SLOUGH Town joint-manager Jon Underwood has warned the Rebels cannot afford to drop down the table in the National League South this season, writes Rob Stevens.

Slough are currently in eighth position with 20 points from 12 matches ahead of a trip to 10th in the table St Albans City this Saturday (3pm).

Underwood explained that the Rebels’ good away form - three wins in six matches - has put them in a healthy position but, in such an evenly-matched league, just a single defeat could see them fall well below mid-table.

He told the Observer: “We’re in a strong position but the league is very bunched up at the moment.

“We are very ambitious but, because we’ve come up, we’re not going to start shouting about what we think we can do. We have just got on with it and we’ve made a good start.

“Our aim has been to be competitive week-in-week-out and we’ve achieved that with a few narrow wins plus some narrow defeats.

“That can all change in the next run of games which is very difficult. All the teams in and around us are very evenly-matched and the league is as well.

“We’re in and amongst the teams in the top-half but we will get a better feel on where we might end up after Christmas when all of the cup matches are out the way.”

Underwood continued: “St Albans are going well at the moment with some very good attacking players that score a lot of goals, but hopefully we can build on our FA Cup win.

"It'll be an open game and both teams will create chances and I'm sure there will not be a lot in it."