Chichester City
2
Wild (36), Pritchard (90+2)
Slough Town
2
Gilbert (55), Isiaka (88)
FA Cup
Attendance: 498
Slough Town will have to battle once again in their Emirates FA Cup campaign, as a late equaliser from Chichester City's Ethan Pritchard forced a 2-2 draw at Oaklands Park.
The Rebels fought back from a goal down with strikes from John Gilbert and substitute Kareem Isiaka but were ultimately denied victory by a superb last-minute effort. The two sides will now meet for a replay at Arbour Park on Tuesday night.
Slough – one tier above their opponents in the National League South – started brightly and immediately applied pressure on the Isthmian League Premier Division side. John Ufuah found space down the left and fed John Gilbert, whose early shot was comfortably held by Chichester keeper Kieran Magee.
The Rebels continued to create chances, coming agonisingly close to an opener in the 27th minute. Gary Abisogun’s pass set Kweku Lucan up for a strike that rattled the crossbar, bouncing near the goal line, but despite Slough’s protests, no goal was given. Moments later, a corner whipped in by Gilbert saw Lexus Beeden have a close-range header saved by Magee, epitomising the frustrations of the first half.
Despite controlling possession, Slough were caught off guard just ten minutes before the break. Chichester forward Jimmy Wild broke free from Beeden’s challenge and rounded Slough goalkeeper Charlie Horlock to slot home the opening goal. It was a well-taken strike, and despite Slough’s strong performance, they found themselves trailing at half-time.
The second half saw Slough Town start with urgency, eager to overturn the deficit. The breakthrough finally came in the 55th minute after a sustained spell of pressure. A defensive mix-up in Chichester’s box allowed John Gilbert to capitalise, his low shot initially sparking confusion as it appeared to hit the post and bounce back into play, but after a brief continuation of play, the goal was rightly awarded to bring the Rebels level, with the ball having crossed the line and rebounded back off the internal frame of the goal.
The goal spurred Slough on, and they maintained their attacking momentum. A double substitution in the 61st minute, with Sam Evans and Oliver Spicer entering the fray, injected fresh energy into the side. It wasn’t long before another of the Slough substitutes, Kareem Isiaka, made an impact. In the 73rd minute, Isiaka latched onto a clever through ball, driving into the box before finishing clinically past Magee to put Slough in front.
With time ticking away, Slough looked to see out the match. They continued to press but were unable to find a third goal that would have put the game to bed. As the game entered its closing stages, Chichester made their final substitutions, introducing Ethan Pritchard in the 78th minute in search of an equaliser.
As full-time approached, Chichester's persistence paid off. In stoppage time, Pritchard struck a sublime effort from outside the box that left Horlock with no chance, levelling the score at 2-2. The late goal stunned Slough, who had seemed poised to progress to the next round. Despite a flurry of activity in added time, including the introduction of Scott Davies, the Rebels were unable to find a winner.
Slough Town will now turn their attention to the replay at Arbour Park on Tuesday evening (7.45pm), where they will hope to finish the job in front of their home fans. While they will be disappointed not to have secured victory on the day, their resilience in coming from behind and the quality of goals from Gilbert and new signing Isiaka are positives to take into the replay.
The Rebels fought back from a goal down with strikes from John Gilbert and substitute Kareem Isiaka but were ultimately denied victory by a superb last-minute effort. The two sides will now meet for a replay at Arbour Park on Tuesday night.
Slough – one tier above their opponents in the National League South – started brightly and immediately applied pressure on the Isthmian League Premier Division side. John Ufuah found space down the left and fed John Gilbert, whose early shot was comfortably held by Chichester keeper Kieran Magee.
The Rebels continued to create chances, coming agonisingly close to an opener in the 27th minute. Gary Abisogun’s pass set Kweku Lucan up for a strike that rattled the crossbar, bouncing near the goal line, but despite Slough’s protests, no goal was given. Moments later, a corner whipped in by Gilbert saw Lexus Beeden have a close-range header saved by Magee, epitomising the frustrations of the first half.
Despite controlling possession, Slough were caught off guard just ten minutes before the break. Chichester forward Jimmy Wild broke free from Beeden’s challenge and rounded Slough goalkeeper Charlie Horlock to slot home the opening goal. It was a well-taken strike, and despite Slough’s strong performance, they found themselves trailing at half-time.
The second half saw Slough Town start with urgency, eager to overturn the deficit. The breakthrough finally came in the 55th minute after a sustained spell of pressure. A defensive mix-up in Chichester’s box allowed John Gilbert to capitalise, his low shot initially sparking confusion as it appeared to hit the post and bounce back into play, but after a brief continuation of play, the goal was rightly awarded to bring the Rebels level, with the ball having crossed the line and rebounded back off the internal frame of the goal.
The goal spurred Slough on, and they maintained their attacking momentum. A double substitution in the 61st minute, with Sam Evans and Oliver Spicer entering the fray, injected fresh energy into the side. It wasn’t long before another of the Slough substitutes, Kareem Isiaka, made an impact. In the 73rd minute, Isiaka latched onto a clever through ball, driving into the box before finishing clinically past Magee to put Slough in front.
With time ticking away, Slough looked to see out the match. They continued to press but were unable to find a third goal that would have put the game to bed. As the game entered its closing stages, Chichester made their final substitutions, introducing Ethan Pritchard in the 78th minute in search of an equaliser.
As full-time approached, Chichester's persistence paid off. In stoppage time, Pritchard struck a sublime effort from outside the box that left Horlock with no chance, levelling the score at 2-2. The late goal stunned Slough, who had seemed poised to progress to the next round. Despite a flurry of activity in added time, including the introduction of Scott Davies, the Rebels were unable to find a winner.
Slough Town will now turn their attention to the replay at Arbour Park on Tuesday evening (7.45pm), where they will hope to finish the job in front of their home fans. While they will be disappointed not to have secured victory on the day, their resilience in coming from behind and the quality of goals from Gilbert and new signing Isiaka are positives to take into the replay.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Charlie Horlock
- 2 Josh Jackman
- 4 Lexus Beeden
- 5 Dan Bayliss
- 6 Jeanmal Prosper
- 7 Gary Abisogun 22
- 10 John Gilbert 17
- 11 John Ufuah 14
- 12 Leon Chambers-Parillon 16
- 15 Henry Ochieng
- 18 Kweku Lucan 19
Substitutes
- 14 Scott Davies 11
- 16 Dan Roth 12
- 17 Oliver Spicer 10
- 19 Sam Evans 18
- 21 Reece Mather
- 22 Kareem Isiaka 7
- 24 Jack Timberlake
Chichester City Lineup
Kieran Magee, Emmett Dunn (Ryan Davidson 89), Rob Hutchings (c), Joe Moore (Oliver Munt 89), Curtis Da Costa, Ben Pashley, Lloyd Rowlatt (Ethan Prichard 78), Joe Clarke, Jimmy Wild, Mo Jammeh (Dion Jarvis 90+2), Isaac Bello (Billie Clark 73). Subs not used: None.