Rebels went ‘toe-to-toe’ with title chasers Hampton
Slough Town FC: Davies encouraged by Slough's display but late lapse costs them a point at the Beaveree
Having gone toe-to-toe with a side challenging for promotion to the National League over the course of two matches, Rebels boss Scott Davies was gutted to see his side beaten by a late sucker punch at Hampton & Richmond Borough on New Year's Day.
With the side having dragged themselves clear of the relegation zone in recent weeks with a series of disciplined displays, Davies then saw the visitors dominate Monday's clash at the Beaveree only to lose 2-1 to a late injury-time strike from Ben Seymour.
Their Hungarian striker Slavi Spasov netted a late equaliser in the Rebels' 33 draw with Hampton at Arbour Park on Boxing Day, and he looked to have done the same when he met Matt Lench's brilliant cross in the 88th minute to send a diving header into the back of the Hampton net.
But a late lapse from the visitors allowed Seymour to snatch this hardearned point away, and afterwards Davies reflected on the need for his side to manage the game better in the closing stages. Earlier Joshua Anifowose had fired the home side ahead against the run of play, and the promotion chasers went on to claim victory in a game they were arguably secondbest in. As Davies said afterwards 'that's what the top sides do when they're not at their best'.
Despite the setback, there were plenty of positives for Davies and his management team to consider as they look ahead to Saturday's home clash with Taunton Town - one of the sides in and around them in the National League South table.
In an interview for sloughtownfc.net, Davies said: “I knew it would be difficult. The pitch was quite heavy and testing at times. We stood up to the task well and if anything, it looked like we were going to get the first goal.
“Their goal was a bit of a sucker punch, and the way it was scored was disappointing. Set piece, second phase, we didn’t get out to the second ball quick enough and it’s trickled into the bottom corner.
“We had a great reaction. Slavi has obviously scored and then I’m trying to get the message onto the pitch for us to sit in and take a point and to be disciplined and professional. We’ve not managed to defend our box which is criminal. We’ve let the cross come in too easily and he’s obviously got a little touch on it. It’s just naivety. It’s crept in for the last minute because coming away from here with a point would have been huge in the circumstances.
“We’re really disappointed, but it is what it is, and we have to lick our wounds and prepare for Saturday.”
Despite having played precious few minutes in a Slough shirt following his move last month, Spasov now has two goals in as many games and Davies has been delighted with his contribution. He's galvanised the side on a couple of occasions after being brought on as a substitute and is staking his claim for a start now, however, Davies admitted that his brilliant goal on Monday would have meant a lot more had it led to the side claiming a result.
“Slav has two goals now from about 45 minutes of football in total,” said Davies. “His header was fantastic, and he had to show bravery to get on the end of it. It fills you with joy to see him score goals like that but scoring in a 21 defeat is not as nice as scoring in a 11 draw.
“It would have meant a lot more if we’d have got a point.
“Teams at the top end of the table manage to grind out a point in matches like this. That’s why they are at the top and we’re down towards the lower reaches of the league. We’ve now lost six or seven matches by the odd goal and in a lot of those matches, we’ve been the better side. Taking a point sometimes is so crucial and we need to find a way to do that a little more often. They defended their box a bit better than we did today. Their second goal was extremely soft. We’ve just got to clear our lines.
“In general, I thought our shape was good. It’s a gutting defeat, but they’re second in the league for a reason.
“They’re now 17 matches unbeaten and we’ve gone toe-to-toe with them for 180 minutes.”