Slough Town
2
Goddard (24), Bartlett-Antwi (66)
Hornchurch
5
Wraight (32, 74), Ruff (77), McQueen (87), Rees (90+3)
League
Attendance: 782
Tyrique Clarke
Slough Town slipped to defeat against league leaders Hornchurch at Arbour Park, despite twice taking the lead and producing a spirited display in difficult circumstances.
A controversial first-half red card for Peter Ojemen swung the contest, and the Urchins showed why they sit top of the National League South table with a ruthless second-half performance to run out 5-2 winners.
The match began brightly with both sides looking to assert themselves. Slough, buoyed by recent cup progress and the midweek signing of Harvey Walker, settled quickly. Wiktor Makowski was lively from the outset, stretching the Hornchurch back line with his running in behind. The visitors created the first clear opportunity after 16 minutes, but a close-range effort was lifted over Adam Desbois’ bar. Moments later, Johnny Goddard’s curling free kick caused problems but drifted just wide of the far post.
The deadlock was broken in the 24th minute in scrappy fashion. A high ball dropped awkwardly into the box, causing hesitation in the Hornchurch defence. Josh Adepoju reacted sharply, feeding Goddard, whose initial shot was blocked. The rebound sat up kindly, and he made no mistake at the second attempt to notch his second league goal of the season.
Hornchurch almost responded immediately, Desbois producing a fine save to tip away a fierce Josh Rees strike. But the pressure told in the 32nd minute when a clearance fell to Tom Wraight 25 yards from goal. His powerful shot took a deflection off Scott Davies, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and finding the corner.
Slough looked to restore their lead, with Tarik Gidaree flashing a low shot across goal and captain Henry Ochieng forcing Nasta into a scrambling stop from distance.
The biggest talking point of the half arrived on 40 minutes when Gidaree broke clear and appeared to be fouled through on goal. Instead of awarding a free kick, referee Steven Swan booked the young full-back for simulation, sparking anger around Arbour Park. Matters worsened just before the interval as Ojemen was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Charlie Pegrum. The decision left Slough stunned.
Reduced to ten men, Slough faced an uphill battle after the restart. Manager Scott Davies reshaped at half time, introducing Ruben Bartlett-Antwi, Brian Nelson and Balu Makumbi. Hornchurch looked to seize control, peppering the Slough goal, but Desbois was outstanding, producing a string of fine saves to keep his side level.
Against the run of play, Slough regained the lead on 66 minutes with a moment of real quality. Makowski, who had been the Rebels’ most dangerous outlet, showed superb strength to hold off two defenders before shifting play across the pitch and clipping a clever ball into the box. Bartlett-Antwi timed his run perfectly and lifted the ball calmly over Nasta to make it 2-1, his second goal since joining the club.
The ten men might even have stretched their advantage when Bartlett-Antwi broke away moments later, forcing Nasta into another important save. That proved a turning point as Hornchurch responded in devastating fashion.
Wraight struck again in the 74th minute, driving home a half-volley from the edge of the box after Slough failed to clear their lines. Just three minutes later, Wraight turned provider, swinging in a corner that Sam Kuffour flicked on for substitute Charlie Ruff to nod in at the back post.
With the Rebels tiring, Hornchurch pressed home their advantage. Desbois pulled off another superb save to deny Ruff, but Darren McQueen added a fourth in the 87th minute, finishing coolly from Ruff’s pass. Deep into stoppage time, Ruff capped a superb cameo with an incisive through ball for Rees, who flicked past Desbois to complete the scoring.
Despite the heavy scoreline, there were positives for Slough - ultimately, though, the Rebels were undone by a combination of misfortune, missing key players through injury and Hornchurch’s quality. Playing with ten men for more than half the match against the division’s leaders proved too tall an order, even after regaining the lead in the second half.
Hornchurch’s win kept them clear at the top of the table, extending their unbeaten start to the season. For Slough, this defeat leaves them with nine points from their opening nine matches, sitting in the lower half of the table. With a demanding run of fixtures behind them, attention now turns back to the Emirates FA Cup. Next Saturday sees the Rebels travel to Bedfont Sports in the Third Round Qualifying, where they will look to rediscover winning ways and build momentum.
While the result was a setback, the determination shown against the odds offers encouragement that Slough can respond positively in the weeks ahead.
A controversial first-half red card for Peter Ojemen swung the contest, and the Urchins showed why they sit top of the National League South table with a ruthless second-half performance to run out 5-2 winners.
