VALLEY MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW

Valley skipper Nik Preston’s 15th minute strike settled a close encounter between the two play-off chasing rivals at Butlin Road last Saturday.

By Jon Venner.

Photo: Martin Pulley

Niki Preston nets the crucial winning goal in the first half.

Slough came into the game a place below Rugby and on the back of five straight victories. However the home side were in determined form throughout, and stood firm to anything that was thrown at them as the visitors pushed for an equaliser in the latter stages of the game.

Manager Martin Sockett was without the injured Danny Hall, meaning a start for Craig Goodbody at right-back and Gary Moran moving over to occupy the opposite full-back berth.

The Rebels had the first half chance of the game when striker Danny Burrell fired his volley wide on eight minutes, but the hosts then took the lead when Preston sneaked in behind the defence to power home Leon Simpson’s headed flick-on to Nick Heath’s free-kick.

Rugby could have doubled their lead shortly after when Andy Gundelach’s surge down the middle opened up the Slough defence, however the midfielder failed to spot the unmarked Richard Wesley to his left and the move broke down.

The visitors rallied well in the remainder of the first half with Dave Clarke doing well to block Chris Herron’s effort with his legs and then he took a rising strike from Chris Seeby on the up.

At the other end, Simpson shot wide after Heath had created an opening for him with some neat control and a slide-rule pass.

Clarke pulled out the best save of the game on the stroke of the interval with a find one-handed stop to deny Slough captain Steve Perkins’s header.

The second half was even tighter than the first, with few goalscoring chances of note for either side and both defences were generally in the ascendance.

For Slough, early efforts from Simon Martin and Seeby failed to trouble Clarke, and for Valley, Claudiu Hoban’s free-kick lacked power and went harmlessly wide of the upright.

Moran’s cross to the far post was met by Paddy Connolly but keeper Rob Bullivant was across well to smother his header, and Preston nearly found himself in again after another Simpson flick-on – but this time the ball drifted too wide for him to be able to get a shot off.
Valley also had a great shout for a penalty when Simpson appeared to be upended by Perkins after a powerful run into the box.

Sockett rang the changes in the final twenty minutes, replacing his front three Hoban, Simpson and Wesley with the fresh legs of Ben Steane, Tyrone Fagan and Simeon Smith.

Rugby played out the rest of the game – which included an unfathomable eight minutes of added-on time - with a solid display thereafter. It was not always pretty, but certainly effective – with Clarke not tested to any great extent.

In this time, the visitors also had a penalty appeal turned away by referee Bingham, after he went down in a goalmouth scramble.

Valley line-up: Clarke; Goodbody, Moran, Preston, Gourlay; Gundelach, Wesley (Smith), Heath, Connolly; Simpson (Fagan), Hoban (Steane). Sub not used: Edwards. Booked: Clarke, Fagan.

Slough line-up: Bullivant, Sweeney, Murphy, Herron, Perkins, Woozley, Sinclair, Seeby, Burnell, Sonner, Swift. Subs: Martin, Coyne, Logie, Porter, Abbey.