SLOUGH TOWN joint-manager Jon Underwood admits that a poor away record has cost The Rebels any chance of winning the Southern Premier Division title this season.

Slough suffered their seventh defeat on the road this term when losing 1-0 at Frome on Saturday.

A Ryan Bath goal in the first half was the difference between the two sides at the Special Effect Stadium although James Dobson missed from the spot after the break.

The result leaves The Rebels 11 points behind top of the table Chippenham with five matches to play but, crucially, seven clear of Banbury in sixth place.

Underwood told the Observer: “Our away record isn’t great and that’s the reason we’re not challenging for the title.

“It’s happened since Christmas but, to be fair, we’re in a great position in the league and have had a great season.

Slough Observer:

PHOTO: James Dobson hits the post with a penalty at Frome.

“You can over-analyse football sometimes but, what I will say is, Chippenham or Leamington will win the league because they’ve dropped fewer points.

“They have managed to find a way to win at these places and we have not.

“We’ve come a long way this season but we’re not quite ready to win a league yet.

“We have three home games left and are targeting wins to guarantee our position in the play-offs. If we can get points away then that might be enough to get us a home semi-final.”

Underwood also admitted the defeat at Frome was frustrating, believing that a draw would have been a fair result.

“It was a horrible game to be honest, one of the worst this season,” he said. “The conditions played a part but it’s not a reason why we weren’t able to win.

Slough Observer:

PHOTO: Slough captain Sean Fraser in action at Frome.

“The poor conditions made for a scrappy game and there was never going to be a lot of chances.

“We probably shaded the first half but Frome scored a goal out of nothing right on half-time.

“We pushed and pushed in the second half and got a penalty, but when James went to strike the ball the wind blew it off the spot and he ended up scuffing his kick.

"I have no problem with our commitment and effort but Frome defended well and it made for a pretty frustrating day to be honest.

"I wouldn't say we played well but it had 0-0 written all over it.

"If the penalty had gone in and the game finished 1-1 it would have been a deserved result and we could come away pretty away.

Slough Observer:

PHOTO: Simon Dunn (left) and Callum Bunting (right) cut frustrated figures at the full-time whistle.

"There are fine lines in football between getting something and not."

Slough return to Arbour Park for the visit of Kings Lynn Town this Saturday (3pm).

Underwood said: "We're playing very well at home. We're looking very good (at Arbour Park) and won five in a row.

"We will go in confident and believe we can win, but Kings Lynn have had a change in manager and players so we need to be prepared."