The match began brightly with both sides looking to assert themselves. Slough, buoyed by recent cup progress and the midweek signing of Harvey Walker, settled quickly. Wiktor Makowski was lively from the outset, stretching the Hornchurch back line with his running in behind. The visitors created the first clear opportunity after 16 minutes, but a close-range effort was lifted over Adam Desbois’ bar. Moments later, Johnny Goddard’s curling free kick caused problems but drifted just wide of the far post.
The deadlock was broken in the 24th minute in scrappy fashion. A high ball dropped awkwardly into the box, causing hesitation in the Hornchurch defence. Josh Adepoju reacted sharply, feeding Goddard, whose initial shot was blocked. The rebound sat up kindly, and he made no mistake at the second attempt to notch his second league goal of the season.
Hornchurch almost responded immediately, Desbois producing a fine save to tip away a fierce Josh Rees strike. But the pressure told in the 32nd minute when a clearance fell to Tom Wraight 25 yards from goal. His powerful shot took a deflection off Scott Davies, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and finding the corner.
Slough looked to restore their lead, with Tarik Gidaree flashing a low shot across goal and captain Henry Ochieng forcing Nasta into a scrambling stop from distance.
The biggest talking point of the half arrived on 40 minutes when Gidaree broke clear and appeared to be fouled through on goal. Instead of awarding a free kick, referee Steven Swan booked the young full-back for simulation, sparking anger around Arbour Park. Matters worsened just before the interval as Ojemen was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Charlie Pegrum. The decision left Slough stunned.
Reduced to ten men, Slough faced an uphill battle after the restart. Manager Scott Davies reshaped at half time, introducing Ruben Bartlett-Antwi, Brian Nelson and Balu Makumbi. Hornchurch looked to seize control, peppering the Slough goal, but Desbois was outstanding, producing a string of fine saves to keep his side level.
Against the run of play, Slough regained the lead on 66 minutes with a moment of real quality. Makowski, who had been the Rebels’ most dangerous outlet, showed superb strength to hold off two defenders before shifting play across the pitch and clipping a clever ball into the box. Bartlett-Antwi timed his run perfectly and lifted the ball calmly over Nasta to make it 2-1, his second goal since joining the club.
The ten men might even have stretched their advantage when Bartlett-Antwi broke away moments later, forcing Nasta into another important save. That proved a turning point as Hornchurch responded in devastating fashion.
Wraight struck again in the 74th minute, driving home a half-volley from the edge of the box after Slough failed to clear their lines. Just three minutes later, Wraight turned provider, swinging in a corner that Sam Kuffour flicked on for substitute Charlie Ruff to nod in at the back post.
With the Rebels tiring, Hornchurch pressed home their advantage. Desbois pulled off another superb save to deny Ruff, but Darren McQueen added a fourth in the 87th minute, finishing coolly from Ruff’s pass. Deep into stoppage time, Ruff capped a superb cameo with an incisive through ball for Rees, who flicked past Desbois to complete the scoring.
Despite the heavy scoreline, there were positives for Slough - ultimately, though, the Rebels were undone by a combination of misfortune, missing key players through injury and Hornchurch’s quality. Playing with ten men for more than half the match against the division’s leaders proved too tall an order, even after regaining the lead in the second half.
Hornchurch’s win kept them clear at the top of the table, extending their unbeaten start to the season. For Slough, this defeat leaves them with nine points from their opening nine matches, sitting in the lower half of the table. With a demanding run of fixtures behind them, attention now turns back to the Emirates FA Cup. Next Saturday sees the Rebels travel to Bedfont Sports in the Third Round Qualifying, where they will look to rediscover winning ways and build momentum.
While the result was a setback, the determination shown against the odds offers encouragement that Slough can respond positively in the weeks ahead.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Adam Desbois
- 2 Tarik Gidaree 15
- 3 Peter Ojemen
- 4 Henry Ochieng 18
- 7 Tyrique Clarke 8
- 10 Johnny Goddard 19
- 11 Wiktor Makowski
- 14 Scott Davies
- 16 Dan Roth
- 25 Harvey Walker
- 26 Josh Adepoju 20
Substitutes
- 8 Jaiden Drakes-Thomas 7
- 12 Aaron White
- 13 Henry Upstell
- 15 Brian Nelson 2
- 18 Nnaemeka Anyanwu 4
- 19 Ruben Bartlett-Antwi 10
- 20 Balu Makumbi 26
Hornchurch Lineup
Arthur Nasta; Makai Bond-Welch (Myles Weston 69), Harry Gibbs, Sam Kuffour, Josh Hare; Angelo Balanta, Tom Wraight, Josh Rees, Charlie Pegrum (Sean Scannell 61); Darren McQueen (Harry Brooke 87), Henry Sandat (Charlie Ruff 46). Subs not used: Rhys Byrne, Giles Phillips, Nathan Bertram-Cooper.