Slough Town
2
Harper (6, 61)
Winchester City
2
Lang (16), Hilley (53)
League
Attendance: 170
Lee Riddell
Slough Town recorded their first league draw of the season with a battling 2-2 draw against Winchester City at a soaking wet Holloways Park.
The Rebels were forced to do without Richard Barnard in goal due to his unavailability, with Simon Dean filling in to make his debut between the sticks. Also in the starting line-up was Brian Connor, making a return to the club, who slotted in as part of a back three with Daly and Harper, with Janes and Rendell playing as wingbacks.
The game kicked off with Slough eager to make early pressure count, just as they did against Abindgon the previous Saturday – and were rewarded with a 6th minute goal. A good move down the right saw Janes win a corner, from which Rendell’s excellent delivery was headed home by the unmarked Dean Harper, who celebrated his third goal of the season.
At the other end, Connor had to be alert to clear away a volley from Mark Hilley following a half-cleared corner.
Slough began to exert more pressure on the visitors, whose defending looked extremely shaky. Janes whipped in a dangerous cross from the right, which was pushed wide by Clint Davies. From the corner, Harper almost got his head to the ball again, and Rendell eventually sliced wide as the ball fell to him outside the box.
Against the run of play, Winchester grabbed a fortuitous equaliser. A direct free kick from Adam Lang took a massive deflection on its way toward goal, and with the ball heading in the other direction, Dean in the Slough goal scrambled across but was unable to stop the ball finding the net.
Slough remained the better side, but were unable to convert possession and pressure into chances. The Rebels were restricted mainly to long-range efforts, with Gumbs shooting wide with the outside of his right boot, and Lee Charles firing over from the edge of the box.
Shortly before half-time, Lee Rendell made another marauding run down the left before cutting inside and firing in a shot with his right foot which looked to be heading in until a defender got his head in the way to take the ball over the bar.
Slough looked for a repeat performance in the second half, but conceded again just 8 minutes in. A defensive mix-up by Daly and Harper allowed Mark Hilley to get in and beat Davies to put the Hampshire visitors ahead.
However, the Rebels now look a more resilient outfit, and gained an equaliser 8 minutes later. Dean Harper again found himself on the scoresheet after he picked up a loose ball from a Charles cross, to beat Davies with a low effort.
Slough survived a scare soon after as Matt Bowler headed a cross just wide, whilst Meddie Nsubuga also headed wide from a Lee Riddell corner.
The home side’s ambitions of snatching a winner were hampered with the dismissal of two-goal Harper. After a booking for dissent in the first half, Harper found himself trudging back to the dressing room early following a late tackle earnt him a second yellow.
Buoyed by this, Winchester upped the ante and began to put Slough under more pressure. Lee Riddell came to the rescue of his defence as he headed over Matt Czastka’s effort on goal from a tight angle after the midfielder had stormed through and rounded Dean.
More Winchester pressure followed, but Jermaine Gumbs almost snatched a winner for Slough as he ran at the defence but shot just wide of the near post.
At the death, Winchester substitute Brett Williams was shown a straight red card for a poor challenge as both teams ended the game with ten players.
The Rebels were forced to do without Richard Barnard in goal due to his unavailability, with Simon Dean filling in to make his debut between the sticks. Also in the starting line-up was Brian Connor, making a return to the club, who slotted in as part of a back three with Daly and Harper, with Janes and Rendell playing as wingbacks.
The game kicked off with Slough eager to make early pressure count, just as they did against Abindgon the previous Saturday – and were rewarded with a 6th minute goal. A good move down the right saw Janes win a corner, from which Rendell’s excellent delivery was headed home by the unmarked Dean Harper, who celebrated his third goal of the season.
At the other end, Connor had to be alert to clear away a volley from Mark Hilley following a half-cleared corner.
Slough began to exert more pressure on the visitors, whose defending looked extremely shaky. Janes whipped in a dangerous cross from the right, which was pushed wide by Clint Davies. From the corner, Harper almost got his head to the ball again, and Rendell eventually sliced wide as the ball fell to him outside the box.
Against the run of play, Winchester grabbed a fortuitous equaliser. A direct free kick from Adam Lang took a massive deflection on its way toward goal, and with the ball heading in the other direction, Dean in the Slough goal scrambled across but was unable to stop the ball finding the net.
Slough remained the better side, but were unable to convert possession and pressure into chances. The Rebels were restricted mainly to long-range efforts, with Gumbs shooting wide with the outside of his right boot, and Lee Charles firing over from the edge of the box.
Shortly before half-time, Lee Rendell made another marauding run down the left before cutting inside and firing in a shot with his right foot which looked to be heading in until a defender got his head in the way to take the ball over the bar.
Slough looked for a repeat performance in the second half, but conceded again just 8 minutes in. A defensive mix-up by Daly and Harper allowed Mark Hilley to get in and beat Davies to put the Hampshire visitors ahead.
However, the Rebels now look a more resilient outfit, and gained an equaliser 8 minutes later. Dean Harper again found himself on the scoresheet after he picked up a loose ball from a Charles cross, to beat Davies with a low effort.
Slough survived a scare soon after as Matt Bowler headed a cross just wide, whilst Meddie Nsubuga also headed wide from a Lee Riddell corner.
The home side’s ambitions of snatching a winner were hampered with the dismissal of two-goal Harper. After a booking for dissent in the first half, Harper found himself trudging back to the dressing room early following a late tackle earnt him a second yellow.
Buoyed by this, Winchester upped the ante and began to put Slough under more pressure. Lee Riddell came to the rescue of his defence as he headed over Matt Czastka’s effort on goal from a tight angle after the midfielder had stormed through and rounded Dean.
More Winchester pressure followed, but Jermaine Gumbs almost snatched a winner for Slough as he ran at the defence but shot just wide of the near post.
At the death, Winchester substitute Brett Williams was shown a straight red card for a poor challenge as both teams ended the game with ten players.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Simon Dean
- 2 Mark Janes
- 3 Lee Rendell
- 4 Brian Connor
- 5 Dean Harper
- 6 Steve Daly
- 7 Meddie Nsubuga
- 8 Lee Riddell
- 9 Jermaine Gumbs
- 10 Lee Charles
- 11 Abby Nsubuga
Substitutes
- 12 Chris Robinson
- 14 Thomas Attrell
- 15 Tom Windsor
- 16 Chima Eberendu
- 17 Enrico Grimm
Winchester City Lineup
C Davies, Wilson, Lang, Cox, Bowler (c), Gilham, Czastka, Hoansley, Hilley, O'Keefe, Lockyer. Subs: Ball, Williams, Gilbert, J Davies, Riddell.