25/04/14
To be in a position on the last day with a play-off spot in our hands is something we could not have expected at the turn of the year
Jon Underwood
The final game of the league season is upon us, and Slough Town entertain Chertsey Town tomorrow (Saturday) knowing that a win will guarantee fifth spot and an extension to their season.
Following the Easter weekend results, the Rebels need to at least match Barton Rovers' result on the final day to secure the remaining playoff spot – but will be ruing the fact they are not involved in an amazing final day scramble for the league championship, in which any one of four sides could be crowned champions.
Chertsey, already relegated and rumoured to be resigning from the Southern League in any case, will be determined to end the season on a high. Slough will remember from their trip to Alwyns Lane in December that the Surrey side kept them at bay until the 72nd minute, when a screamer from man-of-the-match George Short opened the scoring. It was only then that Slough were able to add further gloss to the scoreline, with Warren Harris scoring one and Darren Wheeler two.
Joint manager Jon Underwood provided the Official Website with an update ahead of Saturday's match:
"We had a really positive night at training last night and there was some encouraging injury news. Having limped off on Monday with an ankle injury, Sean Fraser has recovered very well and was able to take part in the whole session which is great news. Also, following lots of treatment from Kev in the past week, Ryan Parsons' hamstring injury has shown real improvement and he was able to do some running last night. Tomorrow will come too soon for him but if we are able to get the win we need tomorrow, we are hopeful he will come into contention for the play-offs.
"In terms of availability we are pleased to have Dave Woozley back with us, and he trained last night, as well as Steve Duff. Unfortunately we will be missing Adam Cornell, who is away this weekend on a trip that was booked before he joined the club.
Squad: Jake Somerville, Sean Fraser, Dan Sintim, Dave Woozley, Guy Hollis, Ben Edwards, Jamie McClurg, George Short, Gareth Risbridger, Seb Castello, Jake Parsons, James Dobson, Warren Harris, Steve Duff, Eddie Smith, Johnnie Dyer.
"Chertsey's troubles have been well documented and the announcement this week that they have resigned from the league to drop down to the Combined Counties League will no doubt lead some people to believe that tomorrow's result is a foregone conclusion, but I can assure you this is not the case. We know their manager David Johnston and he is not someone who will allow his team to roll over and die and they will no doubt be looking to make life very difficult for us.
"Despite a disappointing Easter weekend, the mood last night was extremely positive and everyone is focused on the job ahead of us and we remain extremely confident in our ability. To be in a position on the last day with a play-off spot in our hands is something we could not have expected at the turn of the year and if we are able to finish the job tomorrow then the lads will deserve a huge amount of credit for turning the season around.
"We hope to see another bumper crowd at Holloways Park to cheer the lads on in their last home game of the season and I'm sure we'll reward them with a positive performance."
Following the Easter weekend results, the Rebels need to at least match Barton Rovers' result on the final day to secure the remaining playoff spot – but will be ruing the fact they are not involved in an amazing final day scramble for the league championship, in which any one of four sides could be crowned champions.
Chertsey, already relegated and rumoured to be resigning from the Southern League in any case, will be determined to end the season on a high. Slough will remember from their trip to Alwyns Lane in December that the Surrey side kept them at bay until the 72nd minute, when a screamer from man-of-the-match George Short opened the scoring. It was only then that Slough were able to add further gloss to the scoreline, with Warren Harris scoring one and Darren Wheeler two.
Joint manager Jon Underwood provided the Official Website with an update ahead of Saturday's match:
"We had a really positive night at training last night and there was some encouraging injury news. Having limped off on Monday with an ankle injury, Sean Fraser has recovered very well and was able to take part in the whole session which is great news. Also, following lots of treatment from Kev in the past week, Ryan Parsons' hamstring injury has shown real improvement and he was able to do some running last night. Tomorrow will come too soon for him but if we are able to get the win we need tomorrow, we are hopeful he will come into contention for the play-offs.
"In terms of availability we are pleased to have Dave Woozley back with us, and he trained last night, as well as Steve Duff. Unfortunately we will be missing Adam Cornell, who is away this weekend on a trip that was booked before he joined the club.
Squad: Jake Somerville, Sean Fraser, Dan Sintim, Dave Woozley, Guy Hollis, Ben Edwards, Jamie McClurg, George Short, Gareth Risbridger, Seb Castello, Jake Parsons, James Dobson, Warren Harris, Steve Duff, Eddie Smith, Johnnie Dyer.
"Chertsey's troubles have been well documented and the announcement this week that they have resigned from the league to drop down to the Combined Counties League will no doubt lead some people to believe that tomorrow's result is a foregone conclusion, but I can assure you this is not the case. We know their manager David Johnston and he is not someone who will allow his team to roll over and die and they will no doubt be looking to make life very difficult for us.
"Despite a disappointing Easter weekend, the mood last night was extremely positive and everyone is focused on the job ahead of us and we remain extremely confident in our ability. To be in a position on the last day with a play-off spot in our hands is something we could not have expected at the turn of the year and if we are able to finish the job tomorrow then the lads will deserve a huge amount of credit for turning the season around.
"We hope to see another bumper crowd at Holloways Park to cheer the lads on in their last home game of the season and I'm sure we'll reward them with a positive performance."
Copyright 2025 Slough Town F.C. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.sloughtownfc.net as the source.