Slough Town’s match-winner on Saturday, John Ufuah, felt the Rebels stepped up their efforts in the second half of Saturday’s 1-0 win over Weymouth at Arbour Park.
It was a victory full of significance for the Rebels. Not only did it keep them a point clear of their closest rivals at the top of the National League South – but it also meant Slough have gone a full year unbeaten at Arbour Park.
That’s 26 matches in all competitions stretching back to their 5-2 defeat to Tonbridge Angels back on September 2, 2023.
Back then, player manager Scott Davies’ position as head coach looked to be in doubt – and the man himself admits he also had doubts over whether to continue after suffering six defeats in their opening seven matches.
But continue he did, and the Rebels have been rising ever since. A 10th placed finish last season has been followed by a sensational start to the current campaign with the side sitting top of the pile with five wins from their opening six matches.
@sloughtownfc Pics from the 1-0 win over @theterras
https://t.co/xkuwmxDkl0 pic.twitter.com/etZ28d8OlT
— Terry Rickeard (@TRickeard) September 2, 2024
Not all of those wins have been entirely straightforward, particularly at home, and Saturday’s performance was again far from perfect against a Terras side who sat in a low block for much of the contest. But the league leaders eventually found a way through the visitors’ stubborn defence with Ufuah firing home left-footed from Jeanmal Prosper’s cutback in the 68th minute.
Taking the congratulations of his teammates after the final whistle, Ufuah said he was very happy to net his first goal for the club.
“I’m buzzing with it,” he said.
“I thought that in the first half we made hard work of the game. But in the second half we stepped it up a notch.
“We created opportunities, and it was just about taking them and giving ourselves a foothold in the game. Our objective before the game was to get the win and maintain our unbeaten record for a year (at home) so I’m happy with did that.
“They sat in a low block for a lot of the game. It was something we had to break down and figure out on the pitch. The management told us what positions to take up and how we could affect the game better. For the second 45 minutes we did that. Obviously, we’ll enjoy today and focus on Tuesday’s game.”
Thwarted by Weymouth’s defensive game plan for much of the opening hour, Ufuah never sulked. He continued to put in the hard yards, running the channels and looking to make space for himself in the area, and he was rewarded for that persistence when he shook over his markers in the 68th minute and fired past Terras’ keeper Bill Terrell.
The moment.
Lewis Gilpin#OneSlough pic.twitter.com/9pMoZTjRlM
— Slough Town FC (@sloughtownfc) September 1, 2024
He also hailed the contribution of the Rebels fans for helping them to three straight victories at home this season – and 26 matches unbeaten at Arbour Park in all competitions. It’s a record he – and everyone associated with Slough Town – is proud of.
“We do a lot of positional play and finishing with the coaches,” he said. “So, we all know what positions to pick up and, when Jammers got to the byline, I moved into that space. The ball found its way to me, and I took the shot. It was nice to see it fly into the corner.”
He said: “We’re all very proud and this wouldn’t have been possible without the fans raising their voices,
“We can feel their presence on the pitch and sometimes that gives you an extra couple of per cent to perform on the pitch.”
Slough are back in action at sixth-placed Weston-Super-Mare tomorrow evening (Tuesday) before returning to Arbour Park on Saturday for the visit of second placed Hemel Hempstead Town.
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The following Saturday (September 14) Slough Town begin their journey in this season’s FA Cup with a trip to Isthmian League Premier Division side Chichester City.
The draw for the second qualifying round of the competition took place this lunchtime (Monday) and this will be the first ever meeting between the two clubs.
Winning clubs will receive £3,375 from the FA’s prize fund with the losing teams taking home £1,125.
Clubs from the National League North and South join the competition at this stage.
