Torquay United
2
Cooke (45+3), Jay (58)
Slough Town
0
League
Attendance: 4141
Slough Town fell to a 2-0 defeat on the road at promotion-chasing Torquay United, as a first-half red card for Guy Hollis tilted the match firmly in favour of the hosts. Despite a spirited and resilient display from the ten-man Rebels, goals either side of half-time from Cody Cooke and Matt Jay secured all three points for the Gulls in front of a bumper crowd at Plainmoor.
The match drew an impressive attendance of 4,141, with around 100 loyal Slough supporters making the long trip to Devon to cheer on their side, who ended the day safe from relegation in 17th place.
Slough made just one change to the starting XI that featured last Saturday, with academy graduate Nnaemeka Anyanwu making his senior debut after impressing in midweek with two goals for the EDS side. The youngster made a bright start, nearly marking his first appearance with a goal just three minutes in after a strong run down the right from David Ogbonna, but his curling effort drifted wide of the post.
However, that early chance would prove to be a rare attacking moment for Slough in the first half, as the home side began to control possession and pin the Rebels back. Things took a major turn in the 28th minute when Guy Hollis was shown a straight red card following a collision with Torquay forward Cody Cooke. It appeared the defender led with his arm, leaving the referee with little choice but to dismiss him.
The sending off forced a tactical reshuffle, with Taylor Clark coming on for Anyanwu to drop into the right-back position. Slough did well to hold firm under pressure, with goalkeeper Charlie Horlock producing a string of saves – including one to deny Mussa late in the half. However, the resistance was finally broken in first-half stoppage time. After Horlock had parried an initial effort, Cooke was quickest to react and fired home the rebound to give Torquay the lead.
Slough introduced Francis Amartey for Jeanmal Prosper at the break in search of a way back into the match. But the task was made even tougher just 13 minutes into the second half when Matt Jay doubled the lead for the Gulls. After an initial deflected effort, Jay latched onto the loose ball and dinked it over the stranded Horlock to make it 2-0.
To their credit, the Rebels didn’t capitulate and continued to show discipline and organisation, frustrating Torquay with a series of defensive blocks and clearances. Slough fashioned a couple of half-chances of their own, including a rare corner and a scrambled free kick, but were unable to seriously test the home keeper.
Further changes saw Jaiden Bartolo, Ody Alfa and Dan Roth introduced as the Rebels looked to manage the workload and inject some late energy into proceedings. Horlock remained sharp between the sticks, producing a pair of outstanding saves to deny Jay once more, while a third Torquay goal was chalked off for offside in the closing stages.
Despite the defeat, there were positives to take from the performance. The work rate, commitment, and defensive discipline from the remaining ten players after the sending off were commendable. Youngster Anyanwu can also take pride in a promising first-team debut in challenging circumstances.
The result keeps Slough in 17th place with safety assured, and the focus now turns to finishing the season on a strong note. For Torquay, the victory keeps their title hopes alive as they remain firmly in the hunt in a closely contested race for promotion.
The match drew an impressive attendance of 4,141, with around 100 loyal Slough supporters making the long trip to Devon to cheer on their side, who ended the day safe from relegation in 17th place.
Slough made just one change to the starting XI that featured last Saturday, with academy graduate Nnaemeka Anyanwu making his senior debut after impressing in midweek with two goals for the EDS side. The youngster made a bright start, nearly marking his first appearance with a goal just three minutes in after a strong run down the right from David Ogbonna, but his curling effort drifted wide of the post.
However, that early chance would prove to be a rare attacking moment for Slough in the first half, as the home side began to control possession and pin the Rebels back. Things took a major turn in the 28th minute when Guy Hollis was shown a straight red card following a collision with Torquay forward Cody Cooke. It appeared the defender led with his arm, leaving the referee with little choice but to dismiss him.
The sending off forced a tactical reshuffle, with Taylor Clark coming on for Anyanwu to drop into the right-back position. Slough did well to hold firm under pressure, with goalkeeper Charlie Horlock producing a string of saves – including one to deny Mussa late in the half. However, the resistance was finally broken in first-half stoppage time. After Horlock had parried an initial effort, Cooke was quickest to react and fired home the rebound to give Torquay the lead.
Slough introduced Francis Amartey for Jeanmal Prosper at the break in search of a way back into the match. But the task was made even tougher just 13 minutes into the second half when Matt Jay doubled the lead for the Gulls. After an initial deflected effort, Jay latched onto the loose ball and dinked it over the stranded Horlock to make it 2-0.
To their credit, the Rebels didn’t capitulate and continued to show discipline and organisation, frustrating Torquay with a series of defensive blocks and clearances. Slough fashioned a couple of half-chances of their own, including a rare corner and a scrambled free kick, but were unable to seriously test the home keeper.
Further changes saw Jaiden Bartolo, Ody Alfa and Dan Roth introduced as the Rebels looked to manage the workload and inject some late energy into proceedings. Horlock remained sharp between the sticks, producing a pair of outstanding saves to deny Jay once more, while a third Torquay goal was chalked off for offside in the closing stages.
Despite the defeat, there were positives to take from the performance. The work rate, commitment, and defensive discipline from the remaining ten players after the sending off were commendable. Youngster Anyanwu can also take pride in a promising first-team debut in challenging circumstances.
The result keeps Slough in 17th place with safety assured, and the focus now turns to finishing the season on a strong note. For Torquay, the victory keeps their title hopes alive as they remain firmly in the hunt in a closely contested race for promotion.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Charlie Horlock
- 2 Josh Jackman
- 4 Edon Pruti
- 6 Jeanmal Prosper 11
- 9 Slavi Spasov 16
- 10 John Gilbert
- 15 Henry Ochieng
- 20 Johnny Goddard 21
- 22 Nnaemeka Anyanwu 13
- 23 David Ogbonna 7
- 25 Guy Hollis
Substitutes
- 7 Odysseus Alfa 23
- 11 Francis Amartey 6
- 13 Taylor Clark 22
- 16 Dan Roth 9
- 21 Jaiden Bartolo 20
Torquay United Lineup
Hamon, Foulston, Dyer, Dreyer (c) (Palmer 72), Hasani, Young (Ilesanmi 90+1), Mussa (Threlkeld 67), Cooke (Zanzala 66), Hayfield (Jenkins Davies 89), Thomas, Jay. Subs not used: none.