Rebels rescue point with last-gasp Ojemen header

Slough Town’s persistence was rewarded deep into stoppage time as substitute Peter Ojemen headed home to salvage a 1-1 draw against Enfield Town at Arbour Park.

Enfield looked set to take all three points thanks to Lamar Reynolds’ early strike. But the Rebels kept fighting and were finally rewarded in the seventh minute of added time, ensuring that the points were shared for the second season running in this fixture.

Manager Scott Davies made one change from the side which earned a point away at Eastbourne Borough on Bank Holiday Monday. Davies himself returned to the starting eleven in place of Jordan Greenidge, partnering Reiss Greenidge and Kiki Oshilaja in the back three.

There was also a start for Wiktor Makowski, who kept his place in attack alongside Johnny Goddard and Jaiden Drakes-Thomas after an encouraging performance on Monday.

The game began at a measured pace, with both sides trying to settle into rhythm. Slough’s first real sight of goal came after ten minutes, when Oshilaja threaded a pass through to Makowski. The forward cut the ball back from the byline, only for an Enfield defender to snuff out Drakes-Thomas’ effort.

It was Enfield who made the breakthrough in the 15th minute. A patient move ended with Reynolds finding space at the edge of the box, and he guided his shot beyond goalkeeper Adam Desbois to put the visitors ahead.

The Towners grew in confidence after the opener. Reynolds continued to look lively, going close with a sweetly struck volley just wide of the post, while Hayden Bullas had a shot cleared off the line by Davies after another incisive move.

Slough did threaten as half-time approached, with Dan Roth feeding Goddard for a volley on target, but Enfield goalkeeper Rhys Forster proved equal to it. Goddard then slipped Tarik Gidaree in behind the defence, but again Forster stood tall. Despite these flashes, Slough went into the interval trailing.

Davies introduced Jared Myers at the break for Gidaree, and the substitute almost made an immediate impact, flashing a dangerous cross through the six-yard box that Makowski just failed to reach.

The Rebels enjoyed their best spell of pressure early in the second half. Roth and Goddard both saw shots blocked in quick succession, while Clarke tested Forster with a strike from distance which the keeper was forced to palm behind.

At the other end, Reynolds remained a menace for Enfield, firing over from a counterattack, while Bullas combined well with Leonard only to be denied by Desbois.

Slough rolled the dice with further substitutions as Jordan Greenidge, Ruben Bartlett-Antwi and eventually Ojemen all entered the fray. Bartlett-Antwi went close with an effort into the side netting after being picked out by Goddard, and Myers continued to deliver quality from the right. Goddard himself curled an effort narrowly over as the hosts pressed hard for an equaliser.

Enfield almost killed the game late on, as substitute Harry Lodovica broke away and twice went close – one strike flashing wide, another effort deflected into Desbois’ arms. But Slough refused to give in.

With time almost up, Slough launched one last desperate attack. Goalkeeper Desbois even ventured forward for a corner, which he managed to keep alive. Goddard floated the ball back into the danger area and Ojemen rose highest, looping a header beyond Forster to spark jubilant celebrations among the home supporters.

It was no less than Slough deserved after a better second-half performance, and it secured a valuable point which ensures momentum from the recent unbeaten run continues.

The draw capped off a busy Bank Holiday week in which the Rebels faced two full-time opponents in Ebbsfleet United and Eastbourne Borough. Having taken five points from the last three fixtures, Slough find themselves 16th in the Enterprise National League South table, a notable improvement from just two weeks ago when they sat bottom with a single point from three matches.

While still in search of a first home win of the season, Scott Davies’ side showed resilience and character to fight back against a strong Enfield team, underlining the competitive spirit that has become their hallmark.

Scott Davies gave an honest appraisal of the match but praised the character of his side:

“I thought I got it wrong today if I’m brutally honest. We knew Enfield might come here and sit in, so we tried to play a bit more in the first half than we usually would, and it didn’t work. We looked open and expansive, and they probably deserved their goal.

“At half-time I told the lads it wasn’t the Slough Town I know or play in. We adapted, we changed shape, and I thought second half we were much more like ourselves.

“It’s one of those learning curves for me — I’ll always reflect on what I did well and what I didn’t.”

Scott emphasized the importance of his substitutes and their impact on the game:

“Jared Myers was superb when he came on — probably his best performance since Tonbridge — and Peter’s come on and got a goal. I thought we were knocking down the door for large periods in the second half.”

“We talk about starters, impactors and finishers. The subs made a real difference today — Jared, Ruben, Peter. It shows it’s always a team game.”

“We’ve taken five points from nine in the last week. Every point in this league has to be earned, and the boys kept going until the end. The number of late goals we’ve scored under my tenure shows the character in the group.”