Slough Town
0
Horsham
0
League
Attendance: 803
Slough Town’s winning run was halted but their unbeaten sequence continued as they were held to a hard-fought 0-0 draw by ninth-placed Horsham at Arbour Park.
The Rebels came into the afternoon aiming for a fourth consecutive National League South victory following Tuesday night’s win against Weston-super-Mare, a result that had capped an impressive run of seven wins in nine league games and lifted Scott Davies’ side into 14th place. Horsham, meanwhile, arrived without a victory in three matches but proved a stubborn and organised opponent throughout a physical and often stop-start contest.
Five changes were made to the Slough starting XI. Tarik Gidaree, Balu Makumbi, Harvey Walker, Johnny Goddard and Ruben Shakpoke were all handed starts, with injuries ruling out Scott Davies, Jared Myers and Basil Tuma, while top scorer Wiktor Makowski began on the bench.
The opening stages were unsettled and Horsham started the stronger. Within four minutes the visitors had the ball in the net after Lucas Santos-Rodrigues went down inside the area and the loose ball was finished by Reece Myles-Meekums, but the offside flag had already been raised. Soon after, Jaiden Drakes-Thomas received an early booking as Slough struggled to gain control.
Horsham continued to look the more threatening side. Ricky Aguiar struck a long-range free kick that stung Adam Desbois’ gloves before the goalkeeper gathered at the second attempt, and moments later Aguiar again tested him with a clipped effort from the edge of the area. Slough gradually settled and began to enjoy more possession, though clear openings were limited.
The Rebels’ best moment of the half arrived when Tyrese Dyce met a dropping ball on the volley, only for Jack Strange to produce an excellent block. Shortly afterwards Slough appealed for a penalty as Walker appeared to be held by Danny Barker inside the box, but the referee waved play on, prompting protests that resulted in Shakpoke being booked. Kiki Oshilaja also entered the book before the break after being penalised for handball.
The first half ended goalless, reflecting a tight and physical encounter with neither goalkeeper heavily worked.
Slough started the second half brighter. Drakes-Thomas threaded a clever pass into the path of Goddard, but the midfielder could not quite reach it. However, Horsham soon threatened again and Desbois produced an outstanding reaction save to keep out a fierce strike from Kai Woollard-Innocent.
The game began to open up. Tyrique Clarke fired wide from distance and Slough enjoyed improved possession, yet Horsham remained dangerous on the counter. On 73 minutes Desbois delivered a decisive contribution, producing a remarkable double save to deny substitute Harvey Sparks at close range and then Rhys Murphy from the rebound. He followed that with another excellent stop low to his right from Murphy soon afterwards.
With just over twenty minutes remaining Wiktor Makowski replaced Drakes-Thomas as Slough searched for a winner. Walker delivered a dangerous low cross that narrowly evaded Makowski, while Oshilaja drove into the area but could not make proper contact with his shot.
The Rebels thought they had found the breakthrough late on when Makowski combined neatly with Shakpoke and finished confidently, only for the assistant referee’s flag to rule the effort out for offside. Luke Holness was introduced in the closing minutes, but neither side could find a decisive moment.
Horsham pushed forward sporadically and Slough had to remain disciplined defensively, with Desbois commanding his area and the back line holding firm. After a match defined more by organisation and resilience than attacking fluency, the points were shared.
While the draw ended Slough’s three-match winning streak, it extended their unbeaten run and kept them 14th in the table ahead of a difficult trip to promotion-chasing Worthing next weekend.
The Rebels came into the afternoon aiming for a fourth consecutive National League South victory following Tuesday night’s win against Weston-super-Mare, a result that had capped an impressive run of seven wins in nine league games and lifted Scott Davies’ side into 14th place. Horsham, meanwhile, arrived without a victory in three matches but proved a stubborn and organised opponent throughout a physical and often stop-start contest.
