SLOUGH Town conceded a two-goal lead in the second-half to draw 2-2 with Chippenham Town in the National League South on Saturday, writes Rob Stevens.

Arbour Park was an emotional venue as the Rebels paid tribute to former physio ‘Super’ Kevin McGoldrick, who sadly lost his battle with cancer one year ago last Thursday.

Members of his family were in attendance and there was 60 seconds of applause in the 32nd minute to mark his years of service to the club.

Slough were dominate in the first period and deservedly opened the scoring midway through the half.

Louie Soares crossed the ball low into the box from the byline and Warren Harris beat keeper Will Puddy with a finish from close range.

The Rebels doubled their advantage in the 37th minute when Chippenham failed to deal with a ball into their box and striker Chris Flood smartly volleyed into the next on his left foot.

Flood had a great chance to further increase the lead just seconds after the break but was denied by a double save at the near post from Puddy.

Chippenham pulled a goal back after 56 minutes when Slough failed to deal with a ball into the box and Dean Evans poked a shot past keeper Jack Turner, who was making his 100th appearance for the Rebels, from close range.

The visitors looked the more likely to add to the score in the second-half and they equalised in the 75th minute as Nat Jarvis hit a shot from inside the box down into the ground and over the helpless Turner.

Slough joint-manager Neil Baker told the Observer: “I’m disappointed not to pick up all three points when we were two goals ahead at home.

“We were outstanding in the first-half and probably for 50 minutes.

“We said at half-time that football is a very funny game and if Chippenham got the next goal then the match would change, and it did.

“To be fair, we were under the cosh and that’s why we made a substitution to bring in Sean Fraser and play a narrow four, a little bit like we did in midweek.

“We tried to shut-up shop a little bit with around 15 minutes to go but unfortunately Chippenham went and scored.

“Both goals look a little bit cheap but I’m not going to have a pop after the way we’ve defended all season.

“We are frustrated because we have come away without all three points but, after the last minute or two, we’re probably happy that we’ve got a point.

“It was a good game of football with two very different halves. It’s another game unbeaten for us but we will probably sit down and be a little bit disappointed.”

Baker continued: "We were comfortable and played some brilliant stuff in the first-half.

"Their keeper made a couple of decent saves and we were dominant. We weren't under the cosh at all. We defended well and passed the ball brilliantly.

"We started the second-half well and had two or three good chances. Had we gone three goals ahead we would've probably gone on to win the game comfortably but that's football.

"Chippenham are a side that went to Billericay the weekend before and won, so they're not mugs but a good side with some good players.

"They came back into the game and it's always disappointing when you concede from a corner. The ball just fell for their lad and he stabbed it in, and that changes the game.

"We had been defending really well and they are two goals that were probably avoidable, but it was very difficult to see because they were a lot of bodies in the way.

"Their second goal might have been offside and it's very similar to the goal that Lee Togwell had disallowed against Bath.

"We have to take a point and there's some frustration that we've thrown it away, but it's a tough and competitive league.We've have lost no ground on the play-off places, so it wasn't a terrible day for us at us.

"We will just have to re-group. They'll have Tuesday off but we will get back in on Thursday and have a tough trip away to Weston-super-Mare, who got a good draw at Truro City last weekend, on Saturday."

The draw means Slough remain in 10th position in the league table and three points outside the play-off spots.

The Rebels travel to bottom side Weston-super-Mare next Saturday (3pm), before a trip to promotion-chasing Billericay Town next Tuesday (7.45pm).