Published: Thursday, 23rd April, 2009 12:00pm

Relaxed Rebels win

by Patrick Corlett

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Football

A FINE performance was put in by Slough on Tuesday night as they beat Gosport Borough 2-1 with the pressure off.

Without the threat of relegation, the Rebels turned in an excellent display and won with goals from Ryan Fenton and the hard working Roy Gumbs either side of a Graham Lindsey strike.

Manager Steve Bateman said: "I suppose it's one of those things you wonder if this had been the case a number of weeks back what might have been. We did look a lot more relaxed last (Tuesday) night and it was reflected in the way we played.

Slough started the match on the front foot and were rewarded in the 16th minute when Fenton â€' bombing on more as a wing-back â€' drilled the ball into the bottom corner after a flowing move.

The hosts failed to add to their advantage and were caught out on the half hour by a ball pumped into the box which fell for Lindsey to toe-punt home his fifth goal in four game for a scarcely deserved equalised.

"The surface is difficult at this time of year, very difficult to play football on it but if you had have witnessed the first goal you wouldn't have believed it," praised the boss. "Three or four passes then Ryan (Fenton) finds himself in a place he hasn't really been, the opposition's box, and smashes it into the bottom corner.

"From their first attack we concede a disappointing goal and you think we absolutely didn't deserve that.

"It was 1-1 and they hadn't really had a kick but to our credit they didn't feel sorry for themselves as they have done before."

Slough continued in the ascendancy but had to wait until the 58th minute to regain the lead. Simon Sweeney's shot was well saved by the keeper but Gumbs latched on to the loose ball to finish.

"I just sense that a couple of weeks back we weren't alive to things like that, we would have thought ‘oh no the keeper's made another save'," remarked Bateman.

"I would have liked it to have been a wider winning margin as it certainly could have been. It wasn't just an end of season game for them, they came here and competed.

"Roy (Gumbs) is a whole hearted player who again gave everything. He put himself about in the right way and competed. He just competes honestly and fairly and I'm delighted for him getting his goal."