Top 10 finish the aim for Rebels after Saints draw
Davies hopes Slough can finish campaign on a high after allowing two-goal lead to slip
Scott Davies admitted Slough Town’s players were ‘beating themselves up’ for their mistakes and missed opportunities in the Rebels’ 2-2 draw with St Albans City on Monday.
Davies had hoped the Rebels might pick up three much-needed points to close the gap on their play-off rivals, but the Saints’ second half fightback has all but ended those aspirations.
The home side produced some of their best football in recent weeks as they raced into an early 2-0 lead through goals from Johnny Goddard in the first minute and Nathan Minhas in the 16th minute.
But they missed several more opportunities before and after the interval before Zane Banton forced the ball past Dan Lincoln from a dangerous cross to put the result back in the balance in the 69th minute.
Then, in the final minute of the game, Leon Chambers-Parillon went to ground while making a challenge in the area and the referee took two or three seconds before pointing to the spot. Shaun Jeffers stepped up to slot home the spot kick in the 93rd minute, but even after that, Trae Appiah-Cook might have won it for the Rebels with another great opportunity that went begging.
Overall, it was a frustrating afternoon for Davies and his team with the result leaving them in 12th place, nine points behind seventh-placed Bath
City with four (or five) matches to play.
Speaking to Connor McNeish for sloughtownfc.net after the final whistle, Davies said: “Yeah, I spoke to the lads in the changing room after, and it's not about that moment at the end of the game. It's about moments throughout the season when we've been on top of teams, and we've not put them to the sword. The first half we should have been three or four nil up, I thought we were comfortable.
“It's probably the most dominant we've been in recent weeks. Second half they had a lot of possession but didn't really hurt us. Yet again we should have found ourselves 3-0 up, David (Ogbonna), I don't want to use the phrase 'has got to score' because the keeper's made a good save, but he should score.
“Their first goal comes from a whipped cross in that catches out the backline and then Dan (Lincoln) gets a hand to it, but no blame to him.
“Then, there is a massive penalty decision which the referee takes two or three seconds to decide on. Leon is adamant he's got the ball. But one thing I will say is that it's naive from Leon. He can't go to ground; the lad is going nowhere and he's beating himself up after a brilliant performance. He was fantastic.
“In the dying seconds of the game,
Trae should score, and he's beating himself up as well, so it's a changing room is completely dejected. Everyone feels flat, but big moments in games have a massive impact and today we were on the wrong end of either poor decision making or poor execution and ultimately, it's cost us. I feel like we've lost the game when we haven’t but listen it's not enough.”
He added: “I said to the lads (before the game), can we be four points outside of the play-offs, if we could possibly get the three points from the
Bath game, if that happens and I don't know if it will. That was the aim at the start of the day, and we've not been able to achieve it. I felt we deserved to be the winners today, but goals and results say differently.
“I don't think they could live with us for the first 45 minutes, the press was superb, and they had to change their shape.
“I’m gutted, it was there for us to go and win that football match today. They're a good side, but St Albans will be a lot happier to get a point than we were.”
The Rebels now face three away trips on the trot, starting at Chelmsford
City this Saturday before they go to Taunton Town a week next Thursday (April 11).
Despite their recent drop off in form – and a failure to win any of their last six matches – it’s still been a very promising campaign for the Rebels, and they can still beat their highest points total in the National League South.
That, and finishing in the top half, will be their aim in the remaining weeks of the season.