Slough win shootout to progress in FA Trophy

Slough Town edged past Chatham Town in a tense FA Trophy Second Round tie at Arbour Park, securing a 4-2 penalty shootout victory after a dramatic late equaliser from John Gilbert had taken the game to spot-kicks.

The match began with Chatham asserting themselves early. Within minutes, they carved out their first opportunity as John Ufuah, returning to face his former club, cut the ball back across the six-yard box for Rowan Liburd. The striker, however, couldn’t find the target, firing narrowly wide.

Chatham's early dominance continued when Jamie Yila unleashed a powerful strike from distance in the eighth minute, but Slough goalkeeper Charlie Horlock got down well to save. The visitors’ pressure stifled Slough’s attempts to settle, and the Rebels struggled to string passes together, with misplaced balls and a lack of cohesion proving costly.

In the 12th minute, a defensive lapse from Slough almost gifted Chatham the lead. Ufuah intercepted a slack pass from Gary Abisogun, feeding the ball to Liburd, who in turn laid it off for captain Jack Evans. Evans’ shot, however, was blocked by a well-timed intervention from Henry Ochieng.

Chatham’s pressure finally told in the 20th minute. Horlock was forced into a low save but could only parry the ball into the path of Jordy Mongoy, who calmly slotted home from close range to put the visitors ahead. It was no more than Chatham deserved, having dictated much of the opening exchanges.

The visitors spurned further chances again after the half hour mark, Horlock making two good saves to first stop Simon Cooper scoring a header from Jamie Yila’s free kick, and then denying John Ufuah’s curling effort that looked destined for the bottom corner.

Slough’s frustration was evident as their attempts to respond were hampered by poor decision-making in the final third. Their best moment of the half came from a speculative effort by Dan Roth in the 40th minute, but his shot from distance lacked the venom to trouble Joe Wright in the Chatham goal.

The half-time whistle brought little comfort for the home side, who were outplayed in the opening 45 minutes. Chatham, meanwhile, could count themselves unlucky not to have extended their lead, with Horlock keeping the deficit at just one.

Slough emerged from the interval with renewed intent, buoyed by a triple substitution. The Rebels introduced Slavi Spasov, David Ogbonna, and Leon Chambers-Parillon, replacing Sam Evans, Abisogun, and Scott Davies. The changes immediately injected energy into the Rebels’ play.

Spasov, in particular, made an early impact, forcing a save from Wright within two minutes of the restart. Chambers-Parillon also went close, flicking over the bar after Dan Bayliss nodded the ball into his path from a corner.

Chatham’s discipline began to unravel in the 61st minute during a flashpoint that changed the complexion of the match. A foul on Spasov sparked a heated confrontation involving multiple players. Jamie Yila was shown a straight red card for his role in the altercation, while Simon Cooper, Spasov, and Lexus Beeden received yellow cards. The visitors were down to ten men, presenting Slough with an opportunity to seize control.

However, despite the numerical advantage, Slough struggled to capitalise. Their frustrations grew when a strong penalty claim was waved away in the 68th minute after Spasov appeared to be pushed in the box as he prepared to shoot. Moments later, Chatham nearly doubled their lead on the counterattack, only for Beeden to bring down substitute Kareem Isiaka in a last-ditch challenge. The foul earned Beeden a straight red card, reducing both sides to ten men.

Slough kept pushing for an equaliser as the clock ticked down. Francis Amartey saw his low shot saved by Wright, while Spasov’s mis-hit effort moments later lacked the power to trouble the Chatham keeper. Chambers-Parillon’s weaving run through three defenders in the 89th minute also ended in disappointment, with his tame shot easily collected.

With seven minutes of added time indicated, Slough launched a final assault on the Chatham goal. Their perseverance was rewarded in the second minute of stoppage time when John Gilbert’s cross from the left looped over everyone in the box and nestled in the far corner of the net. Whether intentional or not, the equaliser was enough to send the home fans into raptures and the game into a penalty shootout.

Chatham’s Jack Evans stepped up to take the first penalty but saw his effort saved by Horlock. Gilbert and Dan Bayliss converted for Slough, while Chatham’s second penalty struck the crossbar, putting the Rebels in command.

Dan Roth calmly slotted his spot-kick to give Slough a decisive advantage, and although Chatham converted their third penalty, it was left to Spasov to seal the victory. The forward confidently dispatched his effort past Wright, sparking celebrations among the Slough players and fans.

While far from their best, Slough showed resilience to fight back from a goal down and hold their nerve in the shootout. Horlock’s saves, Gilbert’s late intervention, and a composed display from the penalty takers were enough to see the Rebels through to the Third Round.