On the up

The Rebels now genuinely feel they've got a chance of winning something this season. As they assumed joint leadership of the Vauxhall Opel League just three days after impressively winning the tricky FA Trophy tie in Cornwall, manager Alan Davies and his men had good reason to be delighted with their latest efforts.

"I told them there's no use just doing it in cup games, " said the Slough chief, "and they responded, gave100% and again got a good result. " Considering Knight, White, Dodd and Wanklyn played despite being less than fully fit, their determination to play and produce the goods speaks volumes for the tremendous spirit which recent results and performances, even in defeat, have engendered.

Davies added "It's sometimes difficult when you play on a Wednesday night to bring them back down to earth. But they showed a lot of character today." Assistant manager Graham Cox said the atmosphere in the dressing room after the game was the best he'd known this season.

And Davies had further good reason to be chuffed, as the defeated were managed by Alan Humphries, his assistant at Wexham Park up to last January and his boss in their early days in management at Hillingdon.

The decisive goals all came in a 13 minute spell in the second half, when the Rebels could easily have added to their goal tally of 11 in the last three games. It was really only a question of Slough mastering a dogged offside trap, for once they did that, the goals were bound to come.

Jimmy Brown took his goal tally for the season to 20 with more of the top quality finishing Rebels' fans have been accustomed to, while Neal Stanley superbly set up Wayne Wanklyn to put the Rebels ahead after 62 minutes.

Before that, 'Stoke fluffed two good opportunities in an hour which produced no more than a handful of opportunities for both sides. With Jimmy Jacobs advised to rest after picking up a virus following his bout of measles,

Dennis Powell continued at right back and the side was the one which completed the 5-2 win at Saltash. 'Stoke, with defeats in a run of seven successive away games ended only last week, made their recent lack of finishing ability obvious in the 19th minute.

Slough 'keeper Trevor Bunting saved Budden's header from Common's corner, but Gregory ballooned over from no more than five yards.

Then hesitation cost midfield lynchpin Gary Dodd the chance to give the Rebels the lead soon after. From Wilson's flag-kick, he dwelt on the ball and full-back Davies whipped the ball off his toe with the goal only eight yards away.

Slough forwards still have a tendency to get caught offside more often than they should. And their collective lack of thought meant their only other chance in the first period came when Brown met a good cross from Wilson, but couldn't hit the target.

'Stoke had a gilt-edged opportunity after the restart when Budden caught the visitors defence square and Lucas chased his through ball. Bunting did well to reduce the strikers options but when he pushed the ball out, Taylor scooped disastrously over with an empty net in front of him.

Thereafter, Slough got a real grip on proceedings and they could have had a hatful of goals. First Wilson, continuing his improved form, struck a post after Dodd and Stanley combined.

Then the Rebels reward came when Waites lobbed a teasing cross, Neal Stanley rose brilliantly to beat 'keeper Beales to nod for Wayne Wanklyn to tap in and open the scoring.

And Slough swiftly turned defence into attack for another goal in the 72nd minute. Waites cleared from the right-back position and his clearance eventually found Wilson. The winger set Stanley free on the edge of the box and with the 'Stoke defence carved up and Beales in no man's land, Jimmy Brown coolly did the rest.

Sad 'Stoke didn't look like providing any further resistance to the Rebels' raids. Three minutes later, Powell, who took his chance well at full-back, found Brown and the striker calmly wrong-footed the 'keeper and firmly stuck the back of the net.

Stanley and Brown could have made the victory even more emphatic, but the result and improvement to Slough's goal difference meant they climbed above Windsor to join Bromley at the top of the table - each of them on 32 points.