Rebels win five goal thriller

In a brilliant encounter between two good football sides, Slough snatched a last-minute winning goal to cap the end of a game which produced a lot of passion, entertaining football, and five goals.

Both sides started brightly with opening chances coming to both teams within the first two minutes. Slough's chance fell to McPherson from a Hawthorne corner and was narrowly missed by a lunging Marshall and held by Mead.

Straight down the other end, Lawrence put in a good cross from the right wing which fell to Georgiou, but he narrowly mistimed his volley and the ball was cleared.

Some good pressure by Purfleet caught Barrowcliff in possession with the ball eventually finding its way through to Georgiou who shot at Mautone.

After only six minutes of this lively encounter, a chipped ball over the Purfleet defence was met by the run of Marshall whose flick found its way to Markman who saw his shot blocked. The deflection fell into the path of the impressive Hall who fired his shot past Mead to give Slough an early advantage.

After just ten minutes, Mautone's pass was intercepted by Georgiou and his first time effort from an acute angle was cleared off the line by Daly.

Six minutes later, Mautone was caught out in mid drop kick. Southon was running back from a Purfleet attack and managed to steal the ball from Mautone legitmately before turning and sliding the ball into the net for the equaliser.

Purfleet scored their second after 25 minutes after a good right wing break from Coombs. His low cross found its way to Carthy who had time to place his effort low to Mautone's right and into the bottom corner to give Purfleet the lead.

Purfleet were now in the ascendancy and were creating some good chances. The lively Georgiou was getting the better of White at left back and put a low ball into the run of Engwell whose rising shot went narrowly wide of Mautone's left post.

In the build up to half time, Slough slowly regained the upper hand. Mead was alert to a good turn and shot low down from Marshall and saved well from Daly after a Hawthorne corner found its way to his flicked header.

Straight from the start of the second half, neat play between Hall and Marshall got the latter through the offisde trap but Mead saved well one on one and the chance passed. Purfleet's first chance of the half came after Coombs laid the ball off to Carthy whose first time effort went wide of Mautone's goal.

Three minutes later, Slough got the goal they needed to pull themselves back into it. White received the ball in a deep left wing position and his floated cross found its way to Markman at the back post who headed back across the goal with Mead beaten.

Slough now gained the upper hand and immediately after the goal had another opportunity through Hawthorne but his shot went wide of Mead's goal. Ex-Slough player Micky Engwell produced a great save from Mautone just before the hour mark when a direct free kick was deflected but Mautone re-adjusted quickly to tip the shot over the bar.

Neither side now was having much luck with breaking the opposition's defence down until Keeling managed to squeeze between Timothy and Daly inside the Slough area but hit his shot at Mautone.

In the final minute of normal time, a Hawthorne through ball found Markman but he was well tackled. The ball fell to Daly who floated the ball to the back post where it was met by Haynes. As the ball travelled back across the goal, Marshall got the last touch to force the ball toward the inside of the post and just across the line. The linesman adjudged the ball to have crossed the line and the goal was awarded.

In what was the fourth minute of injury time, a long throw from the left wing found its way to Lawrence on the floor and his shot through a body of players, was superbly saved low down by Mautone pushing the ball round the post to deny Purfleet a dramatic equaliser.