Chippenham Town
2
Owen-Evans (9), Phillips (39)
Slough Town
1
Shakpoke (53)
League
Slough Town’s three-match winning run came to an end on a wet and difficult evening at The Thornbury Surfacing Stadium, as Chippenham Town edged a hard-fought 2-1 victory in the Enterprise National League South.
In a fixture rearranged from the previous weekend following a frozen pitch, the Rebels made the trip to Wiltshire full of confidence after victories over Maidenhead United, Chesham United and Eastbourne Borough over the festive period. Chippenham, meanwhile, arrived bottom of the table but buoyed by an upturn in form that had seen them beat local rivals Bath City on Boxing Day and claim eye-catching draws against AFC Totton and league leaders Worthing.
Conditions were far from ideal under persistent rain, and it was the hosts who adapted quicker in the opening stages, starting brightly and forcing Slough onto the back foot. Just two minutes in, Luke Haines struck a free-kick from the edge of the area that curled narrowly wide, before Reece Fleet’s early delivery caused panic in the Slough box, with Tom Owen-Evans seeing a close-range effort blocked.
Chippenham’s early pressure was rewarded inside the opening ten minutes. After Sol Wanjau-Smith went down under a challenge from Tyrese Dyce inside the area, the referee pointed to the spot. Owen-Evans’ initial penalty was well saved by Adam Desbois low to his right, but the midfielder reacted quickest to smash home the rebound and give the Bluebirds a ninth-minute lead.
Slough looked to respond immediately, with Tyrique Clarke dragging a shot wide from the edge of the box, and the Rebels began to enjoy a better spell as the half wore on. Ruben Shakpoke was unable to capitalise when a Reiss Greenidge header dropped invitingly in the area, while Wiktor Makowski fired into the side netting as Slough pressed for an equaliser.
Set pieces also provided openings. Scott Davies’ free kick was headed back into the danger area, only for Will Henry to punch clear before Kiki Oshilaja headed over. Jacob Borgnis then blazed over following another partially cleared delivery, but Chippenham continued to carry a threat on the break.
Billy Phillips went close when one-on-one, forcing a save, before Tom Mehew fired into the side netting moments later. The hosts then struck a decisive blow six minutes before the interval. Wanjau-Smith found Phillips with a neat pass inside the area, and the forward composed himself before firing past Desbois to double Chippenham’s advantage.
Slough responded with changes at the break, introducing Jared Myers and Harvey Walker in place of Greenidge and Jaiden Drakes-Thomas, and the impact was immediate. The Rebels began the second half with far greater intensity, pinning Chippenham back and asking questions of the home defence.
That pressure told eight minutes after the restart. A free-kick was delivered into the back-post area and headed back across goal by Borgnis, where Shakpoke was on hand to smash home from the middle of the penalty area and halve the deficit, reigniting Slough’s hopes.
With momentum firmly with the visitors, Slough went close to an equaliser on several occasions. Clarke struck a fierce effort that required a superb save from Henry, tipping the ball onto the crossbar, while Oshilaja again posed a threat from set pieces. Appeals for a penalty were waved away when the ball appeared to strike a defender’s arm twice inside the area, further frustrating the Rebels.
However, Chippenham gradually wrestled some control back following their substitutions, slowing the tempo and breaking up Slough’s rhythm. Phillips and Wanjau-Smith continued to carry danger on the counter, while Desbois was called upon to make further saves to keep the scoreline tight.
Slough continued to throw bodies forward in the closing stages, introducing Balu Makumbi and Johnny Goddard as they searched for a leveller. Balls were pumped into the box, and Makowski almost capitalised on an awkward bouncing ball late on when Henry momentarily hesitated, but the home defence recovered just in time.
Despite five minutes of added time and sustained pressure, Chippenham held firm to secure a valuable victory that keeps them bottom of the table but extends their recent positive run. For Slough, defeat was disappointing after such a strong festive period, but there were positives to take from a spirited second-half performance that very nearly earned a point.
Attention now quickly turns to another stern test on Saturday, when the Rebels travel to fifth-placed Hemel Hempstead Town, who sit just four points off the summit.
In a fixture rearranged from the previous weekend following a frozen pitch, the Rebels made the trip to Wiltshire full of confidence after victories over Maidenhead United, Chesham United and Eastbourne Borough over the festive period. Chippenham, meanwhile, arrived bottom of the table but buoyed by an upturn in form that had seen them beat local rivals Bath City on Boxing Day and claim eye-catching draws against AFC Totton and league leaders Worthing.
