JON Underwood has admitted Slough Town must stop giving themselves a mountain to climb after falling to a 2-0 defeat away at St Ives Town on Saturday.

The Rebels were disappointing at Westwood Road where a Dubi Ogbonna goal and Jack Higgs penalty condemned them to a second consecutive defeat in the Southern Premier Division.

It is the first time Slough have lost back-to-back league matches this season, and only their sixth loss in the campaign, though joint-boss Underwood knows his side have failed to hit the levels they were achieving in 2016.

“We’re bitterly disappointed with the result and the performance really,” he told the Observer.

“We know we needed to win but in the first-half fell behind to a soft goal. When you go behind teams tend to sit back and become difficult to break down.

“We committed men forward to try to change the game but we need to stop making it hard for ourselves.

“We huffed and puffed and I’ve no problem with the effort from the players, but we lacked quality at a goal down to get back in the game.

“It’s not like St Ives controlled the game, we did that from midfield, but we never got to grips with their centre forward.

Slough Observer:

PHOTO: Charlie Moone (centre) had Slough's best chance of the match at Westwood Road but headed wide from a James Dobson free-kick.

“It’s difficult because the back four on Saturday where the same to when we were on a great run, keeping clean sheets and winning games.

“We created some chances but we’re not in the form that we need to be in at the moment.”

Ogbonna dealt the first blow on 16 minutes but only after Guy Hollis was forced to head off the line.

The St Ives man latched on to a long pass forward and lifted the ball over keeper Mark Scott.

The Rebels’ best sight at goal in the first-half fell to Gavin James who fired into the side netting after turning his man.

Their best opportunity in the game came after the break when Charlie Moone headed wide from a James Dobson free-kick.

All hope for Slough dissipated on 82 minutes as Dobson brought down Tom McGowan with a clumsy challenge and Higgs sent Scott the wrong way to secure all three points.

Underwood said: “If we had the answer to all these problems we wouldn’t be where we are. These things happen, even at the top level.

Slough Observer:

PHOTO: Gavin James turns and shoots inside the box but can only hit the side netting.

“Football is all about habit and confidence, and you lose that in defeat at times.

“We’re playing teams that are scrapping for their lives and they’re not going to make it easy for us, but we’ve got a lot to play for as well.”

Commenting on the Rebels’ position in the league, he added: “It’s only a good one if you’re in form. We’re not so the games in hand become tougher and you would rather have the points on the board.”

Slough make the journey to Biggleswade Town on Saturday (3pm) before a Berks & Bucks Senior Cup semi-finals tie away at Maidenhead United on Tuesday (7.45pm).

Looking ahead to the cup tie, Underwood said: “We don’t know what they will do or the importance they place on it.

“They gave a rest to a lot of key players in the earlier rounds because they have their own promotion battle.

“We will probably make some changes from Saturday because we have an equal squad, and not because of how we value the competition.

“We will go their strong and hope to get a win and get into the final to play Hungerford.”