The Fleet dropped the first points of the campaign as Slough Town scored one early and one late in a 2-0 victory at Arbour Park. Former Fleet midfielder Johnny Goddard made sure of the points with a breakaway goal in time added on as Fleet pressed for an equaliser following a third-minute opener.
The Fleet made six changes with Jamie Fielding, Ronny Nelson and, from the bench, Finlay Barnes all making their debuts.
Slough opened the scoring with the first opportunity of the match when Tarik Gidaree’s well-placed header following a corner was directed out of Mark Cousins’ reach.
The Fleet’s first sight of goal came with 10 minutes on the clock as Gene Kennedy tried to pick out Aaron Cosgrave, but Slough player-manager Scott Davies intercepted at just the right time. Moments later, Dom Samuel looped an effort towards goal but Adam Desbois collected that one comfortably
A chance for Slough arrived as a free-kick was whipped into the area in an attempt to meet with Oshilaja but the defender couldn’t connect with the ball on that occasion.
The Fleet came closest to a leveller on the half-hour mark when neat play released Josh Passley and he laid a ball into the box from the byline. Cosgrave got on the end of it and slipped it through to Kennedy whose first-time shot rose too high.
It was a half of few chances and it was late on that Fleet got another chance for an equalier. A corner delivered by Lennon Peake was only cleared into the path of Kennedy, who went tumbling under a challenge. The resulting free-kick fell to Peake who sent in a shot that Debois once more stopped in its path.
Fleet looked to get back on terms again in the second-half and a fine pass from Peake towards Cosgrave allowed the No.9 to dispatch a shot from distance but it was just off target. Josh Wright soon threw on three and then the remaining two of his subs and two of them linked up just past the hour mark. Barnes picked out Josh Coley who made a darting run towards goal but Desbois had to measure the interception well to beat him to the ball.
Charlie Seaman’s effort from a free kick was agonisingly close to an equaliser for the Fleet in the 80th minute which was the last real threat for the hosts to deal with and at the other end Dan Roth tried to find the top corner with a shot that hit the crossbar.
There was one last corner for the Fleet in the closing stages. Cousins went up for it and threw himself at the cross but the ball ran free. Slough countered quickly as Goddard got away upfield and he was able to fire home into the empty net from distance as Fleet defenders scrambled to get back.
The visitors have the chance to put this result behind them straight away with the visit of Bath City this Bank Holiday Monday.
EUFC: Cousins, Passley (Seaman 67), Chapman, Olagunju, Nelson, Fielding, Hessenthaler (Edser 67), Kennedy (Moncur 56), Peake (Barnes 56), Cosgrave (Coley 56), Samuel. Subs: Ehmer, Bellagambi
STFC: Desbois, Gidaree (Ojemen 61), Ochieng, Oshilaja, R.Greenidge, Clarke (Drakes-Thomas 88), Davies, Roth, Myers (Nelson 75), Adepoju (Goddard 75), Bartlett-Antwi (J.Greenidge 67). Subs: Anyanwu, Elliott
Attendance: 796
Photos: ©EUFC/Ed Miller