Conditions were far from ideal under persistent rain, and it was the hosts who adapted quicker in the opening stages, starting brightly and forcing Slough onto the back foot. Just two minutes in, Luke Haines struck a free-kick from the edge of the area that curled narrowly wide, before Reece Fleet’s early delivery caused panic in the Slough box, with Tom Owen-Evans seeing a close-range effort blocked.
Chippenham’s early pressure was rewarded inside the opening ten minutes. After Sol Wanjau-Smith went down under a challenge from Tyrese Dyce inside the area, the referee pointed to the spot. Owen-Evans’ initial penalty was well saved by Adam Desbois low to his right, but the midfielder reacted quickest to smash home the rebound and give the Bluebirds a ninth-minute lead.
Slough looked to respond immediately, with Tyrique Clarke dragging a shot wide from the edge of the box, and the Rebels began to enjoy a better spell as the half wore on. Ruben Shakpoke was unable to capitalise when a Reiss Greenidge header dropped invitingly in the area, while Wiktor Makowski fired into the side netting as Slough pressed for an equaliser.
Set pieces also provided openings. Scott Davies’ free kick was headed back into the danger area, only for Will Henry to punch clear before Kiki Oshilaja headed over. Jacob Borgnis then blazed over following another partially cleared delivery, but Chippenham continued to carry a threat on the break.
Billy Phillips went close when one-on-one, forcing a save, before Tom Mehew fired into the side netting moments later. The hosts then struck a decisive blow six minutes before the interval. Wanjau-Smith found Phillips with a neat pass inside the area, and the forward composed himself before firing past Desbois to double Chippenham’s advantage.
Slough responded with changes at the break, introducing Jared Myers and Harvey Walker in place of Greenidge and Jaiden Drakes-Thomas, and the impact was immediate. The Rebels began the second half with far greater intensity, pinning Chippenham back and asking questions of the home defence.
That pressure told eight minutes after the restart. A free-kick was delivered into the back-post area and headed back across goal by Borgnis, where Shakpoke was on hand to smash home from the middle of the penalty area and halve the deficit, reigniting Slough’s hopes.
With momentum firmly with the visitors, Slough went close to an equaliser on several occasions. Clarke struck a fierce effort that required a superb save from Henry, tipping the ball onto the crossbar, while Oshilaja again posed a threat from set pieces. Appeals for a penalty were waved away when the ball appeared to strike a defender’s arm twice inside the area, further frustrating the Rebels.
However, Chippenham gradually wrestled some control back following their substitutions, slowing the tempo and breaking up Slough’s rhythm. Phillips and Wanjau-Smith continued to carry danger on the counter, while Desbois was called upon to make further saves to keep the scoreline tight.
Slough continued to throw bodies forward in the closing stages, introducing Balu Makumbi and Johnny Goddard as they searched for a leveller. Balls were pumped into the box, and Makowski almost capitalised on an awkward bouncing ball late on when Henry momentarily hesitated, but the home defence recovered just in time.
Despite five minutes of added time and sustained pressure, Chippenham held firm to secure a valuable victory that keeps them bottom of the table but extends their recent positive run. For Slough, defeat was disappointing after such a strong festive period, but there were positives to take from a spirited second-half performance that very nearly earned a point.
Attention now quickly turns to another stern test on Saturday, when the Rebels travel to fifth-placed Hemel Hempstead Town, who sit just four points off the summit.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Adam Desbois
- 5 Kiki Oshilaja
- 6 Reiss Greenidge 23
- 7 Tyrique Clarke 20
- 8 Jaiden Drakes-Thomas 25
- 11 Wiktor Makowski
- 14 Scott Davies
- 16 Dan Roth
- 17 Tyrese Dyce 10
- 22 Jacob Borgnis
- 24 Ruben Shakpoke
Substitutes
- 2 Tarik Gidaree
- 10 Johnny Goddard 17
- 18 Nnaemeka Anyanwu
- 20 Balu Makumbi 7
- 23 Jared Myers 6
- 25 Harvey Walker 8
- 27 Kian Berry
Chippenham Town Lineup
Will Henry, Tom Mehew, Luke Haines (c), Tom Owen-Evans (Jake Evans 58), Reece Fleet, Will King, Billy Phillips (Ezio Touray 85), Anointed Chukwu, Sol Wanjau-Smith, Callum Wood, Sebastian Dabrowski. Subs not used: Lewis Colwell, Harry Parsons, Olaf Koszela, Caine Bradbury, Henry Sady.