Davies delighted by performances as new signings spark Slough Town's turnaround

Slough were unfortunate not to beat Gloucester City on Saturday. Photo: Zak Rana

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Slough Town’s past three performances in three different competitions would suggest the Rebels are starting to show their real colours and true form this season.

Last week they hammered Beaconsfield Town 8-0 to march confidently into the quarter finals of the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup, while they were desperately unlucky to bow out on penalties against Gloucester City in the FA Trophy on Saturday, having dominated the game in terms of possession and chances.

While on Tuesday night, they set up perfectly to hit league rivals Farnborough on the break to secure a 2-0 home victory that lifts the side up to 21st in the table and back within touching distance of the teams just outside of the National League South relegation zone.

For manager Scott Davies, it certainly feels a lot better than it did a week or so ago, while the club’s run to the second round of the FA Cup - and an intriguing televised home tie with National League North Macclesfield on December 7 - has loosened the purse strings sufficiently to bring in a couple of new players in striker Ruben Shakpoke from Welling United and on-loan defender Jacob Bourgnis from Reading.

It didn’t take Shakpoke long to make his mark on Tuesday night as he linked up well with Wiktor Makowski before firing home the Rebels’ first half opener. Jaiden Drakes-Thomas completed the job with a deflected strike late on, after Adam Desbois had pulled off a couple of good saves to keep the hosts ahead.

“We were very good in periods last night and that’s what’s got us the win,” said Davies.

“We started very well and managed to score a good goal through our new signing. That’s a massive positive. There was also a good understanding between him and Wiktor Makowski which is pleasing to see.

“Overall, it was a very good night, and we managed to weather the storm in the second half and seal it late on with a goal from Jaiden.

“We were quite comfortable in our shape. We tried to defend when we needed to and then hit them on the counter. We know we’ve got so much pace that if teams step onto us we can exploit the space in behind. That’s exactly what we tried to do, and we could have scored two or three before they got the chance to get one back

“Adam (Desbois) pulled off a couple of good saves, but I thought we deserved to win the game. They had more possession, but we knew that when we won it back, we could counter and cause some problems for them.

“It’s three really good performances in a week. With Beaconsfield last week, Gloucester on Saturday and then last night. Plenty of tempo and chances created, I think we’ve had 47 shots in the last two games.

“That shows you’re doing something right. The disappointing thing is that we’ve only scored three goals. On another day we might have scored seven or eight.

“We need to take our chances in games, but it’s been really positive in terms of the displays the boys have put on.”

The recent signings have given the squad a much-needed refresh and helped dig Slough out of the rut they’d fallen into with their league form.

However, Davies has said everyone in the squad will be required in the coming weeks and months with different combination keys needed to unlock and unpick different defences. He said he wouldn’t play the same side, or style, against Worthing on Saturday as he did for Tuesday’s game against Farnborough. And a different approach will be needed again for Tuesday’s visitors AFC Totton.

“When you’ve had the same group that’s been through a rut together, sometimes you just need a few new faces to freshen things up,” said Davies. “Some fresh legs and ideas. It’s been a bit of a mini rebuild. But we need to utilise the squad and I have no doubt we’ll change things up again for Saturday even though we won last night. We’ll always pick horses for courses, and everyone will still play their part for sure.

“Every game in this league is different and that’s why you must pick different teams and players for specific matches. Worthing is a completely different test to Farnborough. You wouldn’t use the same key to unlock a different door.

“Every lock is different, and we need a different key to open those locks. Players will be disappointed to be left out but their attitude has been great, and they’ve got to be ready to come on and make an impact.

“The past few months hasn’t been a true reflection of us and that’s been a big frustration for me. I worked to put together a team I thought would be competitive and I think we’re starting to see that now. We have enough in the group and hopefully the true us will start to come out now. We look solid defensively and have lots of options up front.

“I’m thankful to the club as well for allowing us to bring in a few extra players but that’s probably down to the FA Cup run that we’ve been on, enabling us to have a little extra finance to play with.”

Saturday’s visitors Worthing will be a tough test of Slough’s recent revival. They sit third in the table and have won their last seven matches in all competitions, and their last four matches without conceding a goal, scoring 15 in the process.

“We identified these three games and wanted to get six points,” said Davies.

“Now we’ve won the first one we want to get nine of course. Six from three would be a great return though. But we’ll try and win every game we can. We very rarely set up to go and get a point but at home, it’s our fortress and it’s where we need to pick up most of our wins.”