SLOUGH Town suffered a first defeat in four matches when losing 1-0 at Frome Town on Saturday.

Frome completed a double over Slough though The Rebels remain in the Southern Premier Division play-off spots and seven points ahead of sixth-placed Banbury, who lost 2-0 at Stratford Town.

A Ryan Bath goal just before half-time was the difference between the two sides at the Special Effect Stadium, while a James Dobson penalty came back off the post after the break.

Frome took the lead just seconds before half-time. Ollie Knight slipped the ball through to Bath who was able to turn a defender and shoot from a tight angle, the ball rolling past Shaun Rowley and into the far corner.

Slough were gifted the chance to drew level in the 68th minute when Simon Dunn was fouled inside the box by Kris Miller but Dobson failed to hit the target with his second consecutive penalty. He hit the post with Dunn unable to turn in the rebound.

“There wasn’t going to be much in the game, that’s being brutally honest, it was a horrible game,” Rebels joint-boss Neil Baker told Rebels Radio.

Slough Observer:

PHOTO: James Dobson hits the post with a penalty on Saturday.

“It was very windy and the pitch was awful. It actually looked quite good from the sidelines but it was poor.

“But, that’s four or five times now since Christmas that we have gone away and struggled on a really poor pitch so we’ve got to do something on that, and it’s something we have definitely got to look into for next season.

“We’ve got to learn how to win ugly away. We have done it at times but we’ve just not done it enough recently and that’s what’s cost us.

“It’s football, you can try to come up with lots of reasons as to why. We went to Cambridge and were excellent on a terrible pitch.

“It’s just football and we said on Saturday if you went behind it was always going to be very difficult.

“We had a guilt-edged chance to score but James has missed a second penalty in a week, which is very frustrating.

Slough Observer:

PHOTO: Simon Dunn (blue) challenges for the ball at Frome.

“If we come away from here with a 1-1, we’re probably delighted. We both would have taken a point before the start of the game and, on paper, it was probably our toughest game left this season.

“It is just one of those horrible game. We sat in the dugout and said it was probably one of the worst games you will see and I don’t think there’s anything you can do.”

Baker continued: “People can have their moans and it doesn’t bother me. Frome were just as bad as us and we said it to their management team. It was just an awful game of football.

“We had more chances in the first half yet we give away what I perceive to be a poor goal. I think Guy Hollis has got to be stronger and do better in our box.

“Other than that there’s not an awful lot in the game to be honest.

“It wasn’t one for the purists and you look to when we played two weeks ago, where we created 15-20 chances, we probably created a couple of half-chances on Saturday.

Slough Observer:

PHOTO: Neil Baker - "I think Guy Hollis (in blue) has got to be stronger and do better in our box."

“Chippenham and Leamington have had some good away wins, but so have we, and our away record is actually quite good. That is why we are in the play-offs and that’s why we’re going to finish there.

“I’m disappointed because it was a horrible game and feels like a bit of a waste of a Saturday but, in reality with Banbury losing, there is no change there.

“We’re firmly in the play-offs and have got three games left at home and two away games.

“What people have got to understand is we’ve done well this year. We’ve got ourselves in with a chance of being promoted into the Conference South, and that’s all we could have hoped and dreamed for at the start of the season.

“We will go again and I’m sure we will be working hard wherever we go between now and the end of the season.

“I don’t believe we have picked up any injuries. We didn’t risk Chris Flood on Saturday but his hamstring has been tight and we could ill-afford to lose somebody like him.”

The Rebels remain in fourth position in the table and return to Arbour Park for the visit of King’s Lynn Town this Saturday (3pm).

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