Reardon winner puts Slough through

Brilliant football took Slough Town to a magnificent fourth round Amateur Cup victory over the Northern favourites, Blyth Spartans, at the Stadium, Slough, on Saturday, before a crowd which topped the 3,000 mark and included a large contingent from Northumberland. Town will be competing in the semi-finals for the second time in the last three years. The goalscorers for Slough were Chatterton and Reardon.

The Northern favourites met Slough on a day when every player gave of his best. In an outstanding team performance Day and D'Arcy showed all the experience and guile they have accumulated over the years.

Kenny Gaine had his best ever game for the club, Micky O'Sullivan and Ian Wolstenholme were outstanding and Terry Reardon, given the job of subduing the Blyth danger man, Eddie Alder, so outplayed him that in the end Blyth had no alternative other than to remove Alder from the game.

Reardon for many was the man of the match, his control and non-stop work rate allied to his obvious skills were too much for Blyth, and it was fitting that it should be Reardon who ghosted through the Blyth defence in the 52nd minute to score the winning goal.

The superb display by Slough was rather upset by the disgraceful antics of a section of the Blyth crowd, causing damage to Stadium property and fighting with the police they capped it all by racing onto the pitch at the end and kicking one young Slough supporter senseless, Only the brave action of Slough trainer John Graham stopped the boy from receiving even worse injuries. Fourteen arrests were made and 12 people had to be taken to hospital, one being admitted for the night.

The game itself produced all that is good in football, referee Mr. D. W. Lloyd from Fernhill Heath allowed no time wasting and booked Reardon for delaying in taking a free kick. With the game always fast moving it was Slough who showed themselves as the better side although the obvious quality of the Spartans did show through on occasions but such was Slough's grip on the game that the visitors were allowed very little part in the entertainment.

The 3,350 plus crowd were treated to Slough's usual pre-match warm up then as the Slough players went back into the dressing rooms the Blyth players came out to go through their ritual and one had the impression even at this pre-match state that they were the more nervous of the two teams.

Slough kicked off but the play was stopped within a minute due to one of the Slough supporters blowing a whistle. After this Slough began what was to become relentless first half pressure. In the 4th minute good work by Reardon put Eaton away on the left, he beat two men but his shot was turned for a corner. From the kick Mead headed over the bar.

Play remained in the Blyth half with their keeper nervously kicking the ball anywhere and in the 9th D'Arcy cleverly flighted the ball so that it dropped out of the sun and keeper Varvill did well to turn it over for a corner. Chatterton headed over from yet another corner in the 13th and two minutes later Ray Young was booked for a desperate tackle on Eaton.

Slough, so much in control, began to extend themselves. Blyth gained their first corner in the 18th minute but the ball was cleared straight to the ether end where Gain and Chatterton should have done more with it than they did but the ball was played away to Blyth's best player, winger Des Jardine, who raced clear pushing the ball inside to Ray Young, who teed it up for Allan Young to hammer the ball past Wolstenholme for the first goal, this from Blyth's first shot of the match. As Slough manager Tommy Lawrence put it after the game, "It was a bit of a liberty."

Slough were in no way dismayed and re-applied the pressure and forced the Spartans back. Chatterton and Gain had shots blocked, a Chatterton shot was deflected for a corner, and after Blyth had managed their second shot of the half in the 30th minute Slough gained four corners in six minutes before a great pass from D'Arcy put O'Sullivan away and his shot rattled the crossbar.

Into injury time Blyth managed their third and final shot of the half. Then in the 4th minute of this extra time Anthony waltzed past Smith as though he were rooted to the ground, crossed the ball to the far post where Chatterton headed the ball back across, Varvill got his fingers to it but it bounced into the net with centre half Scott desperately trying to clear. Slough were again on level terms which was no more than they deserved.

After the interval, Blyth, renowned for being the stronger team in the second half, started well, Two corners within a minute were cleared by the Slough defence. Pressing forward Blyth looked more like the team wo had heard so much about hut they did not last long. In the 49th minutes from a Reardon free kick O'Sullivan hit the ball over the bar.

Two minutes later was Jardine who tested Wolstenholme but the Slough keeper was equal to the very fine shot. Seconds later Slough were in front.

The ever industrious Chatterton crossed the ball from the right, O'Sullivan had a shot blocked, Gain pounced on the rebound but was tackled before he could get in a shot and the ball ran across the goal for Reardon to coolly pick his spot and push it into the back of the net between two defenders.

Slough were in front and Blyth now had the work to do. Hero Reardon was booked in the 54th for time wasting and this was almost a signal for Blyth to begin to pressurise the Slough goal but all the football they produced was matched by the magnificent Slough defence, Slough broke free of the stranglehold in the 62nd and O'Sullivan raced clear only for his shot to be turned onto the crossbar by Varvill.

In the 65th Alder, the man who has more than any other been responsible for Blyth's success, was taken off to be replaced by Evans, completely marked out of the game by Reardon and D'Arcy the Blyth bench obviously wanted to try a new approach.

Blyth continued to press forward and in the 75th their best chance fell to Ray Young but running to the left of the goal his shot crept past the wrong side of the right upright.

Within a minute Anthony broke away outran the Blyth defence but was dispossessed by Varvil, In the 78th Chatterton repeated the operation but saw his shot saved by Varvill.

Time was running out for the Northerners and Slough were regaining their slightly ruffled composure and amidst fighting and general disarray on the terraces Mr. Lloyd blew his whistle to signal Slough's entry into the semi-finals.