Wealdstone
2
Slough Town
1
Friendly
Slough Town wrapped up their pre-season campaign with a narrow 2-1 defeat away at National League side Wealdstone, in a match that proved a valuable workout ahead of next weekend’s National League South opener at Tonbridge Angels.
The hosts took an early lead in the 11th minute when Deon Woodman headed home unchallenged from a corner – a goal which frustrated assistant manager Tony Fontenelle post-match.
“It wasn’t a great goal from our point of view to concede – another set piece. You just have to outbattle your man in those situations. It’s a learning curve,” he reflected.
Wealdstone doubled their lead soon after, with a smart reverse pass from Georgiou slicing through the Rebels defence and finding Nathan Tshikuna, who calmly slotted home on 26 minutes. Slough found it difficult to break down the home side and entered the break two goals down with few clear-cut chances created.
Half-time changes saw Johnny Goddard and Jaiden Drakes-Thomas introduced, and the Rebels improved after the restart. Jared Myers went close after a flowing move, while Adam Desbois kept Slough in the game with an outstanding double save to deny Tshikuna and others.
Drakes-Thomas provided a moment of magic late on, intercepting a loose pass and firing an audacious strike from inside his own half to catch the Wealdstone keeper off his line – a standout goal that capped an encouraging second-half showing.
“We know what an excellent technician he is, and you can’t teach that,” said Fontenelle. “That goal just shows what he’s got in his locker.”
There was still time for Desbois to save a Wealdstone penalty, confirming his status as a key performer on the day.
“Adam’s made four or five first-class saves. He’s shown exactly why we brought him to the club,” Fontenelle added.
Reflecting on pre-season as a whole, Fontenelle was upbeat:
“We’re a million miles away from where we were at the start. The lads have really bought into how we want to do things, and we’ve seen real steady progression. We’re excited for the season to start.”
Slough Town now turn their attention to the real thing, as they travel to Tonbridge Angels next Saturday to kick off the 2025/26 National League South campaign.
The hosts took an early lead in the 11th minute when Deon Woodman headed home unchallenged from a corner – a goal which frustrated assistant manager Tony Fontenelle post-match.
“It wasn’t a great goal from our point of view to concede – another set piece. You just have to outbattle your man in those situations. It’s a learning curve,” he reflected.
Wealdstone doubled their lead soon after, with a smart reverse pass from Georgiou slicing through the Rebels defence and finding Nathan Tshikuna, who calmly slotted home on 26 minutes. Slough found it difficult to break down the home side and entered the break two goals down with few clear-cut chances created.
Half-time changes saw Johnny Goddard and Jaiden Drakes-Thomas introduced, and the Rebels improved after the restart. Jared Myers went close after a flowing move, while Adam Desbois kept Slough in the game with an outstanding double save to deny Tshikuna and others.
Drakes-Thomas provided a moment of magic late on, intercepting a loose pass and firing an audacious strike from inside his own half to catch the Wealdstone keeper off his line – a standout goal that capped an encouraging second-half showing.
“We know what an excellent technician he is, and you can’t teach that,” said Fontenelle. “That goal just shows what he’s got in his locker.”
There was still time for Desbois to save a Wealdstone penalty, confirming his status as a key performer on the day.
“Adam’s made four or five first-class saves. He’s shown exactly why we brought him to the club,” Fontenelle added.
Reflecting on pre-season as a whole, Fontenelle was upbeat:
“We’re a million miles away from where we were at the start. The lads have really bought into how we want to do things, and we’ve seen real steady progression. We’re excited for the season to start.”
Slough Town now turn their attention to the real thing, as they travel to Tonbridge Angels next Saturday to kick off the 2025/26 National League South campaign.
Slough Town Line up
Adam Desbois, Tarik Gidaree, Peter Ojemen, Henry Ochieng, Tyrique Clarke, Jordan Greenidge, Aaron White, Scott Davies (Johnny Goddard 45), Brian Nelson (Jaiden Drakes-Thomas 45), Dan Roth, Jared Myers (Nnaemeka Anyanwu 70).