Slough win seven-goal thriller at Plainmoor

The Rebels secured all three points in a thrilling match against Torquay United, thanks to a stoppage-time strike from Leon Chambers-Parillon.

The first chance of the game fell to United in the third minute, with Dean Moxey carrying the ball inside the left of the Slough half and playing an incisive pass to Duane Ofori-Acheampong, whose shot was well parried by Dan Lincoln.

The Rebels replied quickly with a Nathan Minhas shot from outside the box, but the effort was hit straight at Torquay goalkeeper Mark Halstead.

Torquay's pressure was eventually rewarded, breaking the deadlock in the 20th minute. A Moxey cross from the left side met the head of Ofori-Acheampong, with the Rebels' defense managing to stop him from capitalizing. However, the ball fell to Will Jenkins Davies, who expertly beat his man and sent a low, powerful shot into the bottom left corner.

Not resting on their laurels, Slough came back with a chance of their own four minutes later. Minhas collected the ball outside the area and fired in a snapshot, which Halstead parried away for a corner.

The Rebels persevered, and in the 28th minute, Matt Lench smartly took a quick, short corner while the opposition was distracted. Although the initial ball from Joe Dandy was cleared, the ball deflected into the air after a shot from Matt Lench was blocked, and headed towards the back post by Dan Bayliss, with Jeanmal Prosper poking home to make it 1-1.

The Rebels carried on the positive momentum with a strike only a minute later. Lench brought the ball down expertly in the centre of the box and saw his shot squeeze just the wrong side of the post.

Substitute Brad Ash had a 37th-minute shot from outside the area fly sky-high over Lincoln’s goal, wasting a big chance.

Down the other end in the 40th minute, Christie Ward played a smart pass through to Minhas into the box, but the ball curled just wide of the Gulls' upright.

The Rebels almost finished the half ahead. In the 44th minute, Johnny Goddard won the ball from an opposition throw-in and gave the ball to Minhas. He then laid the ball back to Ward, whose shot was placed agonizingly wide of the right post.

But Torquay took the lead again only three minutes after the restart. A long throw-in from Moxey was flicked onto an unmarked Jenkins Davies, who headed home to claim his second of the afternoon.

A 61st-minute goal from Goddard brought the teams level once again. The ball was sent into the box, with the Gulls' defense unable to clear their lines, and the ball fell fortuitously to Goddard, who stroked the ball into the bottom right corner.

Only two minutes after Slough’s second goal, they found themselves with a huge chance to take the lead. Goddard picked the ball up in the centre of the pitch and drove into space. He then laid the ball into the feet of Minhas, who was unable to capitalize as Halstead smothered the ball at the feet of the Rebels' #9.

Not long after Slough’s huge chance, Torquay once again took the lead. Another troublesome Moxley long throw-in was not cleared by the Rebels' defence, leading to a well placed half-volley from central defender Tom Lapslie, putting the hosts back into the driving seat in the 69th minute.

A determined Slough side refused to accept returning home with nothing, making a triple change to try and shift the narrative in the 70th minute.

This gamble paid off with Slough equalizing for a third time in the 82nd minute, with a brilliant Lench cross lofted towards the head of Dan Bayliss, who placed a perfect header into the bottom right corner much to the jubilation of the excellent traveling Slough support.

Immediately after the restart, Slough forced a save from Halstead after a powerful long shot from Chambers-Parillon which was spilled but then collected just before Minhas could capitalize.

The game’s winner came for a deserved Slough side who had looked the more convincing on such a difficult and wet surface.

In the 91st minute, the troublesome Goddard found himself with the ball on the left, just outside the box. He unleashed a powerful strike which was turned into the net by bombarding second half substitute Chambers-Parillon to win the Rebels their first away game in just over a month, defeating the Gulls for the first time ever in the process.

The win moves the Rebels to 9th, just four points off the playoff places. The next test is a home clash against mid-table Chippenham Town, with the Rebels looking to extend their unbeaten run at home to 17 games, swiftly followed by another home match against Dartford the following Tuesday.