals, who saw Colin Ferguson dismissed for a professional foul.
And with Chairman Alan Thorne an interested observer in the stands, it was the perfect opportunity for Dave Russell and Laurie Craker to justify their own moves from Oak Tree Road.
Marlow looked but a shadow of the side which Dave and Laurie had moulded in their years at the club, and Slough rarely had to move into top gear to comprehensively dismiss them.
The alarm bells should have been ringing for the visitors in just the fourth minute, as Kevin Mitchell had to tip a Lay header over from a Clement free-kick.
Marlow had created just half-chances from cup hero Caesar and Nolan by the time West had pounced for the first time on 15 minutes, closing down Putnam and lobbing the ball over Mitchell's spreadeagled body from a couple of yards out.
It was an unlikely, but by now deserved 2-0 on 20 minutes, when Lay's kick-in found the back of the net via Andy Sayer's head. Twice the Marlow defence had crumbled to pieces at the merest application of pressure.
Caesar was furious with his less able team-mates, while Bunting was largely a spectator.
And West hit the third on the 25th minute, as Dell's kick-in was flicked on by Baron for the goal-king to find the target again from close range.
The Blues were never going to get back into the game, but they did rally slightly at the beginning of the second half.
Ferguson, Rayson (twice) and Evans all forced saves from Bunting, as Slough eased off the pressure and sat back to watch the action unfold.
What they saw was a refereeing nightmare, which began with West's booking for what was clearly a perfectly fair tackle in the eyes of spectators.
Mikurenda was then given the same treatment for a professional foul on Bushay. The man in black got himself further embroiled with Ferguson's 75th-minute dismissal for a bodycheck professional foul on sprinting substitute Garfield Blackman, although manager Peter Foley remonstrated violently.
But Rebels fans were fuming when Richard Evans appeared to swing a punch at Andy Sayer as the two challenged for a header. Once again, Mr Moore of Tilehurst took no action.
Fired on by a deep sense of injustice, Lay fought his way through central midfield and set up West, who somehow spooned his eight-yard shot over the bar.
But he got it right on 85 minutes with a goal that exposed everything wrong with Marlow's defence ... it wasn't there. Garfield Blackman and West were alone in the Marlow half with acres of space. Mitchell did well to parry Blackman's initial shot, but only to the feet of West, standing in front of an empty net.
If Dave Russell has learnt one thing all season, it must surely be that he made the right decision in coming to Wexham Park, for the Blues will sink without trace on Saturday's showing.
And chanting "Russell is a traitor" or "Are you Marlow in disguise?" won't change that.
Fans' hero West struck twice in the first-half and once in the second to complete a miserable afternoon for the Rebels' local rivals, who saw Colin Ferguson dismissed for a professional foul.
And with Chairman Alan Thorne an interested observer in the stands, it was the perfect opportunity for Dave Russell and Laurie Craker to justify their own moves from Oak Tree Road.
Marlow looked but a shadow of the side which Dave and Laurie had moulded in their years at the club, and Slough rarely had to move into top gear to comprehensively dismiss them.
The alarm bells should have been ringing for the visitors in just the fourth minute, as Kevin Mitchell had to tip a Lay header over from a Clement free-kick.
Marlow had created just half-chances from cup hero Caesar and Nolan by the time West had pounced for the first time on 15 minutes, closing down Putnam and lobbing the ball over Mitchell's spreadeagled body from a couple of yards out.
It was an unlikely, but by now deserved 2-0 on 20 minutes, when Lay's kick-in found the back of the net via Andy Sayer's head. Twice the Marlow defence had crumbled to pieces at the merest application of pressure.
Caesar was furious with his less able team-mates, while Bunting was largely a spectator.
And West hit the third on the 25th minute, as Dell's kick-in was flicked on by Baron for the goal-king to find the target again from close range.
The Blues were never going to get back into the game, but they did rally slightly at the beginning of the second half.
Ferguson, Rayson (twice) and Evans all forced saves from Bunting, as Slough eased off the pressure and sat back to watch the action unfold.
What they saw was a refereeing nightmare, which began with West's booking for what was clearly a perfectly fair tackle in the eyes of spectators.
Mikurenda was then given the same treatment for a professional foul on Bushay. The man in black got himself further embroiled with Ferguson's 75th-minute dismissal for a bodycheck professional foul on sprinting substitute Garfield Blackman, although manager Peter Foley remonstrated violently.
But Rebels fans were fuming when Richard Evans appeared to swing a punch at Andy Sayer as the two challenged for a header. Once again, Mr Moore of Tilehurst took no action.
Fired on by a deep sense of injustice, Lay fought his way through central midfield and set up West, who somehow spooned his eight-yard shot over the bar.
But he got it right on 85 minutes with a goal that exposed everything wrong with Marlow's defence ... it wasn't there. Garfield Blackman and West were alone in the Marlow half with acres of space. Mitchell did well to parry Blackman's initial shot, but only to the feet of West, standing in front of an empty net.
If Dave Russell has learnt one thing all season, it must surely be that he made the right decision in coming to Wexham Park, for the Blues will sink without trace on Saturday's showing.
And chanting "Russell is a traitor" or "Are you Marlow in disguise?" won't change that.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Trevor Bunting
- 2 Tony Dell
- 3 Andy Clement
- 4 Steve Bateman
- 5 Trevor Baron
- 6 Matthew Wojtowicz
- 7 Danny Nwaokolo
- 8 Dave Lay
- 9 Mark West 14
- 10 Andy Sayer
- 11 Ansil Bushay 12
Substitutes
- 12 Garfield Blackman 11
- 14 Steve Baynes 9