MATCH PREVIEW: Slough Town vs Chippenham Town | National League South | Tuesday 25th February 2025
Matt Chappell previews our game against Slough Town
The Bluebirds conclude their February campaign with a short trip across the M4 on Tuesday, as they make the trip to Arbour Park, home of Slough Town Football Club
Last Time Out
The Bluebirds extended their unbeaten run to four games in five, maintaining their 13th position in the National League South table with a 1-1 draw against Welling United on Saturday. Chippenham started brightly, forcing two early corners before taking the lead in the 11th minute. Freddie Grant’s shot from the edge of the area was deflected behind off a Welling arm, but despite penalty appeals, no spot-kick was awarded. Justice was served when Luke Spokes’s resulting corner was played back across the area, allowing Hamzad Kargbo to tap in from close range to score his second goal while on-loan from Newport County.
Chippenham continued to create chances, with Caine Bradbury setting up Tom Mehew, but his shot was saved by Welling goalkeeper Rhys Lovett. Welling responded strongly, with Scott Kashket almost capitalizing on a Chippenham defensive lapse, only for Luke Haines to make a timely tackle and prevent a shot into an empty net. On the 25th minute, Welling equalised when Harvey Walker’s free kick deceived the Chippenham defence, and skipper Dave Winfield was there to tap in the rebound. The remainder of the first half saw both sides pushing for a second, with Chippenham coming close through a deflected shot from Kargbo and another corner from Spokes that struck the crossbar. Matt McClure also had a chance just before the break but could not find the target.
The second half saw Welling doing the bulk of the attacking but unable to find a breakthrough against Chippenham’s resolute defence. However, the Bluebirds had several chances to regain the lead, including a blocked shot from Mehew after a corner and a powerful rising shot from Jayden Davis that cleared the bar. The best opportunity came in the 77th minute when a defensive mistake left Mehew one-on-one with Lovett, but he dragged his shot wide, much to the frustration of the home side. Despite both teams having chances to win it, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Our Opponents
Slough Town FC, known as “The Rebels,” were founded in 1890 following the merger of three local clubs. The club initially played in leagues such as the Southern Alliance and the Great Western Suburban League before settling in the Spartan League in 1921. A major setback came in 1936 when their ground, The Dolphin Stadium, was sold for redevelopment, forcing them to ground-share with Maidenhead United. This led to a merger with Slough Centre FC, briefly forming Slough United before the club re-established itself as Slough Town.
After World War II, the club played a key role in forming the Corinthian League, which led to their nickname, “The Rebels,” as they broke away from the existing football structure. They enjoyed success in this period, winning the Corinthian League in 1950–51 before moving to the Athenian League, where they secured three league titles. In 1973, Slough Town joined the Isthmian League, setting the stage for one of their most successful periods. The 1980s saw them win the Isthmian League twice, earning promotion to the Football Conference, the highest level of non-league football at the time. However, despite finishing eighth in 1997–98, financial difficulties forced their relegation.
The early 2000s were a turbulent time, with the club facing struggles on and off the pitch. Despite this, they made headlines in the 2004–05 FA Cup, defeating League One side Walsall in the first round. The following years saw mixed fortunes, with promotions and relegations keeping the club in flux. In 2013, joint managers Neil Baker and Jon Underwood took charge, bringing stability and leading the team to promotion via the play-offs in 2014 after a dramatic win over Kettering Town. Slough’s resurgence continued, and in 2018, they earned promotion to the National League South after a play-off final victory against King’s Lynn Town. The club also made an impressive FA Cup run, reaching the second round.
Head 2 Head
The history of this fixture dates to the Southern League days, with the two sides first meeting in competitive action back in 2014. Our most recent encounter took place in November 2024 at #TheTSStadium, where our hosts for Tuesday’s match emerged 3-0 winners. Goals from Dan Bayliss, Sam Evans, and Francis Amartey secured the victory, leaving the Rebels to head home without any points. We’ll delve deeper into our FA Cup history with Slough shortly, but first, let’s reflect on some of the most memorable results between our sides.
Over the years, both teams have enjoyed their share of high-scoring matches. A standout moment for us came in January 2022, when we triumphed 6-1 against Slough at the TSS. Despite Slough taking an early lead with a goal and a trademark Cristiano Ronaldo-style celebration from Alfonso Tenconi, we quickly turned the game around. Goals from former players Joe Hanks and Luke Russe, as well as a brace each from Ricky Aguiar and Jordan Young, ensured that the Bluebirds fans went home thrilled after an afternoon of exceptional football.
However, Slough has had their own big moment too. In April 2023, they responded with a 6-1 victory of their own at Arbour Park. Despite an Alex Bray goal in the second half, Slough’s ruthless attack saw them take all three points, with goals from Josh Jackman, Elliott Benyon, and a remarkable four-goal performance from George Alexander.
Now onto our FA Cup history with Slough, back in 2019 saw a chaotic double header of football between the sides as 11 goals were scored in the two legs of action. The first, at home, saw both sides draw 3-3 in October 2019, as Kieran Parselle, Jay Foulston and an own goal from Lewis Togwell saw the Bluebirds travel back to Berkshire the following Tuesday and eventually progress into the 4th Qualifying Round. That fateful night at Arbour Park would see Nat Jarvis, Karnell Chambers and, a then 18-year-old, Luke Haines score, en-route to the FA Cup First Round.
Ones to Watch
Ahead of Tuesday, we’ve chosen these three Slough players for ones to look out for who will be sure to be amongst the action.
First up is Slavi Spasov, the 23 year old Bulgarian born former Oxford Untied academy striker joined Slough on a permanent transfer from Hungerford Town and has been involved in 28 appearances, starting in 74% of matches. He’s contributed a total of 11 goals and 5 assists so far, playing 2180 total minutes of action.
Up next is 24 year old central midfielder John Gilbert, who joined Slough at the start of this season from Walton & Hersham, also playing for Walton Casuals, Maldon & Tiptree and also Met Police who we faced off in the Emirates FA Cup a few years back. So far this season he has played a total of 27 times, 76% of that in the starting eleven, scoring 6 times and assisting 12 with a total of 2262 total minutes of football.
The final one to look out for is 25 year old forward Francis Amartey, re-joining from Weymouth at the start of this season on his third spell for the Rebels. Francis has also featured for Aldershot, Farnborough, Hampton & Richmond just to name a few. In total, Francis has played 57 times and scored 11 goals during his total time at Slough but from this season alone, he’s played 29 times, scored 6 and assisted 1, playing 1494 minutes of action.
Round-up
After a good point at home on Saturday, Gary’s lads look to continue their unbeaten run against a tough Slough side on Tuesday, as a busy month of football coming up in March is on the horizon. Wishing safe travels to everyone who will be joining us on the trip to Berkshire this Tuesday! For those looking to purchase tickets, they are available online in advance at the following prices:
• Adults (18-64): £15
• Concessions (65+): £10
• 13-17 years / Students: £3
• Under 13’s: £1
Please note that tickets purchased on the day of the match will incur an additional £2 charge, except for Under 13’s tickets, which remain priced at £1. For those unable to attend, there will be no radio commentary for this game.
However, you can still follow all the action on our X account starting at 19:30. After the match, you can catch all the post-match reactions and highlights on our YouTube channel
COME ON YOU BLUEBIRDS!!
