SLOUGH Town joint-manager Jon Underwood has highlighted the need to put more points on the board as their busy August schedule in the National League South continues this Saturday (3pm), writes Rob Stevens.

The Rebels

made their worst start to a new league season since 1974 when suffering defeat in their opening three matches.

That run was stopped after

a 1-1 draw against Weymouth

at Arbour Park and Underwood believes they can take pride from their performance in midweek.

Slough are however already eight points behind the play-offs with a tough trip to Maidstone United, who were relegated from the National League last season, this Saturday coming before matches against two of the unbeaten sides in the division so far, Bath City and Dulwich Hamlet, over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Underwood told the Observer: "You've got to start somewhere. We obviously wanted to win in midweek and it's another game without a win but, considering how Weymouth have started the season and going down to 10 men, there were a lot more positives than negatives.

"It looked like it was our Slough Town team and we can take a little bit of pride from that, but we need to repeat that workrate and effort this Saturday.

"Maidstone are another full-time side so will have a good recovery and training sessions between their game in midweek and this Saturday while our boys go to work, so it's difficult.

"We've got Maidstone, Bath and then Dulwich, who are now training three mornings a week, so it's a really tough league schedule.

"We wanted some points on the board early on because, on paper these game coming up are probably harder than the earlier ones. We need to go and get more points on the board.

"Weymouth went and won at Maidstone on the opening day so there's no reason why we can't go and give a good account of ourselves in what will be a very tough game."

Slough will soon be without forward Francis Amartey after he was shown a straight red card during the draw with Weymouth in midweek, although Underwood believes the decision was a little bit harsh.

He commented: "We were at quite a distance away but Francis obviously lost control of the ball and lunged after it.

"It looked like he went over the top of the ball which is a dangerous thing to do because you give the referee a decision to make.

"It looked one-footed and not two, but it's one of those where half the time referees give a yellow and the other half a red.

"I know when we played Dorking Wanderers on the opening day there was a tackle from one of their players that was just as bad but it was a yellow card.

"They are not easy for the referee to get right and the reaction of the Weymouth players might not have helped his case. They surrounded the referee but that's what teams do.

"Without seeing it back I can't be 100 per-cent sure but maybe it was a touch harsh. He might have got away with a yellow but he didn't and we all had to dig in and hang on to that point."