Ex Rebel Is Walton Cup Final Hero

A goal by ex-Slough Town player Roger Connell within seconds of time knocked the Rebels out of the Amateur Cup at Wembley Stadium on Saturday before a crowd of 41,000 of whom at least 15,000 were from the Slough-Windsor area.

To be so near yet so far was a heart-breaking experience for all connected with the town but they put up a magnificent fight and with any luck in the first half when they dominated the midfield play would have made history and won the cup. The year Slough got to Wembley will be remembered and talked about in local sporting circles forever.

Walton won the toss, Martin Swadling collected Slough's suits and the penultimate Amateur Cup Final was under way.

Slough quickly settled and began to play some attractive football but the Walton defenders would not allow too much of this, Bassett being the worst offender, cutting Chatterton down the 5th and 6th minutes, from second free kick Day curved the ball goalwards, causing Teale to bring off a fine save, The tenth minute saw Slough gain a corner the left, Day's kick found Chatterton on the far post but his header glanced off the top the upright.

Despite Slough's superiority at this stage, Reardon, playing magnificently in the back line, was sorely missed in midfield where Alf D'Arcy did not look at home. Day was playing very effectively but without Slough's midfield trio in action the front runners were having to back and forage for themselves, actions that were to cause lot of fatigue later on.

In the 12th Anthony made a good run on the left but his cross bounced badly for Chatterton and Teale gave away a corner on the right. A free kick from Day skimmed the wrong side of the post and within seconds Reid raced on the right but was chopped to the ground before could get in a shot. In the 17th, a cross from D'Arcy was hammered goalwards by Chatterton but Teale was on hand to block the shot.

In the 20th Bassett was again guilty of chopping a player to the ground. This time it was O'Sullivan and for he found his name in Mr. New's book. Slough continued forward with Walton limited to the occasional sortie in to the Slough half. In the 31st Gaine was badly fouled by Smith and again Mr. New had to make an entry in his book. From the resulting free kick Day touched the ball to Chatterton who hit a powerful shot that brought the save of the match from Teale tipping the ball over for a corner.

Within minutes Day was rugby tackled by Lambert, then in the 36th Thomas joined his two team mates in book for a foul on Day. In the 41st Reid went close with a good shot but it was Walton who should have gone in front in the 41st when Smith fired the ball across the goal and Somers, Walton's best forward, got his foot to the ball and pushed it wide of an open goal.

The start of the second half saw Slough continue to press forward but just on the hour it became noticeable that Walton were getting into the game, frustration played its part on the Slough players adding to the general tiredness from their first half efforts and Walton were not slow in capitalising on this. Following a fine shot from Anthony in the 61st that brought yet another fine save from Teale, play then switched almost entirely to the Slough end.

A long throw from Donaldson in the 63rd was back headed by Somers and Wolstenholme made the first of many saves, conceding a corner Another corner resulted and Slough were really under pressure. In the 69th Walton took three corners in succession and Slough just could not clear their lines.

Walton were now in complete control, the midfield was theirs, their full backs were overlapping well and only superb play by Reardon and Mead kept Connell and Somers out, leaving Reid and Eaton to try to stem the overlapping tide.

Bassett, forever pacing the outside of the Slough area for any half clearances, was a constant threat, threat that Slough strangely left unguarded and it was Bassett from this position who fired in a fine shot in the 74th and Wolstenholme just managed to dive in and finger the ball away for a corner. Under this terrific pressure D'Arcy began to feel the pace just that bit too much and in the 81st he left the field for Jamieson to substitute.

The tide would not be stemmed; Morris went close with a header in the 84th, then with extra time looking a certainty, and at this stage Slough beginning to look as though they were getting back into the game, came the killer goal, the ball sailed into the Slough goalmouth yet again, Reardon headed away but this time it was Connell who was standing at the edge of the area and he hit the ball hard and low. Wolstenholme managed to get his fingers to the ball but it went into the net off the foot of the left upright and Slough were losing 1-0.

The final two minutes saw Slough press forward but to no avail. What they had failed to do in the first hour of superiority Walton certainly were not going to allow in the final seconds and Slough had to concede defeat to a side that had almost come back from the dead to take the Amateur Cup.

After Walton had received the Cup and the members of both teams their medals, the winners commenced a lap of honour of the ground and Slough sportingly following waving enthusiastically to the overjoyed supporters of the Surrey club, Later Slough returned to the Supporters Club at Slough where they were given a great welcome and then went on to the Naval Club for a special celebration and then back to the Supporters Club.