20th August - Uxbridge (a) Match Thread

[GarySTFC]

Directions: http://www.sloughtownfc.net/directions/352

Kick off: 7.45pm

 

Here's hoping the players can give Neil and Jon their first points of the season in what has been historically a difficult place for the Rebels to go and get a result.

 

COME ON YOU REBELS!

[GlenSTFC]

Think it's going to be very tough to win at Uxbridge tonight (especially with only 1 fit striker in the squad) just hope the players haven't got Saturday still on their mind and can start afresh and show us all what they can do. More importantly is the result over performance though but lets hope we see both!

[Stuntman Mark]

^{Looking forward to an improved performance tonight. To say we've not had much joy out of Uxbridge in recent years is an understatement so this is a good opportunity for the new players to show what they are about. They are always well up for it against us so anything less than 100% just won't do as we found out last year. Our season starts today. COYR!}

[C'est la vie]

Does anyone know if we will be wearing the purple away kit tonight?

[Mark44]

No publishing predictions but just so I'm not cheating I have gone 2-2 smith

[GarySTFC]

HT Scores From the Division:

Ashford 0-1 AFC Hayes

Aylesbury 0-1 Daventry

Chalfont 1-0 Aylesbury Utd

Chertsey 0-0 Marlow

Kettering 0-1 Barton

Leighton 0-0 St Ives

Royston 0-1 North Greenford

Rugby 3-0 Potters Bar

Uxbridge 0-0 Slough

 

Frasers cleared one off the line for Slough and Wheeler saw his penalty saved just before half time. 

[GarySTFC]

Smith converted a penalty for Slough after 57 minutes and Tomkins equalised for Uxbridge after 64 minutes. 1-1. 

[GarySTFC]

FT: Uxbridge 1-1 Slough Town

 

Some late pressure from the Rebels didn't bring a winner unfortunately. 

[GarySTFC]

FT Scores: 

Ashford 2-1 AFC Hayes

Aylesbury 1-2 Daventry

Chalfont 1-3 Aylesbury Utd

Chertsey 1-1 Marlow

Kettering 0-3 Barton

Leighton 1-1 St Ives

Northwood 1-3 Dunstable Town

Royston 3-3 North Greenford

Rugby 6-1 Potters Bar

Uxbridge 1-1 Slough

[Hammer_rebel]

Once again Sean Fraser and warren Harris were exceptional again .... So was wheeler some great football at times but still too messy

[Don Juan DeMarcus]

Thought Harris was superb today.

[Stuntman Mark]

I thought we looked a lot better tonight. Clearly missing someone to get on the end of some of the crosses that were coming in with Ed not being 100% and the other two forwards awol. Midfield was a lot better and Jamie McClurg put himself about, but yeah, Warren Harris superb again. Thought we probably played the better football but Uxbridge had the better chances and a draw was about right. Should have had a third penalty for handball on the line, can't believe the ref and lino missed that one!

[PremiershipJoyRider]

Much better performance tonight. It was a shame that so many Wheeler crosses were unconverted.

Some consolation in the fact that Uxbridge look a better outfit than Northwood who beat us on Saturday.

Looking forward to our first win this Saturday at Kettering.

Hopefully the Deaney brothers can oblige us with some of their usual tweets just to make sure our boys are up for it.    

[A Rebel and a Saint]

Agreed Fraser was excellent again.  However overall I'm struggling to be convinced by what I've seen.  It was better than Saturday by quite a way, but I found it so frustrating.  We seem to be exposed at the back quite a lot especially when the ball is played through the defence, and on the attack we have very little height and struggle to maintain control of the ball to create chances.  Quite a few crosses seemed to go astray, and I thought we needed to attack the space and the byline more when we had a lot of space.

On the penalties, I think Smithy proved who should have taken the first one.  He scored 30+ goals last year and took some work to convince to stay, he should be on penalties in my opinion.

 

One question for the managers - we seemed to spend most of pre-season practicing a particular move on corners, but I don't remember seeing it for any of the corners in our first two games, why has it not been used?

 

As I said, much better and there was some promising signs at times but there were times where I thought we didn't deal with Uxbridge pressure as well, I think it's still a way short of the kinds of performances that will get us near the top end of the table.

 

I'm sure we will get there soon.  COYR!

Edited August 20, 2013 by A Rebel and a Saint

[Chris]

Much, much better tonight. Thought we deserved to just nick the result tonight and could have easily had a couple more pens.

 

Thought Wheeler was outstanding and shame the pen was saved on an otherwise top performance.

 

Warren Harris again hugely impressive and I thought Ben Edwards made us look far better in midfield. I look forward to Ed getting fitter this week and Johnnie Dyer coming into the fold making us a lot stronger up front as I think with the supply of these two wingers we'll create a lot more from open play.

