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The National League U19 Alliance
6th
19pts

Slough victorious at in-form Basingstoke

Basingstoke Town

Basingstoke Town

1
Smart (1)
Slough Town

Slough Town

4
B Harris (6), Wells (45+1), Williams (54), Dunn (90+2)
League Attendance: 503 Manny Williams
Neil Baker praised the professionalism of his side’s second half performance after Slough Town recorded a second 4-1 victory in the space of five days with an emphatic win at in-form Basingstoke.

The Dragons had won their previous seven home games at The Camrose, and took the lead inside a minute on Saturday - but goals from Ben Harris, George Wells, Manny Williams and Simon Dunn ensured the Rebels ended that run and went home with all three points.

Loan signing Matt Day came straight into the team for a full debut, partnering Mark Nisbet in central defence – but the Rebels started the match in the worst possible fashion, conceding within a minute.

Nisbet appeared to lose the ball from under his feet, and Sam Smart ran clear before side footing the ball past Jack Turner’s outstretched leg and into the bottom corner.

That made it six consecutive games in which the Rebels have fallen a goal behind – but just like at St Ives on Tuesday, Slough turned the game around. The visitors were level just five minutes later courtesy of Ben Harris’ sixth goal of the season. James Dobson beat Tom Leggett to the ball on the left wing and whipped in a low cross, which Williams turned goalward. Colm McAdden saved the shot, but Harris was on hand to fire the ball home for the equaliser.

Harris would only last another ten minutes or so though, as he suffered a recurrence of his recent hamstring injury. He went down in pain and immediately signalled to the bench, with Perry Coles replacing him.

Slough continued to offer the greater threat despite this blow, and Williams grew more involved, forcing McAdden into a low save, whilst the keeper also did well to hold a dangerous whipped free kick delivery from Dobson.

It seemed a matter of time before the Rebels found their way through again – and George Wells was the man to do so, blasting in his fourth of the season in first half stoppage time.

The full-back was allowed time and space to bring the ball down, before driving in a 25-yard effort which flew through a crowd of bodies and seemed to leave McAdden unsighted, with the keeper not getting down low to his right in time to keep it out. Just like at St Ives, Slough turned the game around just before the half time break.

Slough’s early goal in the second half, which made it 3-1, also mirrored Tuesday evening’s win. Basingstoke cheaply conceded a free kick in midfield, allowing Dobson to send a cross into the penalty area for Williams – who escaped his marker and found space to head unchallenged past the helpless McAdden.

Basingstoke continued to show the level of commitment one would expect of a side in excellent recent form, but Slough were robust in keeping them away from Turner’s goal – leaving Smart a frustrated figure in attack – and composed on the ball when they won it back. Jack McKnight found right full-back Leggett found himself in acres of space on the right side of the box with 67 minutes played, but his fierce drive hit the top of the crossbar on its way over.

Lee Togwell replaced Dobson as Slough looked to tighten things up, and soon after the hosts had a strong penalty appeal waved away when Callum Bunting went to ground under a challenge from Nisbet.

As the game entered the final ten minutes, it opened up significantly and Slough missed several chances to put the game to bed.

Sean Fraser stung the palms of McAdden after being teed up by Warren Harris, and less than a minute later the hard-working Coles was also denied by the keeper after a Dragons defender mis-controlled.

Williams also smashed the ball narrowly wide whilst Coles will feel he should have done better when played in over the top – he tried to lob McAdden but failed to get sufficient power on his effort.

Substitute Sam Deadfield blazed Basingstoke’s final chance over the bar following a spell of pressure which saw the hosts win a corner, and two minutes into stoppage time Slough finally added a fourth on the counter-attack.

Williams ran clear and saw a strike well blocked, but recovered to touch the ball around McAdden on the byline before pulling it across for Dunn to side foot home from close range.

Basingstoke Town Lineup

Colm McAdden, Tom Leggett, George Bennett, Dan Collier, Guri Demuria, Dan Bayliss, Michael Atkinson, Charlie Kennedy (c), Callum Bunting, Sam Smart, Jack McKnight. Substitutes: Jordan Goater, Sam Deadfield, Shane Hollamby, Harry Long.

Rebels

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