Rebels advance in Berks & Bucks Senior Cup

Slough Town advanced into the Third Round of the Berks & Bucks FA Senior Cup with a convincing 3-0 victory at Binfield, courtesy of goals from Jordan Greenidge, Ruben Bartlett-Antwi and Colin Chellembrom.

The Rebels fielded a much-changed side at Hill Farm Lane, resting a number of senior regulars ahead of Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup tie with Enfield Town. There was still no shortage of experience in the line-up, with goalkeeper Adam Desbois and defender Peter Ojemen both featuring whilst serving suspensions in league competition, while captaincy duties were handed to Balu Makumbi.

Scott Davies’ side also handed opportunities to several younger players, including four from the club’s growing Elite Development Squad named among the substitutes – Bryce Gough, Pedro Sami, Colin Chellembrom and Kian Berry, the latter fresh from scoring twice in Slough’s recent FA Youth Cup victory over Maidenhead United.

The visitors started brightly and were unfortunate not to go ahead inside six minutes. Harvey Walker raced down the left, escaping his marker before squaring for Jordan Greenidge, who saw his powerful strike rattle the crossbar. At the other end, Binfield reminded Slough of their threat, with Amari Fashanu firing narrowly wide from 18 yards.

The first half was largely one-way traffic, as the Rebels controlled possession and territory but struggled to turn their dominance into goals. Bartlett-Antwi and Greenidge both had chances inside the opening 25 minutes, while Walker again created danger down the left with an inviting delivery headed over from close range. Desbois had little to do but was alert to punch away a series of set pieces from the hosts, who relied heavily on quick breaks and long balls.

It took until stoppage time at the end of the first half for Slough to find the breakthrough. A teasing ball into the box caused panic in the Binfield defence, and when it fell kindly to Greenidge, the striker composed himself to swivel and drill a low shot into the bottom left corner. It was a deserved lead for the Rebels, who went into the interval 1-0 ahead after creating numerous chances without reward.

Davies made three changes at the break, introducing Bryce Gough, Josh Adepoju and Kian Berry for Greenidge, Nelson and Myers. Within a minute of the restart, Bartlett-Antwi went close to doubling the lead, dragging his effort just past the post after being played through on goal.

Binfield enjoyed a brief spell of pressure around the 55-minute mark, but Slough continued to look the more dangerous side on the counter-attack. Berry almost made an instant impact, showing good strength to hold off his marker before firing just wide. Harvey Walker remained a constant outlet, bursting forward to win a free-kick 25 yards out, though the resulting strike drifted off target.

The decisive second goal arrived in the 66th minute after a well-worked team move. Makumbi regained possession in midfield, and a swift exchange of passes between Adepoju, Drakes-Thomas and Anyanwu released Berry down the right. His cushioned header back across goal found Bartlett-Antwi, who made no mistake from close range to make it 2-0.

With the contest firmly under control, Davies took the opportunity to introduce two more young players, as Pedro Sami and Colin Chellembrom replaced Bartlett-Antwi and Makumbi. The academy duo immediately impressed with their energy and composure on the ball. Sami helped spark a flowing counter-attack which saw Drakes-Thomas carry the ball from one end of the pitch to the other, only for Adepoju to see his effort blocked on the line.

Desbois, a spectator for much of the night, was finally called into meaningful action with ten minutes remaining, producing a superb diving save to deny a Binfield free-kick that bounced awkwardly through a crowd of bodies.

As the hosts pushed men forward in the closing stages, gaps began to appear for Slough to exploit. Anyanwu fired over after good build-up play from Walker, before the Rebels wrapped up the victory in stoppage time. Chellembrom, one of the club’s promising EDS talents, seized his moment by calmly slotting home between the goalkeeper’s legs to make it 3-0 and cap a memorable night for both him and the academy setup.

Slough’s professionalism and control ultimately told against their Step 4 opponents, with the clean sheet and further minutes for returning players adding extra positives to the evening. The result highlights the growing strength in depth within the squad, with several young players making important contributions.

Next up for the Rebels is a return to Arbour Park for Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying tie against Enfield Town – a fixture that promises to draw a big crowd and provide another opportunity for this developing Slough side to continue their cup momentum.