Depleted Slough drop points

by Mike Haymonds

ALEX SCOTT was the saviour for Slough Ladies when she scored a late double to rescue a point against lowly Brooklands Poynton.
It was a severely depleted Slough side – with no substitutes – which travelled to Manchester and battled for the draw which dropped them a place to fifth.
Slough skipper Fiona Greenham said: “It was a good performance from a weakened side to come back from two down.
“We deserved the draw and could have won.”
In a goalless first half Slough’s defence and midfield were sound as they played an effective short passing game.
With two inexperienced forwards they did well to win four penalty corners but, in their attacking half, the pitch was bumpy and they had difficulty in trapping the ball.
The hosts took the lead with two strikes by Helen Armishaw in a three-minute spell after 42 minutes, helped by poor defending by Slough.
Some half-hearted tackles first gave Armishaw the opening at the far post and she was then left unmarked to steer in a cross from close range.
In the 55th minute Scott reduced the deficit from a short corner, firing home from the left of the D.
On 66 minutes she bagged the equaliser when Lauren Penny was fouled in the act of shooting and the corner, initially awarded, was upgraded to a penalty stroke on the intervention of the second umpire. Scott, who had missed a stroke the previous week, made no mistake this time.
A chance for Slough to snatch a winner after the final whistle went begging when Chloe Strong’s corner strike was off target.
SLOUGH: Filochowski, Nicholson, Strong, Coulson, Bell, Scott, Greenham, Bowe, Ilkei, Penny, L Smith.