Sutton United
5
McKinnon (44, 78), Massey (58), Dennis (75), Barnes (80)
Slough Town
2
Sissons (42), Anderson (70)
League
Attendance: 814
Slough got stuck in the mud on Boxing Day morning as the weather turned their visit to Sutton into a lottery.
But the Rebels, despite the scoreline, could have handed a defeat of the same proportions had they taken first half chances, the main factor in the result being the wind. Neal Stanley was ruled out of the side and so Tommy Langley replaced him in the forward line and Naseem Bashir was listed as a substitute.
It was a miracle that this match was played at all, the wind blowing madly down the pitch and the rain having turned the centre circle into a sodden brown quagmire. But for all the adverse conditions, the players rapidly got into the stride of things and the game began to flow. With the wind at their backs, Slough won and lost the game in the first half. creating chance upon chance and then only scoring from Jon Sisson's determination.
Slough played the better football from the start, their approach work was good and there were only two chances that Sutton managed to carve out in the first half. Sissons was clean through after 15 minutes, but after rounding the keeper his shot was cleared off the line.
Slough forced corner after corner and laid siege to the home goal. Steve Thompson from long distance and Darren Anderson's volley being the best of a myriad of chances. As the half looked to be ticking to a goalless close, a back pass from Mark Costello was intuitively followed up by Sissons and it stuck in the mud for the Rebels striker to prod home under the helpless keeper. But disaster was soon to follow when Sutton, equalised on the stroke of half time, Paul McKinnon heading home a hopeful long ball.
With the wind and rain lashing into the Rebels' faces, there was little they could do about the second half onslaught, in which Sutton managed to finish with much more aplomb than their visitors.
They took the lead on 58 minutes following Tony Rains's long throw, flicked on by Lenny Dennis, and followed up by Stewart Massey. But Slough rallied, against all the odds, to pull themselves back into the game. Trying to work down the flanks and avoid the middle of the park, they found both Sissons and Thompson capable and had chances.
It was with 20 minutes left that they equalised, Mark Mallinson swinging in a cross that Darren Anderson dived low to head home. But just as the large and undaunted Slough supporters belted out another song to liven the atmosphere, they could only watch in horror as Sutton slammed home three quick goals. A wicked deflection ran into the fortunate Dennis's path for him to simply slot home on 75 minutes, McKinnon made it 4-2 with some excellent finishing from a cross three minutes later and with ten minutes left it was 5-2 when Andy Barnes fired the ball home after riding Trevor How's challenge.
Slough bravely battled out the remaining minutes in the hurricane conditions but had to surrender all points to a farcical scoreline.
But the Rebels, despite the scoreline, could have handed a defeat of the same proportions had they taken first half chances, the main factor in the result being the wind. Neal Stanley was ruled out of the side and so Tommy Langley replaced him in the forward line and Naseem Bashir was listed as a substitute.
It was a miracle that this match was played at all, the wind blowing madly down the pitch and the rain having turned the centre circle into a sodden brown quagmire. But for all the adverse conditions, the players rapidly got into the stride of things and the game began to flow. With the wind at their backs, Slough won and lost the game in the first half. creating chance upon chance and then only scoring from Jon Sisson's determination.
Slough played the better football from the start, their approach work was good and there were only two chances that Sutton managed to carve out in the first half. Sissons was clean through after 15 minutes, but after rounding the keeper his shot was cleared off the line.
Slough forced corner after corner and laid siege to the home goal. Steve Thompson from long distance and Darren Anderson's volley being the best of a myriad of chances. As the half looked to be ticking to a goalless close, a back pass from Mark Costello was intuitively followed up by Sissons and it stuck in the mud for the Rebels striker to prod home under the helpless keeper. But disaster was soon to follow when Sutton, equalised on the stroke of half time, Paul McKinnon heading home a hopeful long ball.
With the wind and rain lashing into the Rebels' faces, there was little they could do about the second half onslaught, in which Sutton managed to finish with much more aplomb than their visitors.
They took the lead on 58 minutes following Tony Rains's long throw, flicked on by Lenny Dennis, and followed up by Stewart Massey. But Slough rallied, against all the odds, to pull themselves back into the game. Trying to work down the flanks and avoid the middle of the park, they found both Sissons and Thompson capable and had chances.
It was with 20 minutes left that they equalised, Mark Mallinson swinging in a cross that Darren Anderson dived low to head home. But just as the large and undaunted Slough supporters belted out another song to liven the atmosphere, they could only watch in horror as Sutton slammed home three quick goals. A wicked deflection ran into the fortunate Dennis's path for him to simply slot home on 75 minutes, McKinnon made it 4-2 with some excellent finishing from a cross three minutes later and with ten minutes left it was 5-2 when Andy Barnes fired the ball home after riding Trevor How's challenge.
Slough bravely battled out the remaining minutes in the hurricane conditions but had to surrender all points to a farcical scoreline.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Trevor Bunting
- 2 Trevor How
- 3 Mark Mallinson
- 4 Tony Knight
- 5 Darren Anderson
- 6 Mark Hill
- 7 Gary Donnellan
- 8 Tommy Langley
- 9 John Sissons 14
- 10 Steve Thompson 12
- 11 Phil Stacey
Substitutes
- 12 Nas Bashir 10
- 14 Barry Rake 9