Reading
1
Quinn (104 pen)
Slough Town
0
B&B Senior Cup
Attendance: 1265
Unknown
Score lines can be deceptive, and Russell-era Slough have seen more than their fair share of injustices. And maybe this could go down as yet another.
Not only did an almost full-strength Royals side struggle to overcome a spirited Rebels resistance, but when they finally broke the deadlock, it required a controversial penalty to get them on the scoresheet. For a team four divisions lower than their county compadres, Slough looked surprisingly confident and kept Reading on their toes throughout the game.
That said, only a succession of misses and the interventions on several occasions of the woodwork prevented the result being settled sooner, with the Royals first making contact with the goalframe on 17 minutes when a powerful 30-yard shot from Jones came off the angle of post and bar.
Bunting stood up equally well, a lower of strength throughout the game and particularly when Clement slipped and allowed Hartenberger a clean sight of goal, parrying from six yards the German's rasping drive before Lee dented Quinn a glimpse of the rebound.
Of the Rebels' chances, West was involved in most of the best, though he drifted in and out of the game with annoying inconsistency. On 32 minutes, he arrived on the end of a beautifully-weighted Bushay ball but was denied a dream goal on his old hunting ground by Shepherd in the first of several frustrations.
At times scrappy, at others tantalising, the game, like the teams, was anyone's for the taking. Reading never hit top gear and always had one ear listening out for the Barnsley result which secured them a play-off spot, while their defence repelled the Rebels for long enough to make extra time necessary, with Quinn hitting the bar twice and the post shortly afterwards in the second-half as he moved ghost-like through central defence.
For Slough, Sayer came closest with another 35-yard lob, bouncing his effort off you guessed it - the bar. Bushay, set up by West on a number of occasions, was so well-policed by former Rebel Michael Thorp that he rarely had a real look-in.
The only bar most of the crowd cared about by the end was the one behind the main stand, but fate intervened as penalties loomed on 104 minutes. Clement was the supposed perpetrator, tugging substitute Murphy just inside the area. He fell like a sack of potatoes, the ref pointed to the spot and Quinn inevitably hit the mark, though Bunting guessed correctly.
So there are still no trophies in the Wexham Park cabinet this year. But once again, Slough rose to the occasion with a dignity they can be proud of. And they are still favourites to lake the League Cup next week, to boot.
Not only did an almost full-strength Royals side struggle to overcome a spirited Rebels resistance, but when they finally broke the deadlock, it required a controversial penalty to get them on the scoresheet. For a team four divisions lower than their county compadres, Slough looked surprisingly confident and kept Reading on their toes throughout the game.
That said, only a succession of misses and the interventions on several occasions of the woodwork prevented the result being settled sooner, with the Royals first making contact with the goalframe on 17 minutes when a powerful 30-yard shot from Jones came off the angle of post and bar.
Bunting stood up equally well, a lower of strength throughout the game and particularly when Clement slipped and allowed Hartenberger a clean sight of goal, parrying from six yards the German's rasping drive before Lee dented Quinn a glimpse of the rebound.
Of the Rebels' chances, West was involved in most of the best, though he drifted in and out of the game with annoying inconsistency. On 32 minutes, he arrived on the end of a beautifully-weighted Bushay ball but was denied a dream goal on his old hunting ground by Shepherd in the first of several frustrations.
At times scrappy, at others tantalising, the game, like the teams, was anyone's for the taking. Reading never hit top gear and always had one ear listening out for the Barnsley result which secured them a play-off spot, while their defence repelled the Rebels for long enough to make extra time necessary, with Quinn hitting the bar twice and the post shortly afterwards in the second-half as he moved ghost-like through central defence.
For Slough, Sayer came closest with another 35-yard lob, bouncing his effort off you guessed it - the bar. Bushay, set up by West on a number of occasions, was so well-policed by former Rebel Michael Thorp that he rarely had a real look-in.
The only bar most of the crowd cared about by the end was the one behind the main stand, but fate intervened as penalties loomed on 104 minutes. Clement was the supposed perpetrator, tugging substitute Murphy just inside the area. He fell like a sack of potatoes, the ref pointed to the spot and Quinn inevitably hit the mark, though Bunting guessed correctly.
So there are still no trophies in the Wexham Park cabinet this year. But once again, Slough rose to the occasion with a dignity they can be proud of. And they are still favourites to lake the League Cup next week, to boot.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Trevor Bunting
- 2 Andy Clement
- 3 Brian Lee
- 4 Danny Nwaokolo
- 5 Trevor Baron
- 6 Dave Lay
- 7 Neil Catlin
- 8 Andy Sayer
- 9 Mark West
- 10 Martin Stone
- 11 Ansil Bushay