Berkhamsted
1
Field (60)
Slough Town
3
Williams (15), Togwell (35), Lench (55)
FA Cup
Attendance: 366
Matthew Lench
There was to be no giant-killing at Broadwater Stadium on Saturday as Slough Town progressed into Second Round Qualifying at the expense of Berkhamsted, managed by former Rebels player and manager Steve Bateman.
Slough freshened up their starting eleven again after a successful Bank Holiday weekend which yielded maximum points and extended the Rebels’ winning streak to four matches. In came Alan Inns for a full debut after he suffered an injury in the opening pre-season match against Wycombe, whilst Sean Fraser moved to right-back and Manny Williams partnered Chris Flood in attack.
Spartan South Midlands Premier League side Berkhamsted ensured a shaky start for the Rebels, and indeed the game could have been very different had the Comrades taken one or more of their early chances.
Inside the opening quarter of an hour, Sean Coughlan fired just past the post after using his pace to take him clear, whilst Steve Hawes also missed a good chance and Dan Weeks headed just wide from a corner.
But Slough survived and took the lead against the run of play through Williams, who rose to head home a floated cross from Matt Lench after hesitation from Berkhamsted goalkeeper Carl Tasker.
Flood and Lee Togwell both had shots blocked but Togwell found the back of the net on 35 minutes as his shot took a slight deflection to beat Tasker and double the lead.
Lench scored the Rebels’ third ten minutes into the second half, as he connected sweetly with the ball after a headed clearance to send the ball past Tasker.
The Comrades kept battling though, and pulled a goal back through leading scorer Stacey Field, who arrived to get on the end of a cross from the right by Coughlan.
Chances continued to arrive for the Rebels, who could have extended their lead and won by a more convincing margin. Warren Harris shot over the bar, Lench bent a shot wide and Dunn saw an effort pushed aside by Tasker, but the save of the day same five minutes from time as Tasker tipped a stinging shot from substitute Brad Wadkins around the post.
Slough freshened up their starting eleven again after a successful Bank Holiday weekend which yielded maximum points and extended the Rebels’ winning streak to four matches. In came Alan Inns for a full debut after he suffered an injury in the opening pre-season match against Wycombe, whilst Sean Fraser moved to right-back and Manny Williams partnered Chris Flood in attack.
Spartan South Midlands Premier League side Berkhamsted ensured a shaky start for the Rebels, and indeed the game could have been very different had the Comrades taken one or more of their early chances.
Inside the opening quarter of an hour, Sean Coughlan fired just past the post after using his pace to take him clear, whilst Steve Hawes also missed a good chance and Dan Weeks headed just wide from a corner.
But Slough survived and took the lead against the run of play through Williams, who rose to head home a floated cross from Matt Lench after hesitation from Berkhamsted goalkeeper Carl Tasker.
Flood and Lee Togwell both had shots blocked but Togwell found the back of the net on 35 minutes as his shot took a slight deflection to beat Tasker and double the lead.
Lench scored the Rebels’ third ten minutes into the second half, as he connected sweetly with the ball after a headed clearance to send the ball past Tasker.
The Comrades kept battling though, and pulled a goal back through leading scorer Stacey Field, who arrived to get on the end of a cross from the right by Coughlan.
Chances continued to arrive for the Rebels, who could have extended their lead and won by a more convincing margin. Warren Harris shot over the bar, Lench bent a shot wide and Dunn saw an effort pushed aside by Tasker, but the save of the day same five minutes from time as Tasker tipped a stinging shot from substitute Brad Wadkins around the post.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Jack Turner
- 2 Sean Fraser
- 3 George Wells
- 4 Alan Inns 14
- 5 Mark Nisbet
- 6 Lee Togwell
- 7 Matthew Lench
- 8 Simon Dunn 16
- 9 Manny Williams 19
- 10 Chris Flood
- 11 Warren Harris
Substitutes
- 12 Josh Jackman
- 14 Guy Hollis 4
- 15 Nathan Smart
- 16 Nathan Webb 8
- 18 James Dobson
- 19 Brad Wadkins 9
- 20 Gavin James
Berkhamsted Lineup
Carl Tasker, Adam Mead, Kyle Anthony, Lewis Rodrigoe, Dan Weeks, Alex Campana, Dan Jones (Stuart Deaton), Steve Hawes, Ashley Morrissey, Stacey Field, Sean Coughlan. Substitutes not used: Nicholas Kouroushi, Chris Cutler, Max Farrelly, Archie McLelland, Claude Seanla.