Rebels pay the penalty in semi-final

Slough Town bowed out of the Berks & Bucks FA Senior Cup at the semi-final stage after a 1-1 draw with Wycombe Wanderers ended in a 3-1 penalty shootout defeat on a dramatic night at Arbour Park.

In difficult conditions under the lights, the Rebels responded brilliantly to an early setback and competed strongly throughout, but ultimately fell short from the spot as Wycombe progressed to the final.

The visitors made the perfect start, taking the lead inside the opening minute. A defensive error allowed Bradley Fink to capitalise, finishing clinically just 63 seconds into the contest to put Wycombe ahead.

Slough were dealt an early blow soon after when Johnny Goddard was forced off through injury, replaced by Jaiden Drakes-Thomas inside eight minutes.

However, the Rebels responded immediately. Just two minutes after the setback, they were back on level terms thanks to a well-worked move. Harvey Walker’s pressing forced a turnover high up the pitch, allowing Tyrique Clarke to feed Tyrese Dyce on the edge of the box, who calmly fired a low effort into the bottom corner.

The equaliser settled Slough, who began to assert themselves on the game. Drakes-Thomas delivered a dangerous corner that Kiki Oshilaja headed over, while Ruben Shakpoke saw an effort deflected behind following good work from Walker.

Wycombe remained a threat, however, and came close to regaining the lead when a Micah Olabiyi effort struck the post midway through the first half following a super through ball from Arthur Gregory. Michael Edegbe, making a temporary return in goal in place of the injured Alfie Marriott, was also called into action with a number of smart saves to keep the scores level. With 32 minutes played, Fink was released by a ball forward from defence, and with Edegbe rushing out to meet him, the striker attempted a lob which drifted wide of the goal.

Then on 37 minutes, Alex Lowry slipped a pass through to Gregory, making an overlapping run, and his fierce strike was kept out by Edegbe at his near post.

It was an open and competitive contest, with both sides enjoying spells of pressure, but neither could find a second before the break.

The second half continued in a similar vein, with chances at both ends. Wycombe threatened first, with Olabiyi setting up Joseph McCallum for a strike at goal which Edegbe palmed away excellently. Shortly after, Olabiyi was again released down the right, but his strike across goal rolled just wide of the far post. At the other end, Shakpoke headed narrowly wide from a Drakes-Thomas corner.

As conditions worsened, with heavy rain and swirling wind affecting play, both sides had to adapt in what became an increasingly scrappy encounter.

Wycombe had the ball in the net following a mistake by Reiss Greenidge, only for another offside decision to keep the scores level.

The visitors' goalkeeper, Laurence Shala had to be alert on 63 minutes as Dyce aimed for the far post with a fierce strike, with the stopper getting a vital touch to turn the ball wide. Following the resulting corner, a neat turn from Greenidge allowed him to reach the byline, where he pulled the goal back for Shakpoke, but the striker could only sidefoot wide from inside the six yard box.

Slough turned to their bench throughout the second half, introducing Brian Nelson, Balu Makumbi and Erion Zabeli as the Rebels looked to find a breakthrough, while Wycombe’s youthful side – supplemented by several first-team players – continued to threaten.

The hosts thought they had taken the lead on 74 minutes when Zabeli found the net following a neat attacking move involving Jaiden Drakes-Thomas and Tyrique Clarke, but the offside flag cut short celebrations.

Edegbe was called upon again late on, producing an excellent double save from Fink and Lowry to deny the visitors as the game edged towards its conclusion.

A lengthy delay due to injury and challenging weather conditions added to the drama, with seven minutes of stoppage time played before the final whistle confirmed that penalties would decide a place in the final.

The shootout began with early drama as Edegbe saved from Fink to give Slough the advantage, but that opportunity slipped away as Scott Davies fired over the bar.

Alex Lowry and Josh Scowen converted for Wycombe, while Dan Roth also missed for the Rebels, leaving Slough chasing the shootout.

Harvey Walker kept hopes alive with a composed finish, and after Arthur Gregory missed for the visitors, there was a chance to level. However, Drakes-Thomas saw his effort crash against the underside of the bar and bounce out.

That miss proved decisive, as Cam Stones stepped up to convert the winning penalty and send Wycombe through to the final, where they will face Hungerford Town.

For Slough, it was a spirited performance in testing circumstances, but one that ultimately ended in disappointment from 12 yards.