Slough Town
4
Gilbert (39), Ufuah (62), Abisogun (72), Spicer (74)
Virginia Water
0
Friendly
Attendance: 203
Slough Town kicked off their pre-season campaign with a decisive 4-0 victory against Virginia Water at Arbour Park, in a game marked by wet conditions and promising performances from established and new players alike.
The friendly match marked the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign for both clubs, with Slough Town aiming to build on their 10th place finish in the National League South, while Virginia Water will look to improve on their 7th place finish in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North last season.
Slough Town started the match with a mixture of familiar faces, new signings and trialists. The initial lineup included Hugo Sobte in goal, captain Josh Jackman, Lexus Beeden, two trialist defenders, and a midfield and attack featuring Dan Roth, Matt Lench, John Gilbert, David Ogbonna, Sam Evans, and another trialist up front.
Despite the challenging wet conditions, both teams began with good tempo, exchanging half-chances in the early stages. Slough came closest to opening the scoring in the 20th minute when a trialist’s powerful header from close range rattled the crossbar.
The breakthrough came in the 36th minute. John Gilbert, displaying composure and precision, smashed a shot into the roof of the net, putting the Rebels ahead. Slough's persistence during a dominant ten-minute spell was justly rewarded.
Half time: Slough Town 1-0 Virginia Water
The second half saw a completely different lineup for Slough, giving other squad members and trialists a chance to impress. Charlie Horlock took over goalkeeping duties, with Jeanmal Prosper, Dan Bayliss (now captaining), Gabe George, Leon Chambers-Parillon, Oliver Spicer, Gary Abisogun, Slavi Spasov, John Ufuah and two trialists taking the field.
The home side doubled their lead in the 62nd minute through John Ufuah, who extended the advantage to 2-0 as he finished from Prosper’s ball across the face of goal. Just ten minutes later, Gary Abisogun added a third with a delightful lob over the keeper from inside the box.
Slough's dominance continued, and the scoring was completed in the 74th minute when Ollie Spicer unleashed a low drive from the edge of the box, finding the bottom corner to make it 4-0. This strike capped off a productive and encouraging first outing of pre-season.
Full Time: Slough Town 4-0 Virginia Water
Next up, Slough Town will travel to Amersham Town for another pre-season fixture on Tuesday evening, where they will aim to build on this strong start and continue their preparations for the new season.
The friendly match marked the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign for both clubs, with Slough Town aiming to build on their 10th place finish in the National League South, while Virginia Water will look to improve on their 7th place finish in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North last season.
Slough Town started the match with a mixture of familiar faces, new signings and trialists. The initial lineup included Hugo Sobte in goal, captain Josh Jackman, Lexus Beeden, two trialist defenders, and a midfield and attack featuring Dan Roth, Matt Lench, John Gilbert, David Ogbonna, Sam Evans, and another trialist up front.
Despite the challenging wet conditions, both teams began with good tempo, exchanging half-chances in the early stages. Slough came closest to opening the scoring in the 20th minute when a trialist’s powerful header from close range rattled the crossbar.
The breakthrough came in the 36th minute. John Gilbert, displaying composure and precision, smashed a shot into the roof of the net, putting the Rebels ahead. Slough's persistence during a dominant ten-minute spell was justly rewarded.
Half time: Slough Town 1-0 Virginia Water
The second half saw a completely different lineup for Slough, giving other squad members and trialists a chance to impress. Charlie Horlock took over goalkeeping duties, with Jeanmal Prosper, Dan Bayliss (now captaining), Gabe George, Leon Chambers-Parillon, Oliver Spicer, Gary Abisogun, Slavi Spasov, John Ufuah and two trialists taking the field.
The home side doubled their lead in the 62nd minute through John Ufuah, who extended the advantage to 2-0 as he finished from Prosper’s ball across the face of goal. Just ten minutes later, Gary Abisogun added a third with a delightful lob over the keeper from inside the box.
Slough's dominance continued, and the scoring was completed in the 74th minute when Ollie Spicer unleashed a low drive from the edge of the box, finding the bottom corner to make it 4-0. This strike capped off a productive and encouraging first outing of pre-season.
Full Time: Slough Town 4-0 Virginia Water
Next up, Slough Town will travel to Amersham Town for another pre-season fixture on Tuesday evening, where they will aim to build on this strong start and continue their preparations for the new season.
Slough Town Line up
First half lineup: Hugo Sobte, Josh Jackman (c), Lexus Beeden, Trialist A, Trialist B, Dan Roth, Matt Lench, John Gilbert, David Ogbonna, Sam Evans, Trialist C. Second half lineup: Charlie Horlock, Jeanmal Prosper, Trialist D, Dan Bayliss (c), Gabe George, Trialist E, Leon Chambers-Parillon, Oliver Spicer, Gary Abisogun, Slavi Spasov, John Ufuah.