Slough Town
5
(Bushay 1), West (33, pen, 50), Bateman (62), Catlin (64)
Dagenham & R.
0
League
Attendance: 912
Ansil Bushay
Does Ansil Bushay sleep at night? Like a baby after having had a hand in four of the five goals the Rebels scored at The Park on Saturday when they finally swept away the curse which has jinxed their Conference home form for over two years.
And Bushay, brought back into the side in place of the injured Cliff Hercules, took only 10 seconds to send new manager Brian McDermott on his way to a fairytale home debut.
The ball was swept wide to former England star Kenny Sansom from the kick off. Sansom passed inside to Neil Catlin who, with a perfectly weighted through ball, left Bushay clear to float the ball over Daggers' keeper Paul Gothard.
But Bushay then saw to it that soccer icon Sansom, promoted to captain on his home debut, was not allowed to upstage everyone else. He ran like no-one has ever seen him run before, was stronger then ever before, showed enthusiasm as never before.
The reward, in the 33rd minute, came in similar vein to the opening goal. This time the inspiration came from Alan Paris who started the move inside his own half, Mark West looping it on for Bushay who forced Daggers centre back Dominic Crookes to chop him down rather than let him strike.
Gothard stood transfixed as West netted his 26th goal of the season - his 17th in the league-from the penalty spot. And Bushay did all the work for the third goal in the 50th minute,
Barry Rake sending him away from hallway to charge down the right, cut into the near post then pull the ball back for West whose intelligent run flatfooted the Daggers defence and left him free to turn the the ball home from pointblank range.
The doom-laden Daggers, whose best came early when Gary Stebbing headed onto the bar and Gary Worthington knock the rebound just wide, were now at a loss as the Rebels threatened from every angle.
Slough's almost inevitable fourth came from a set piece, Bushay chasing hard to win a corner on the right in the 62nd minute. Steve Bateman moved up from defence and was able to pick his spot with his head from Mark Fiore's deep corner cross.
A fifth followed two minutes later when Rake, who ran himself into the ground making mayhem in the midfield, worked his way to the edge of the box then slipped the ball to Catlin who drove solidly home from 14 yards.
Bushay may have scored only once, as he did at Kidderminster two weeks ago when breaking a three month-long silence in the league, but he can be well pleased with his performance as a whole.
While the evidence of closer harmony among the Rebels was again clearly visible, Bushay's individual contribution stood out. It was matched only by that of a resolute Bateman at the heart of the defence whose tackling and heading were faultless.
Though it was Slough's fourth success against the relegation-threatened Essex side this season, the Daggers were seldom allowed to approach to even within striking range.
It was an emotional day for McDermott whose boldness after taking over included giving debuts to promising young reserve teamers Duncan Horner and Robert Smith.
Gone is the ghastly legacy of winless Saturdays which cost McDermott's two predecessors their jobs - and on one occasion the Rebels' place in the Conference.
On Saturday McDermott's side climbed two places in the Conference to 14th while ghostbuster Bushay leapt back into contention for a regular spot.
And Bushay, brought back into the side in place of the injured Cliff Hercules, took only 10 seconds to send new manager Brian McDermott on his way to a fairytale home debut.
The ball was swept wide to former England star Kenny Sansom from the kick off. Sansom passed inside to Neil Catlin who, with a perfectly weighted through ball, left Bushay clear to float the ball over Daggers' keeper Paul Gothard.
But Bushay then saw to it that soccer icon Sansom, promoted to captain on his home debut, was not allowed to upstage everyone else. He ran like no-one has ever seen him run before, was stronger then ever before, showed enthusiasm as never before.
The reward, in the 33rd minute, came in similar vein to the opening goal. This time the inspiration came from Alan Paris who started the move inside his own half, Mark West looping it on for Bushay who forced Daggers centre back Dominic Crookes to chop him down rather than let him strike.
Gothard stood transfixed as West netted his 26th goal of the season - his 17th in the league-from the penalty spot. And Bushay did all the work for the third goal in the 50th minute,
Barry Rake sending him away from hallway to charge down the right, cut into the near post then pull the ball back for West whose intelligent run flatfooted the Daggers defence and left him free to turn the the ball home from pointblank range.
The doom-laden Daggers, whose best came early when Gary Stebbing headed onto the bar and Gary Worthington knock the rebound just wide, were now at a loss as the Rebels threatened from every angle.
Slough's almost inevitable fourth came from a set piece, Bushay chasing hard to win a corner on the right in the 62nd minute. Steve Bateman moved up from defence and was able to pick his spot with his head from Mark Fiore's deep corner cross.
A fifth followed two minutes later when Rake, who ran himself into the ground making mayhem in the midfield, worked his way to the edge of the box then slipped the ball to Catlin who drove solidly home from 14 yards.
Bushay may have scored only once, as he did at Kidderminster two weeks ago when breaking a three month-long silence in the league, but he can be well pleased with his performance as a whole.
While the evidence of closer harmony among the Rebels was again clearly visible, Bushay's individual contribution stood out. It was matched only by that of a resolute Bateman at the heart of the defence whose tackling and heading were faultless.
Though it was Slough's fourth success against the relegation-threatened Essex side this season, the Daggers were seldom allowed to approach to even within striking range.
It was an emotional day for McDermott whose boldness after taking over included giving debuts to promising young reserve teamers Duncan Horner and Robert Smith.
Gone is the ghastly legacy of winless Saturdays which cost McDermott's two predecessors their jobs - and on one occasion the Rebels' place in the Conference.
On Saturday McDermott's side climbed two places in the Conference to 14th while ghostbuster Bushay leapt back into contention for a regular spot.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Ben Miles
- 2 Brian Lee
- 3 Kenny Sansom 15
- 4 Alan Paris
- 5 Steve Bateman
- 6 Neil Catlin
- 7 Barry Rake 12
- 8 Ansil Bushay
- 9 Mark West
- 10 Lee Harvey
- 11 Mark Fiore
Substitutes
- 12 Duncan Horner 7
- 14 Brian McDermott
- 15 Robert Smith 3
Dagenham & R. Lineup
Gothard, Stabbing, Thompson, `Culverhouse, Crookes, Creaser, Derry, Worthington, Stringfellow, Taylor, Wilson. SUBS: Collins (for Taylor, 54), Hughes (for Worthington, 69), Double.