Slough Town
1
Harris (64)
Walton & Hersham
1
Lampton (52p)
League
Attendance: 309
Lee Riddell
Slough stretched their unbeaten league run to seven matches but had to be content with a point at home to a physical Walton & Hersham team. Having spent much of the game playing both the Surrey side and referee Mr Young they finally got their breakthrough thanks to a fantastic Glen Harris header midway through the second half.
Slough almost went behind as early as the second minute when a powerful shot from distance was well parried by Foster who was challenged as he tried to collect the loose ball. Fortunately for the Rebels, Lee Riddell was on hand to clear the ball as it headed towards the goal.
The home side barely got out of their own half during the first ten minutes as Walton pushed them back, dictating the play with a very high tempo game. Slough had to wait until the 19th minute for their first real opportunity although the Swans were fortunate to keep eleven men on the pitch when Neil Lampton was only booked for aiming an off the ball kick at Ian Hodge. From the free kick Hodge went down in the box under the challenge of keeper Nick Gindre as the ball bounced around the penalty area.
If Slough felt aggrieved at that decision they would have been furious at being denied a penalty two minutes later after Steve Daly was blatantly shoved in the back with both hands by Gary Abbott following a corner.
Darron Wilkinson then became the second player to be booked after sliding in late on Sean Thurgood. Three minutes before the interval Gindre did well to claw a Hakki cross behind as it headed for the top corner of the goal.
The bookings continued in the 50th minute as Alan Dowson was cautioned for persistent fouling and just two minutes later Walton & Hersham took the lead. A quick break into the Slough area saw the ball blocked before being fired goalwards once more. The ball struck a Slough arm which the referee deemed deliberate and Lampton struck the resulting kick down the middle to open the scoring.
Carl Gibbs became the next Walton player to be yellow carded although was lucky to not see red as he deliberately scythed down Paul Barrowcliff and barely a minute later Simon Sobihy earned a similar fate for dissent.
Slough’s best chance to draw level and in fact their clearest goalscoring opportunity all game fell to Tony Boot on the hour mark as he stayed onside to latch onto a long through ball. Unfortunately for the Rebels though he hit his shot at a good height just to the keepers left and Gindre comfortably parried the ball to safety.
The Rebels finally got the breakthrough they deserved on 64 minutes when Glen Harris scored one of the goals of the season. A throw in on the right was quickly taken by Lee Riddell to Veli Hakki who layed the ball back to the defender. Riddell hit a superb first time cross into the area which was met by Harris who powered a bullet header into the top corner from fifteen yards past the stationary Walton keeper.
Sean Thurgood shot wastefully over from a corner for the Swans with a quarter of an hour remaining and at the other end Tony Boot just failed to connect with a cross from Ryan Williams a minute later.
A yellow card for Ian Hodge completed the action with four minutes remaining although his punishment for kicking the ball away appeared extremely harsh given the pedestrian nature with which the away side had treated dead ball situations for the majority of the match.
Slough almost went behind as early as the second minute when a powerful shot from distance was well parried by Foster who was challenged as he tried to collect the loose ball. Fortunately for the Rebels, Lee Riddell was on hand to clear the ball as it headed towards the goal.
The home side barely got out of their own half during the first ten minutes as Walton pushed them back, dictating the play with a very high tempo game. Slough had to wait until the 19th minute for their first real opportunity although the Swans were fortunate to keep eleven men on the pitch when Neil Lampton was only booked for aiming an off the ball kick at Ian Hodge. From the free kick Hodge went down in the box under the challenge of keeper Nick Gindre as the ball bounced around the penalty area.
If Slough felt aggrieved at that decision they would have been furious at being denied a penalty two minutes later after Steve Daly was blatantly shoved in the back with both hands by Gary Abbott following a corner.
Darron Wilkinson then became the second player to be booked after sliding in late on Sean Thurgood. Three minutes before the interval Gindre did well to claw a Hakki cross behind as it headed for the top corner of the goal.
The bookings continued in the 50th minute as Alan Dowson was cautioned for persistent fouling and just two minutes later Walton & Hersham took the lead. A quick break into the Slough area saw the ball blocked before being fired goalwards once more. The ball struck a Slough arm which the referee deemed deliberate and Lampton struck the resulting kick down the middle to open the scoring.
Carl Gibbs became the next Walton player to be yellow carded although was lucky to not see red as he deliberately scythed down Paul Barrowcliff and barely a minute later Simon Sobihy earned a similar fate for dissent.
Slough’s best chance to draw level and in fact their clearest goalscoring opportunity all game fell to Tony Boot on the hour mark as he stayed onside to latch onto a long through ball. Unfortunately for the Rebels though he hit his shot at a good height just to the keepers left and Gindre comfortably parried the ball to safety.
The Rebels finally got the breakthrough they deserved on 64 minutes when Glen Harris scored one of the goals of the season. A throw in on the right was quickly taken by Lee Riddell to Veli Hakki who layed the ball back to the defender. Riddell hit a superb first time cross into the area which was met by Harris who powered a bullet header into the top corner from fifteen yards past the stationary Walton keeper.
Sean Thurgood shot wastefully over from a corner for the Swans with a quarter of an hour remaining and at the other end Tony Boot just failed to connect with a cross from Ryan Williams a minute later.
A yellow card for Ian Hodge completed the action with four minutes remaining although his punishment for kicking the ball away appeared extremely harsh given the pedestrian nature with which the away side had treated dead ball situations for the majority of the match.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Alan Foster
- 2 Lee Riddell
- 3 Paul Barrowcliff
- 4 Steve Daly
- 5 Michael Murphy
- 6 Glen Harris
- 7 Darron Wilkinson
- 8 Veli Hakki
- 9 Ian Hodges
- 10 Tony Boot
- 11 Ryan Williams
Substitutes
- 12 Matt Miller
- 14 Andrew Deaner
- 15 Danny Steer
- 16 Mark Bartley
- 17 Martin Moller