Maldon Town
0
Slough Town
2
Woodruffe (6), Hodges (90)
League
Attendance: 116
Leon Woodruffe
Slough picked up a rare three points in Essex and moved further away from relegation worries as goals from Leon Woodruffe and an Ian Hodges penalty earned the Rebels a two goal win.
Slough took the lead in the sixth minute when Woodruffe picked up the ball on the left after Gareth McCleary had been tackled. The defender took a few touches forward before hitting the ball cleanly towards goal only to see it take a deflection en route. Darren Gould was able to readjust well and get two hands to the ball but could only push it into the top corner of the net.
In very blustery conditions, both sides were getting close to the other sides goal but when it came to the final touch, it was letting both sides down as the keepers remained untested at either end for the majority of the half.
Simon Parker did bring one good save from Clark Masters as a superb through ball found his run and as he faced up to the keeper, Masters stayed big and got a strong hand to the strikers shot before the defence recovered to clear the ball.
The second half's opening chance fell to Hodges as the striker ran through the middle but found Gould blocking his effort. Hodges again found Gould in the way as the keeper pulled off another good stop from the Rebels forward as both sides repeated their finishing from the first half.
Parker had two glorious attempts to bring his side level though, but as Gould had done at the other end, found the opposing keeper in the way. A cross to the back post found Parker in plenty of space. Picking his spot with his header, Masters clawed the ball back out. It fell back to the striker and with Masters still recovering from his initial save, it should have been an equaliser but the forward put it too close to Masters and the keeper was able to save again.
Hodges finally got his name on the scoresheet in the final minute. Running down the left channel and getting the ball inside the Maldon area with little support, he knocked the ball past Paul Goodacre who stuck out a leg and brought the forward down. The striker stepped up and converted the penalty over the diving legs of Gould and sealing the three points for Slough.
Slough took the lead in the sixth minute when Woodruffe picked up the ball on the left after Gareth McCleary had been tackled. The defender took a few touches forward before hitting the ball cleanly towards goal only to see it take a deflection en route. Darren Gould was able to readjust well and get two hands to the ball but could only push it into the top corner of the net.
In very blustery conditions, both sides were getting close to the other sides goal but when it came to the final touch, it was letting both sides down as the keepers remained untested at either end for the majority of the half.
Simon Parker did bring one good save from Clark Masters as a superb through ball found his run and as he faced up to the keeper, Masters stayed big and got a strong hand to the strikers shot before the defence recovered to clear the ball.
The second half's opening chance fell to Hodges as the striker ran through the middle but found Gould blocking his effort. Hodges again found Gould in the way as the keeper pulled off another good stop from the Rebels forward as both sides repeated their finishing from the first half.
Parker had two glorious attempts to bring his side level though, but as Gould had done at the other end, found the opposing keeper in the way. A cross to the back post found Parker in plenty of space. Picking his spot with his header, Masters clawed the ball back out. It fell back to the striker and with Masters still recovering from his initial save, it should have been an equaliser but the forward put it too close to Masters and the keeper was able to save again.
Hodges finally got his name on the scoresheet in the final minute. Running down the left channel and getting the ball inside the Maldon area with little support, he knocked the ball past Paul Goodacre who stuck out a leg and brought the forward down. The striker stepped up and converted the penalty over the diving legs of Gould and sealing the three points for Slough.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Clark Masters
- 2 Josias Carbon
- 3 Mark Avery
- 4 Steve Daly
- 5 Andy Ballard
- 6 Leon Woodruffe
- 7 Leigh Mason
- 8 Michael Alexis
- 9 Ian Hodges
- 10 Garath McCleary
- 11 Charlie Ide
Substitutes
- 12 Glen Harris
- 14 George Moleski
- 15 Darron Wilkinson
- 16 Aaron Steele
- 17 Michael Parkin
Maldon Town Lineup
Darren Gould, Sheridan Drive, Craig Davison, Neil Shade, Simon Clarke (c), Paul Goodacre, Nicky Rugg, Gareth Heath, Tommy Lee, Simon Parker, Craig Huttley. Subs: Sam Clarke, Chris Wilson, John Elms, Tom Hall, Josh Hill.