Maidstone United
1
Blair (45)
Slough Town
1
Evans (51)
League
Attendance: 2224
Slough Town earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw away at Maidstone United, coming from behind in a match full of drama and close calls. Sam Evans' equaliser early in the second half cancelled out Aaron Blair’s first-half opener, as the Rebels showed resilience to claim a valuable point in a heated encounter at the Gallagher Stadium.
The game kicked off with intensity from both sides. Early on, Maidstone’s Sam Corne forced Charlie Horlock into a low save in the fourth minute following a lay-off from Ben Brookes.
Slough almost found themselves ahead through a well-worked set-piece. John Gilbert’s corner was headed dangerously back across goal by Dan Bayliss, setting up Lexus Beeden for a close-range effort that was superbly saved by Alexis Andre Jr.
Slough’s attackers were causing problems for the Maidstone defence, with Gilbert and Slavi Spasov combining well on the left flank. However, despite some promising link-up play, the final ball was often lacking. Spasov nearly broke through again on 28 minutes, beating his marker Brown, but he was unable to put in a cross towards Evans, with the ball rolling harmlessly out of play.
A key moment came on 31 minutes when Maidstone's Charlie Seaman swung a dangerous cross into the Slough penalty area. In a moment of panic, Beeden’s attempted clearance ricocheted off the crossbar, falling to the feet of Blair, who, under pressure, blazed the ball over the bar from close range.
Maidstone continued to press and were rewarded on the stroke of half-time. Blair capitalised on a goalmouth scramble following a corner, prodding the ball home to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
As the second half began, Slough quickly showed their intent to equalise. Within minutes, Spasov intercepted a loose pass in midfield and released Evans down the right. Despite a tight angle and pressure from two defenders, Evans managed to fire a shot that squirmed past Andre Jr. and into the net, drawing Slough level in the 51st minute.
The goal sparked a flurry of chances for both teams. Maidstone nearly regained the lead just four minutes later when Trusty’s header from a corner struck the crossbar. Moments after, Jon Benton set up Sam Corne inside the box, but his shot went narrowly wide. Slough, buoyed by their equaliser, made a series of substitutions that saw Chambers-Parillon, Ogbonna, and Lucan enter the fray to add fresh energy to their attack.
Kweku Lucan made an immediate impact, pressing the Maidstone defence and creating a chance that almost led to a second goal for Slough. His cross into the box had too much pace for Spasov to connect with, but it was a sign of the Rebels’ growing confidence. Meanwhile, Horlock had to be at his best again, pulling off a fantastic close-range save from Seaman’s header to keep Slough in the game.
The closing stages saw both sides push for a winner in a frantic finale. Horlock denied Maidstone once more, this time with a brilliant reaction save to block Corne’s effort from inside the six-yard box. The tension was palpable as Corne had a second attempt moments later, which was blocked by the resilient Slough defence and eventually cleared.
As the clock ticked into injury time, Slough continued to defend with determination. Lucan had a half-chance when a clearance deflected back to him, but his quick turn and shot flew over the bar, much to the relief of the Maidstone backline. The Rebels held firm despite the late pressure.
The final whistle blew with the score locked at 1-1, a result that both teams may feel they could have improved upon given the number of missed chances. Slough Town's determination and solid defensive performance, especially from Charlie Horlock, were key in securing the draw, which keeps them in seventh place.
Slough will be looking to build on this performance as they prepare to face St Albans City at home on Tuesday evening. Tickets for the upcoming match are available here.
The game kicked off with intensity from both sides. Early on, Maidstone’s Sam Corne forced Charlie Horlock into a low save in the fourth minute following a lay-off from Ben Brookes.
Slough almost found themselves ahead through a well-worked set-piece. John Gilbert’s corner was headed dangerously back across goal by Dan Bayliss, setting up Lexus Beeden for a close-range effort that was superbly saved by Alexis Andre Jr.
Slough’s attackers were causing problems for the Maidstone defence, with Gilbert and Slavi Spasov combining well on the left flank. However, despite some promising link-up play, the final ball was often lacking. Spasov nearly broke through again on 28 minutes, beating his marker Brown, but he was unable to put in a cross towards Evans, with the ball rolling harmlessly out of play.
A key moment came on 31 minutes when Maidstone's Charlie Seaman swung a dangerous cross into the Slough penalty area. In a moment of panic, Beeden’s attempted clearance ricocheted off the crossbar, falling to the feet of Blair, who, under pressure, blazed the ball over the bar from close range.
Maidstone continued to press and were rewarded on the stroke of half-time. Blair capitalised on a goalmouth scramble following a corner, prodding the ball home to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
As the second half began, Slough quickly showed their intent to equalise. Within minutes, Spasov intercepted a loose pass in midfield and released Evans down the right. Despite a tight angle and pressure from two defenders, Evans managed to fire a shot that squirmed past Andre Jr. and into the net, drawing Slough level in the 51st minute.
The goal sparked a flurry of chances for both teams. Maidstone nearly regained the lead just four minutes later when Trusty’s header from a corner struck the crossbar. Moments after, Jon Benton set up Sam Corne inside the box, but his shot went narrowly wide. Slough, buoyed by their equaliser, made a series of substitutions that saw Chambers-Parillon, Ogbonna, and Lucan enter the fray to add fresh energy to their attack.
Kweku Lucan made an immediate impact, pressing the Maidstone defence and creating a chance that almost led to a second goal for Slough. His cross into the box had too much pace for Spasov to connect with, but it was a sign of the Rebels’ growing confidence. Meanwhile, Horlock had to be at his best again, pulling off a fantastic close-range save from Seaman’s header to keep Slough in the game.
The closing stages saw both sides push for a winner in a frantic finale. Horlock denied Maidstone once more, this time with a brilliant reaction save to block Corne’s effort from inside the six-yard box. The tension was palpable as Corne had a second attempt moments later, which was blocked by the resilient Slough defence and eventually cleared.
As the clock ticked into injury time, Slough continued to defend with determination. Lucan had a half-chance when a clearance deflected back to him, but his quick turn and shot flew over the bar, much to the relief of the Maidstone backline. The Rebels held firm despite the late pressure.
The final whistle blew with the score locked at 1-1, a result that both teams may feel they could have improved upon given the number of missed chances. Slough Town's determination and solid defensive performance, especially from Charlie Horlock, were key in securing the draw, which keeps them in seventh place.
Slough will be looking to build on this performance as they prepare to face St Albans City at home on Tuesday evening. Tickets for the upcoming match are available here.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Charlie Horlock
- 2 Josh Jackman
- 4 Lexus Beeden
- 5 Dan Bayliss
- 6 Jeanmal Prosper
- 7 Gary Abisogun 23
- 9 Slavi Spasov 11
- 10 John Gilbert
- 15 Henry Ochieng
- 16 Dan Roth 12
- 19 Sam Evans 18
Substitutes
- 11 Francis Amartey 9
- 12 Leon Chambers-Parillon 16
- 13 Ryan North
- 18 Kweku Lucan 19
- 23 David Ogbonna 7
Maidstone United Lineup
Alexis Andre Jr, George Fowler, Temi Eweka, Raphe Brown (Reiss Greenidge 78), Ben Brookes, Sam Corne, Tayt Trusty, Charlie Seaman, Jon Benton (Matt Bentley 90), Antony Papadopoulos (Shaq Coulthirst 81), Aaron Blair. Subs not used: Lenny Holden, Bivesh Gurung.