Slough crash to heavy home defeat

A beleaguered Slough Town crashed to a heavy defeat at Holloways Park, the club’s worst defeat since April 2007.

Ongoing injury worries continue to torment the Rebels, and Slough lost Johnnie Dyer and Guy Hollis again during this match after picking up knocks, with a substitutes bench full of players either not fully fit or from the youth team to replace them.

Despite this, joint manager Jon Underwood was keen to stress this was not an excuse for his side’s abysmal showing against visiting Redditch who, in scoring seven times, ended a torrid run of just one goal in their last seven league and cup matches in some style.

Dyer, after suffering a kick in the seventh minute, was struggling thereafter and was replaced later in the first half by Adam Cornell.

Redditch settled into the game quickly, whilst Slough on the other hand never seemed to, gifting their opponents possession far too easily all afternoon.

Ashley Sammons, the main threat for Redditch, tested Jake Somerville with a long-range strike early on, whilst new signing Adam Cash did the same from 25 yards, but Sam Hornby made a simple save.

The opening goal for Redditch had been on the cards virtually from kick-off, and arrived on 27 minutes. Cash was left exposed as the visitors attacked, and Sammons was left with far too easy a finish, stroking the ball past Somerville.

Against the run of play, Slough equalised four minutes later, Jake Parsons hitting a half-volley which found the back of the net via the far post following good work from Scott Harris to hold the ball up.

But this was very much a false reflection of proceedings and, after Sammons volleyed a good chance over, Redditch regained the lead two minutes before the interval, with Jermaine Hylton clipping the ball over Somerville after more slack defending from Slough allowed a header from the right to travel all the way across the box.

Slough were lucky to be only a goal down at half time after Somerville made a good save from Liam Spink, with the Rebels second to every ball, having no answer to the visitors’ neat passing game.

After a brief spell of pressure early in the second period which saw Cornell fire into the side netting, normal service resumed with Hylton forcing Somerville into a good save from the edge of the area.

Slough were badly needing a lift, but found the game beyond them after conceding two quick-fire goals in the 59th and 61st minutes. Somerville had initially done well to rush out and tackle as Redditch sliced through the Slough defence with ease, but immediately after, Slough failed to win the ball back and Sammons worked the ball through to Elias Katsoloudi, who scored with a cool finish.

The fourth goal came from the right foot of Sammons, who half-volleyed in to the bottom corner from fully 30 yards, with Somerville seemingly caught off-guard.

Shell-shocked, Slough looked to pull one back, and were a little unlucky as McClurg had a shot blocked inside the six yard box, with a defending blasting a clearance off the back of Harris, the ball dropping just wide.

Things went from bad to worse with Guy Hollis forced off with injury, and with no other alternative, Scott Harris dropped in to centre-half.

Redditch’s fifth was scored by Daniel Scarr, who tapped in from a corner after Somerville had done brilliantly to claw the ball away from goal. The keeper recovered superbly after his poor clearance fell straight to Jordan Jones, who tried to lob him from 40 yards, but was powerless to stop the visitors in the end as Scarr pounced to turn in the rebound after Somerville had made a good save from a bullet header at the back post.

Slough were ripped to shreds at will by Redditch, and Hylton rounded Somerville in the 76th minutes for an embarrassingly easy sixth goal, with Sammons again the provider.

Substitute George Short had a fierce shot from the edge of the box blocked as Slough looked for a consolation goal, and Cornell went closer still, Hornby making a good block.

But it was Redditch who scored the final goal of the game, making it seven in the final minute. The tired Rebels defence parted again, and the excellent Sammons struck the ball high into the roof of the net to complete a hat-trick.

For Slough, this was an extremely harsh lesson in how tough life in the Southern League, Premier Division can be, particularly with key players missing, and the Rebels will now look to Tuesday evening’s trip to Egham Town in the Red Insure Cup as a chance to get their season back on track.