Slough Bow Out

The final 4-0 scoreline was very harsh on Jon Underwood and Neil Baker`s side as they matched Keith Hill`s side for long periods of the game and played some really neat football on the artificial surface.

Indeed, the opening 10 minutes or so saw Slough dominate possession in front of a crowd of just under 2,000, and when Rochdale opened the scoring in the 13th minute, it was against the run of play.

But it was a fine finish by Calvin Andrew, who side-footed the impressive Joe Bunney`s low cross past Jack Turner.

Slough fought back and Mark Nisbet forced a good save from `Dale keeper Josh Lillis and just before the break, the hosts had a great chance to go in on level terms when a brilliant cross to the far post was met by Lee Togwell, who couldn`t quite arch his neck enough to get his header on target.

The draw for the Third Round had already been made, of course, and the winners would travel to another League One outfit, Doncaster Rovers, and after 68 minutes, it looked as though it would be their league rivals Rochdale who would be their opponents when they doubled their lead.

Slough conceded a free-kick on he edge of the box, and Callum Camps stepped up and fired the ball past Turner.

The home side continued to play though and 7 minutes later, Smart played a neat one-two with Manny Williams, and his effort beat Lillis but hit the underside of the bar and bounced out.

But the tie was well and truly put to bed in the 88th minute when Ian Henderson`s shot was deflected past Turner by an unfortunate George Wells.

Then, as stoppage time ticked in, Rochdale made the final outcome a little harsh on the hosts when they added a fourth when sub Matt Done raced onto a through ball from Andrew before clipping a shot over Turner and into the back of the net.

Despite a rather flattering scoreline for the visitors, Slough can be very rpoud of the way they performed, both on and off the field.

By Steve Whitney