Arbour Park is now the Rebels fortress
Slough beat Weston to stretch unbeaten run at home
Slough Town 2, Weston-Super-Mare 0
Arbour Park continues to be a fortress for Slough Town this season as the Rebels comfortably put Weston-Super-Mare to the sword on Saturday afternoon.
It’s now been more than five months – and 16 matches in all competitions – since Scott Davies’ side last tasted defeat on home turf, and they never really looked like doing so against Weston.
Aside from the opening 10 minutes, when fatigue looked like it might have set in after successive away defeats to Dover Athletic and Yeovil Town, the Rebels were firmly in control of this clash.
They took the lead mid-way through the first half when Matt Lench steered the ball home leftfooted off the inside of the post after dashing in behind the Weston defence to collect Nathan Minhas’ cute through ball.
Then, four minutes after the interval, they all but made the points safe when Jeanmal Prosper rose highest in the Seagulls’ box to nod home their second from a corner.
Weston made some changes to influence the game, but Slough’s defence held firm and never looked unduly troubled.
In fact, aside from an early header from Keiran Thomas which rattled the Rebels’ crossbar, Slough never looked like conceding.
The teams traded efforts off the woodwork in the opening 20 minutes with Minhas striking the foot of Weston’s post in the 20th minute, adjusting his body well in an effort to hook the ball home from Prosper’s flick on.
Prosper had an excellent game for the Rebels and was unfortunate not to score before he did. In the opening 15 minutes he twice went close for the hosts, stealing across his marker to steer a header into the side netting
– when many in the ground thought he’d squeezed the ball inside the post. Then, in the 16th minute, he rose well to meet Lench’s corner but couldn’t keep his header down and the ball flew just over.
Slough never really looked back after taking the lead just before the hour mark. Again, Minhas deserves praise for plucking a high ball out of the air with ease and adjusting his feet to slip a pass through for the onrushing Lench, who kept his head to guide a low shot past Max Harris that bounced off the foot of the post and rolled across the goal and just inside the other post.
Munashe Sundire came close to a second almost immediately, his header from a corner pushed away by Harris and his covering defenders.
With Christie Ward settling in well following loan move from Wycombe Wanderers, Slough were a difficult side to play through with Sundire also providing the defence with ample protection. Weston didn’t have another sniff until after the interval, and by that stage they were already two-goals behind.
They’d been little action at the start of the second half until the Rebels forced a corner in the 49th minute and Propser rose well to nod the ball into the far corner.
Weston looked marginally more effective with substitute Alex Fletcher leading the line, and he was presented with a chance in the 54th minute, but Davies’ challenge took the sting out of his shot and Dan Lincoln got down well to save.
Fletcher came close again in the 62nd minute as he guided a leftwing cross goalwards, but Davies was again in the right place at the right time to clear the ball off the line.
At that point, Weston must have known it wasn’t going to be their day, and Slough should have killed them off in the 64th minute when Propser attempted to flick home Johnny Goddard’s centre, but Harris saved well. The follow up fell to Sundire who blazed a low shot just wide of the upright.
Slough were able to rest a few players in the closing stages, with Sundire replaced by Joe Dandy, and Slavi Spasov coming on for Minhas. Later in the game Ward made way for Eze Ebuzoeme, who got his first taste of playing at Arbour Park. Weston saw plenty of the ball in the closing 20 minutes, but they had little impact with it as crosses and balls in the box were headed and kicked away by a resolute Rebels defence.
Goddard had the chance to put the gloss on proceedings when he was sent through in the last minute, but Harris got down well to thwart the in-form midfielder, and Slough had to be content with a solid – almost routine – 2-0 home win.
The result lifts them a place to 12th, and they’re now just four points off the play-offs ahead of next Saturday’s trip to ninthplaced Torquay United.