Farnborough
2
Pavey (2), Maloney (50)
Slough Town
2
Minhas (28), Davies (78)
League
Attendance: 887
A dazzling free kick late in the second half from player-manager, Scott Davies, saw the points shared between Slough Town and Farnborough in an exciting 2-2 draw, writes Freddie Gatrell.
The Rebels showed brilliant determination and character to come back twice in this match at the Saunders Transport Community Stadium. But Scott Davies’ men made things difficult for themselves early on, conceding a goal only moments into the first half, as a floated pass found the feet of Boro’s Taylor Maloney, who rolled the ball into the path of in-form Alfie Pavey, who had the simple task of placing the ball past Rohan Luthra and scoring his 8th of the season.
This early setback was far from ideal for the Rebels, who took some time to recover from the early Pavey blow. The Rebels slowly grew back into the match, retaining most of the possession in what was a largely close first half.
This possession bore fruit in the 27th minute, as patient and incisive passing from Slough and a poor defensive clearance saw the ball find its way to the feet of George Alexander deep into the Farnborough box, where a driven cross found the feet of Minhas who had a simple tap in to bring parity back to the game.
The remainder of the first half was a closely fought affair, with little between either side. The Rebels will feel they could have had a penalty late into the first half, as Johnny Goddard’s driven cross was fired into Olly Pendlebury’s midriff, but referee Arton Hursey was not convinced.
The second half started in nearly identical fashion for the Rebels, as Farnborough started fast out of the blocks, taking the game to the Slough defensive backline, which lacked the aerial presence of the injured Dan Bayliss. Farnborough punished the Rebels in the 50th minute as Taylor Maloney’s powerful drive from the edge of the Rebels’ 18-yard box saw Luthra convincingly beaten, as the ball flew into the bottom left corner to make it 2-1 to the hosts.
This goal had clearly negatively impacted the confidence of the Slough side who looked devoid of ideas and looked in danger of losing grip on the game. In what was a decisive change tactically, the Rebels transitioned to a back three, which saw a noticeable improvement at the opposite end of the pitch.
Increased pressure on the Farnborough back-line led to a rash challenge from second half substitute Henry Hawkins, who chopped down Minhas, resulting in a dangerous free kick around 22 yards from goal. Scott Davies confidently stepped up to take the free kick, expertly firing the ball into the top right corner, leaving Jack Turner frozen to the spot.
This brilliant equaliser from Davies saw Slough looking hungry for a winning goal late in the half, but the Farnborough defence remained strong until the final whistle.
Scott Davies’ will be pleased with his side’s performance, with his vital equalising free kick leaving the Rebels unbeaten in four games, and it may prove to be a vital point to build on for the remainder of the season.
Slough now turn their attentions back to the Emirates FA Cup and a third round qualifying tie away at Salisbury.
The Rebels showed brilliant determination and character to come back twice in this match at the Saunders Transport Community Stadium. But Scott Davies’ men made things difficult for themselves early on, conceding a goal only moments into the first half, as a floated pass found the feet of Boro’s Taylor Maloney, who rolled the ball into the path of in-form Alfie Pavey, who had the simple task of placing the ball past Rohan Luthra and scoring his 8th of the season.
This early setback was far from ideal for the Rebels, who took some time to recover from the early Pavey blow. The Rebels slowly grew back into the match, retaining most of the possession in what was a largely close first half.
This possession bore fruit in the 27th minute, as patient and incisive passing from Slough and a poor defensive clearance saw the ball find its way to the feet of George Alexander deep into the Farnborough box, where a driven cross found the feet of Minhas who had a simple tap in to bring parity back to the game.
The remainder of the first half was a closely fought affair, with little between either side. The Rebels will feel they could have had a penalty late into the first half, as Johnny Goddard’s driven cross was fired into Olly Pendlebury’s midriff, but referee Arton Hursey was not convinced.
The second half started in nearly identical fashion for the Rebels, as Farnborough started fast out of the blocks, taking the game to the Slough defensive backline, which lacked the aerial presence of the injured Dan Bayliss. Farnborough punished the Rebels in the 50th minute as Taylor Maloney’s powerful drive from the edge of the Rebels’ 18-yard box saw Luthra convincingly beaten, as the ball flew into the bottom left corner to make it 2-1 to the hosts.
This goal had clearly negatively impacted the confidence of the Slough side who looked devoid of ideas and looked in danger of losing grip on the game. In what was a decisive change tactically, the Rebels transitioned to a back three, which saw a noticeable improvement at the opposite end of the pitch.
Increased pressure on the Farnborough back-line led to a rash challenge from second half substitute Henry Hawkins, who chopped down Minhas, resulting in a dangerous free kick around 22 yards from goal. Scott Davies confidently stepped up to take the free kick, expertly firing the ball into the top right corner, leaving Jack Turner frozen to the spot.
This brilliant equaliser from Davies saw Slough looking hungry for a winning goal late in the half, but the Farnborough defence remained strong until the final whistle.
Scott Davies’ will be pleased with his side’s performance, with his vital equalising free kick leaving the Rebels unbeaten in four games, and it may prove to be a vital point to build on for the remainder of the season.
Slough now turn their attentions back to the Emirates FA Cup and a third round qualifying tie away at Salisbury.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Rohan Luthra
- 2 Josh Jackman
- 6 Jeanmal Prosper
- 8 Matthew Lench
- 9 Nathan Minhas 15
- 10 Johnny Goddard 12
- 11 Dominic Hutchinson 23
- 14 Scott Davies
- 16 Temi Eweka
- 17 Tyrese Dyce
- 24 George Alexander
Substitutes
- 12 Leon Chambers-Parillon 10
- 13 Harrison Marquez
- 15 Tom McElroy 9
- 18 Munashe Sundire
- 23 David Ogbonna 11
Farnborough Lineup
Jack Turner, Jack Ball, Jordan Norville-Williams (Henry Hawkins 65), Ollie Robinson, Joe Partington (c) (Jayden Davis 45), Alfie Pavey, Reggie Young, Olly Pendlebury, Ryan Upward (Adam Mekki 45), Taylor Maloney, Selim Saied. Unused substitutes: Jaden Perez, Michael Folivi.