Marcus Richardson's debut strike made it four victories on the bounce for Slough Town as they won 1-0 at Harrow Borough on Saturday. Richardson, making his first start in a competitive game for the Rebels, was the star of the show.
Despite being tightly marked for much of the first half, Richardson's raw skills enabled him to carve out several first half chances. He proved a real handful for the Borough defence, often wriggling past defenders like a slippery eel as he marked his debut with an exciting display.
And, if Richardson continues to perform like this, he will quickly become a fans' favourite. His goal, which arrived in the third minute of first half stoppage time, was worth waiting for. He received a pass from Mark Hawthorne on the edge of the box, with his back to goal. With a Harrow defender on his back, he turned sharply and struck a low, first time shot with his left foot which found the bottom corner.
It was an excellent strike, and was just reward for a highly promising performance by the former Burnham player.
The goal came a little against the run of play, with Harrow enjoying much of the first half possession and creating several good chances. But Slough had chances of their own in the first period, and it was a similar story after the break.
Bryan Hammatt and Richardson looked to have been forging a useful strike partnership in the first half, but acting boss Steve Browne made two changes at halftime, with Hammatt and Aaron Patten making way for David Adekola and Andrew Deaner.
Richardson dropped back to right midfield, with Adekola and Deaner the new front pairing. With Richardson adding another dimension in midfield, Slough looked more organised in the second period.
Richardson showed he can defend as well as attack, and combined some excellent wing play with a series of defensive clearances. But he was not the only player to impress, with Dave Rainford controlling periods of Slough play well from his central midfield position, Dave Timothy causing all sorts of problems for the Harrow defence with a very busy display, and a resolute Rebels rearguard securing another clean sheet.
Chances fell to both sides in the second half. And, as Harrow began to push forward late on, some determined defending from Slough, and alert goalkeeping by Danny Honey, was enough to secure victory.
Despite being tightly marked for much of the first half, Richardson's raw skills enabled him to carve out several first half chances. He proved a real handful for the Borough defence, often wriggling past defenders like a slippery eel as he marked his debut with an exciting display.
And, if Richardson continues to perform like this, he will quickly become a fans' favourite. His goal, which arrived in the third minute of first half stoppage time, was worth waiting for. He received a pass from Mark Hawthorne on the edge of the box, with his back to goal. With a Harrow defender on his back, he turned sharply and struck a low, first time shot with his left foot which found the bottom corner.
It was an excellent strike, and was just reward for a highly promising performance by the former Burnham player.
The goal came a little against the run of play, with Harrow enjoying much of the first half possession and creating several good chances. But Slough had chances of their own in the first period, and it was a similar story after the break.
Bryan Hammatt and Richardson looked to have been forging a useful strike partnership in the first half, but acting boss Steve Browne made two changes at halftime, with Hammatt and Aaron Patten making way for David Adekola and Andrew Deaner.
Richardson dropped back to right midfield, with Adekola and Deaner the new front pairing. With Richardson adding another dimension in midfield, Slough looked more organised in the second period.
Richardson showed he can defend as well as attack, and combined some excellent wing play with a series of defensive clearances. But he was not the only player to impress, with Dave Rainford controlling periods of Slough play well from his central midfield position, Dave Timothy causing all sorts of problems for the Harrow defence with a very busy display, and a resolute Rebels rearguard securing another clean sheet.
Chances fell to both sides in the second half. And, as Harrow began to push forward late on, some determined defending from Slough, and alert goalkeeping by Danny Honey, was enough to secure victory.
Slough Town Line Up
- 1 Danny Honey
- 2 Dave Timothy
- 3 Micky Engwell
- 4 Chris White
- 5 Al-James Hannigan
- 6 Kenny Dyer
- 7 David Rainford 14
- 8 Aaron Patton 12
- 9 Marcus Richardson
- 10 Brian Hammatt 15
- 11 Mark Hawthorne
Substitutes
- 12 David Adekola 8
- 14 Steve Browne 7
- 15 Andrew Deaner 10