Slough defeated in battle of the Rebels

In a thrilling encounter at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium, Worthing edged out Slough Town 4-3 in a seven-goal spectacle, claiming three points to leapfrog their opponents in the National League South standings. Despite an early lead for Slough, Worthing rallied with a powerful offensive display, leaving Slough’s late comeback effort just short.

Slough set the tone almost immediately, finding the net in the 4th minute. Francis Amartey, back in the starting lineup after his late equaliser against St Albans City on Tuesday evening, latched onto a precise pass from John Gilbert on the left edge of the penalty area. With deft control, Amartey slipped through Worthing’s defensive line and calmly slotted the ball past goalkeeper Chris Haigh at the near post, a disappointing lapse for Worthing. This early strike, assisted by Gilbert's vision, seemed to foreshadow a strong display from the visitors.

Worthing’s response was gradual but increasingly dangerous. Danny Cashman tried his luck from a distance just three minutes later, catching Slough goalkeeper Charlie Horlock slightly off-guard, though Horlock managed to recover in time. Worthing continued to build momentum with improved passing and pressing around Slough’s penalty area, culminating in a chance for Glen Rea in the 13th minute, but his effort soared over the bar.

By the 19th minute, Muhammadu Faal marked Worthing’s first true attempt on target, a sign of the hosts warming up to the challenge. The breakthrough finally came in the 23rd minute after a period of patient buildup. Jack Spong delivered a well-timed pass to Faal, who made no mistake, curling the ball into Horlock's right corner to level the game.

Within minutes of Worthing’s equaliser, Slough came close to regaining the lead as Chambers-Parillon cut through the midfield to set up Kweku Lucan. Lucan’s initial shot was saved by Haigh, and Sam Evans’ follow-up attempt narrowly missed, keeping the scoreline at 1-1. Worthing responded with vigour, pouring on the pressure and nearly capitalising when Faal’s close-range shot was heroically cleared off the line by Scott Davies in the 29th minute.

Just moments later, Worthing's persistence paid off as Faal was brought down by Horlock in the box. Danny Cashman stepped up to take the resulting penalty, sending Horlock the wrong way and firing into the bottom corner, pushing Worthing ahead for the first time at 2-1. Slough tried to retaliate with another impressive run from Gilbert, but Haigh’s alert save preserved Worthing’s slender lead at the break.

Worthing wasted no time extending their advantage as the second half began. Captain Joel Colbran set the tone with a fierce strike from a narrow angle, smashing the ball into the top corner only 43 seconds after the restart, lifting the scoreline to 3-1 and electrifying the home crowd. Slough reacted swiftly with a triple substitution in the 53rd minute, bringing on Gary Abisogun, Slavi Spasov, and Josh Jackman in a bid to spark a response.

The flurry of changes seemed to energise Slough momentarily, but Worthing soon regained control. Faal nearly added a fourth with a shot that sailed narrowly wide of the post in the 56th minute. Shortly after, Worthing countered decisively following a missed Slough opportunity. With only Horlock to beat, Cashman chipped the ball elegantly over the advancing keeper to make it 4-1 in the 58th minute, seemingly putting the game out of Slough’s reach.

Yet Slough refused to concede defeat, and their determination paid off almost immediately. In the 60th minute, Gilbert found Evans with a sharp pass, and the striker produced a clinical finish to reduce the deficit to 4-2. Moments later, a lapse by Horlock gifted Cashman a chance at an open goal, but from a tight angle, he was unable to find the net.

Slough’s persistence continued to pay dividends as Chambers-Parillon unleashed a long-range strike from well outside the area in the 66th minute. The ball rattled off the post and into the net, a spectacular goal reminiscent of his long-range effort on Tuesday. At 4-3, the game was suddenly back in the balance, with the visitors surging forward in search of an equaliser.

In a pivotal moment just minutes after Slough’s third goal, Faal received his second yellow card following a foul on Davies and was sent off in the 68th minute, reducing Worthing to ten men. This swung momentum even further in Slough's favour, providing them with an opportunity to push forward against a weakened Worthing side.

Davies tried his luck from 30 yards out, delivering a fierce strike that was, however, well held by Haigh. Abisogun also came close for Slough with a driven shot at the near post in the 78th minute, but his effort drifted just wide. With the minutes ticking down, Slough intensified their attacks, forcing the Worthing defence into a scrappy but determined rearguard action.

As the game entered stoppage time, Worthing held their ground resolutely. Slough continued to probe, but the home side’s defensive resilience and Haigh’s steady goalkeeping ensured the scoreline remained intact. Despite five added minutes, Slough were unable to capitalise on their numerical advantage, and the final whistle confirmed Worthing’s hard-fought 4-3 victory.

Slough will look to bounce back next Saturday when they return to Arbour Park to host Truro City, the first of two home games in the space of four days.