Hustled by Hayes...

Patience is a virtue and it is something that the Slough Town supporters have got to accept as the Rebels rehabilitate after the departure of four players.

On Tuesday at Hayes they went down to their third successive Servowarm Isthmian League, Premier Division defeat- the second since the recent departures from the club.

However, Slough were certainly well worth at least a draw after Rowan Dodds' 52nd minute goal had brought them back into the match.

But in the end it was John Richardson's effort which clinched the points for Hayes on another bitterly cold evening. Although the Rebels championship hopes, not surprisingly, are now faltering badly there were glimpses on Tuesday that the current barren spell could soon be halted.

With Steve Norman unavailable, Terry Reardon was forced to further re-organise his depleted squad and this meant a first team debut for David O'Flaherty in the centre of the defence.

And the former Eton Wick player gave a sound performance and with more experience behind him could well develop into a useful partner for Joe Moloney. There were also some delightful touches and turns of speed by Tony Gibson in the first half but once again he tended to fade out of the action in the closing stages.

One could certainly not fault the commitment that the Rebels showed on the rock hard surface and no-one typified this more than Dodds, who often fought a lone battle up front. Hayes certainly held the initiative in the early stages with former Rebels star Roy Davies their chief playmaker in midfield.

Slough meanwhile looked unsure of themselves and it came as no surprise when Hayes went ahead after 32 minutes. Micky Kiely broke from deep and when the ball found Richardson wide on the right his fine cross was crisply headed home by the totally unmarked Peter Kemp from close range.

However, Slough slowly started to build up their confidence and with Devon Petty working hard in midfield came back into the game. Keith White missed a chance after 30 minutes and six minutes later Gibson saw a well struck effort rise over the bar.

But after 52 minutes came the goal Slough so badly needed- their first in more than 230 minutes of football. Francis Araguez sent over a superb cross from the right and Dodds ghosted in behind the Hayes defence to head past Paul Hyde.

Slowly Hayes then started to hustle the Rebels and after one desperate scramble which finally saw Paul Mitchell save from Byron Walton, they netted the winner after 76 minutes. Keith James' deep free kick put the Rebels under pressure and with the ball bobbling around, Richardson's shot got past Mitchell, just inside the base of the post.

Despite this defeat Slough certainly showed the character that will be needed to lift them back on the road to success, and with time and patience this should hopefully happen in the near future.