Five changes were made to the Slough starting XI. Tarik Gidaree, Balu Makumbi, Harvey Walker, Johnny Goddard and Ruben Shakpoke were all handed starts, with injuries ruling out Scott Davies, Jared Myers and Basil Tuma, while top scorer Wiktor Makowski began on the bench.
The opening stages were unsettled and Horsham started the stronger. Within four minutes the visitors had the ball in the net after Lucas Santos-Rodrigues went down inside the area and the loose ball was finished by Reece Myles-Meekums, but the offside flag had already been raised. Soon after, Jaiden Drakes-Thomas received an early booking as Slough struggled to gain control.
Horsham continued to look the more threatening side. Ricky Aguiar struck a long-range free kick that stung Adam Desbois’ gloves before the goalkeeper gathered at the second attempt, and moments later Aguiar again tested him with a clipped effort from the edge of the area. Slough gradually settled and began to enjoy more possession, though clear openings were limited.
The Rebels’ best moment of the half arrived when Tyrese Dyce met a dropping ball on the volley, only for Jack Strange to produce an excellent block. Shortly afterwards Slough appealed for a penalty as Walker appeared to be held by Danny Barker inside the box, but the referee waved play on, prompting protests that resulted in Shakpoke being booked. Kiki Oshilaja also entered the book before the break after being penalised for handball.
The first half ended goalless, reflecting a tight and physical encounter with neither goalkeeper heavily worked.
Slough started the second half brighter. Drakes-Thomas threaded a clever pass into the path of Goddard, but the midfielder could not quite reach it. However, Horsham soon threatened again and Desbois produced an outstanding reaction save to keep out a fierce strike from Kai Woollard-Innocent.
The game began to open up. Tyrique Clarke fired wide from distance and Slough enjoyed improved possession, yet Horsham remained dangerous on the counter. On 73 minutes Desbois delivered a decisive contribution, producing a remarkable double save to deny substitute Harvey Sparks at close range and then Rhys Murphy from the rebound. He followed that with another excellent stop low to his right from Murphy soon afterwards.
With just over twenty minutes remaining Wiktor Makowski replaced Drakes-Thomas as Slough searched for a winner. Walker delivered a dangerous low cross that narrowly evaded Makowski, while Oshilaja drove into the area but could not make proper contact with his shot.
The Rebels thought they had found the breakthrough late on when Makowski combined neatly with Shakpoke and finished confidently, only for the assistant referee’s flag to rule the effort out for offside. Luke Holness was introduced in the closing minutes, but neither side could find a decisive moment.
Horsham pushed forward sporadically and Slough had to remain disciplined defensively, with Desbois commanding his area and the back line holding firm. After a match defined more by organisation and resilience than attacking fluency, the points were shared.
While the draw ended Slough’s three-match winning streak, it extended their unbeaten run and kept them 14th in the table ahead of a difficult trip to promotion-chasing Worthing next weekend.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Adam Desbois
- 2 Tarik Gidaree
- 5 Kiki Oshilaja
- 7 Tyrique Clarke 15
- 8 Jaiden Drakes-Thomas 11
- 10 Johnny Goddard
- 17 Tyrese Dyce
- 20 Balu Makumbi
- 22 Jacob Borgnis
- 24 Ruben Shakpoke 29
- 25 Harvey Walker
Substitutes
- 6 Reiss Greenidge
- 11 Wiktor Makowski 8
- 15 Brian Nelson 7
- 16 Dan Roth
- 18 Nnaemeka Anyanwu
- 27 Jaye Long
- 29 Luke Holness 24
Horsham Lineup
Lewis Carey; Leone Gravata, Jack Strange, Isaac Philpot, Kai Woollard-Innocent; Danny Barker, Ricky Aguiar (Rhys Murphy 66); Greg Luer, James Hammond, Reece Myles-Meekums (Harvey Sparks 71); Lucas Santos-Rodrigues (Jake Elliott 90+3). Subs not used: L Brooks, Callum Furber.