Jackman strikes as Rebels make a point at Dartford

On a grey wet day, the Rebels walked away from Princes Park disappointed not to leave with all three points, having instead to settle for just the one, with Josh Jackman on target in the first half.

It was a fine way for the Rebels to recover from the disappointment of their FA Cup exit against another Kent side in Gillingham the previous Sunday. With top scorer Mathew Stevens having since been recalled by Peterborough, the Rebels were then dealt a further blow prior to kick-off with Chris Flood, who was due to start, tweaking a muscle in his back resulting in him being unable to play.

Ben Harris replaced him in the starting line-up and both he and Manny Williams will be disappointed not to have scored in a first half which Slough had the better of.

Instead, right back Jackman – Slough’s best player on the day – was the one to step up and find the back of the net with a sweet strike on 37 minutes.

With constant rain and a slippery pitch, both sides spent much of the first half adapting to the conditions with many overhit passes and players struggling to find grip.

The first chance came early to James Dobson who hit a hard shot from a tight angle which Bailey Vose did well to get a strong hand to and push the ball around the post. Just for a second, with the ripple of the net some Slough fans thought Dobson had opened the scoring, but soon realised the ball was on the wrong side.

A while passed with little action until Ben Harris found some space to get in a shot which was well saved by Vose.

After 20 minutes Slough started to assert themselves and control much of the play. Shots from Dobson, Lee Togwell and Sam Togwell from distance failed to really trouble the Dartford goal.

Manny Williams very nearly got an unlikely goal, as Vose took too long to clear the ball with the onrushing striker able to block his clearance. To the relief of the keeper, the ball flew straight up into the air and he was able to regather.

But shortly after, Jackman scored his fifth goal in a Slough shirt. At first it looked like Dartford would be able to counter-attack as Scott Davies sold Jackman short with a pass, but he regained possession before driving forwards to the edge of the box, where he fired the ball low and hard into the bottom corner for a brilliant individual goal.

A few minutes later Ben Harris had a great chance to double the Rebels’ lead. Warren Harris broke down the right and found Ben in space six yards from goal, but the striker had jumped too early and misjudged his header, seeing the ball fly over the bar.

Half time arrived with the Rebels a goal ahead and happy with the first half, but knowing they should have had a more comfortable lead.

The second half very nearly started perfectly for Slough with Williams having a free header, but he couldn’t direct the ball goalwards when again it looked a certain goal.

Dartford, realising they had just had a huge let-off rallied and got themselves back in the match.

Quick counter attacks from the hosts forced Turner into a save before Jackman had to do well to block with the keeper out of position.

Then, on 52 minutes Andre Coker punished the Rebels for not taking their chances. Another counter attack resulted in him being played through on goal, and he gave Turner little chance with his finish to level the scores.

Now full of confidence, Dartford had the Rebels pinned back for a while. For around ten minutes it was one-way traffic with Turner being called upon a few times after the defence had been turned around.

It took a solo effort from Ben Harris, who fought off several defenders, to turn the tide and drag the Rebels back into the game. After breaking through the defence, Harris was unlucky to see his attempt brush the wrong side of the side netting.

Dartford made a double substitution but Slough remained a real threat and both Dobson and George Wells put attempts off target.

Slough changed shape in the final stages, with Simon Dunn replacing Williams as the Rebels moved to a 4-5-1 formation. Dartford then had a hopeful shout for a penalty with their fans claiming a hand ball by Jackman, but the referee turned down the appeals.

Dartford continued to be a threat on the counter, often relying on their strikers to chase down long balls forward. On two occasions it looked to have worked, with Philpot and Roberts both having chances but the Slough defence was able to get a block in each time and clear the danger.

Report: Will Tuck