 

Not the best of starts points wise, but two quick wins over the bank holiday period and things will look a lot better.

[Martin]

Much better performance and came away with a lot of positives. Harris was excellent again. Wheeler was a constant threat and thought Edwards and Mcclurg were good in midfield although possibly faded a little second half.

 

Once we get Dyer and Scott Harris back I am sure the goals will really start to flow. When the fixtures came out I would have taken a point tonight and we were very unlucky not to have all three.

 

Their keeper made a couple of very good stops and we should have had a third pen for blatant hand ball (but actually thought the ref had a good game). Typical uxbridge, hard working tough tackling with a lot of threat going forward but always likely to give a chance or two at the back.

[Chris]

Yeah I actually think we put in some decent balls into the box in good areas tonight, and when Ed's fully fit and we get Scott Harris & Dyer back I think we'll create a lot more efforts on goal from these balls into the box as a lot of the time tonight there was nobody on the end of them.

Edited August 20, 2013 by Chris

[Neil Baker]

A much better performance from the lads tonight, we should have come home with all 3 points IMO, and I believe that with JD Scott Harris and a fully fit Eddie Smith, some of the inviting crosses into the box in the last 2 games would have been converted, plus a few times things just did not quite drop for us...

 

Not sure that I agree with ARAAS that we got exposed at the back, a few times maybe, more in the first half they did get in, but on the whole I think the lads defended pretty well, and Jake did not have a great deal to do over the course of 90 mins (especially compared to their keeper)....

 

Wheeler showed what he can do when on form, and he tormented their right back and put in cross after cross..... We should also get that from the other side when Warren is playing in his natural position, however thought he worked his socks off again alongside Eddie.

 

In terms of penalties it had been agreed that Wheeler would take them, until he missed... Which came quicker than we hoped, and now Eddie will have them, tbf Wheeler had won the penalty on his own, and wanted to finish it off, but in reality was a good height for the keeper.

 

Also in terms of corners, we work on 3/4, and we have not changed them, just have not had the same luck etc, but is something that we do normally score quite a few goals from, and I believe that is also only a matter of time.

 

Whilst not the points total we want, for us it is about progression of the squad, and getting them gelled... And I think tonight was a step in the right direction.

 

One of the comments was about not much height etc up top, well as we have said 2 players in JD and Scott Harris are both a real handful in the air, so will also help.

 

Great support tonight, was fantastic to see, and hear... Plus also the away kit went down really well amongst the players, who we really impressed with it, and I think it looks really smart.

 

COYR

[3spirit]

Slough gave a much better account of themselves last night and also were a little unlucky in some of their goal-scoring opportunities but given the chances of both teams, a draw seems a fair result.

 

I thought Ryan Lake had his best game so far in a Slough shirt and Darren Wheeler showed that he doesn't always have to go down the line on the outside,to be effective.Hence the first penalty.He,too,had an excellent game[apart from the penalty miss].

Thought the centre midfield looked better for Ben Edwards introduction.Gave Jamie McClurg the chance to drive forward.

 

I,too,regardless of what Neil says about Scott Harris and Johnny Dyer being great jumpers,feel that given the number of high crosses we seem to want to play into the box,we should then be looking for a powerful tall imposing striker up front,as a healthy alternative option to all our small strikers, because you can't tell me those two players Neil has quoted,will get anywhere close to scoring goals with their head when they face competent big centre halves which is the norm when playing the better teams.

 

Don't want to be negative but we've had the same problem for a number of years when Danny Burnell and Sean Sonner played together.Sean Sonner was a great jumper but he scored very few goals with his head and Burnell wasn't prolific with his head either.

 

Not knocking Scott or Johnny,as both look instinctive goal poachers and worth keeping.Having an imposing big player up front helps create space for our goal scorers.Ed Smith is too talented footballer to be wasted as a target man.

 

Anyway that's how I see it.

 

The Uxbridge game was definitely a big step in the right direction for Slough,as they gell but of course,there's still much to improve on.Onwards and upwards!

Edited August 21, 2013 by 3spirit

[Mark44]

_{Didn't make the game last night so cannot comment on how well we played etc........}

 

_{However, a point away at Uxbridge is a very good result. I would say though that although Uxbridge are looking strong and going to be up there I think the aim should always be to win at least 1 out of 2 of your games up top to keep yourself up there. Its looking like Kettering are not having the rub of the green either and so I think the minimum aim for us this weekend is 6 points if we are going to be a strong force.}

 

_{This would give us 7 points from our first 4 games which is acceptable in my mind.}

 

_{Of course if this doesnt happen its not the end of the world.}

 

_{Interesting also that Kettering had an attendance of 789 last night against Barton so was at least 750 Kettering supporters and this was a tuesday night. Would be great to see a similar figure Saturday, especially with the 100 or so Slough fans that will travel}