Davies eyes 'Dreamland' as Slough Town chase FA Cup history and league revival

Photo credit: Zak Rana

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Slough Town hope to bolster their squad in the coming days with a couple of new signings as they look to rediscover some form in the National League South and potentially make history by reaching the third round of the FA Cup.

In a season of contrasts, Slough have reached the second-round proper of the world’s most famous cup competition, having overcome National League Altrincham in the last round to tee up a ‘winnable’ looking home tie with Macclesfield for a place in the third round.

However, while that’s been a pleasant distraction for player manager Scott Davies and his team, the Rebels league form has suffered badly while the club’s been making progress in the cup.

Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Horsham – where James Hammond swept home a very late penalty to consign the Rebels to an ill-deserved defeat – leaves the club second from bottom of the league and now four points from safety.

They desperately need to rediscover some form in the league and have three consecutive home matches against Farnborough, Worthing and AFC Totton to try to do that.

Before then they’ll host Gloucester City in the second round of the FA Trophy on Saturday, while they also swept to an 8-0 win over Beaconsfield Town at Holloways Park to reach the quarterfinals of Berks & Bucks Senior Cup on Wednesday night.

In short, the Rebels are doing very well in the cups but not so well in the league.

“We’ve strengthened the squad by signing another striker, which should be getting announced tomorrow,” said Davies on Thursday.

“He’s signing from a step 3 club that we’ve played against in the FA Cup. The club has backed me to go and get him for an undisclosed fee.

“That’s been useful. We’re also looking to bring in a loan from a League 1 club, a midfielder who’s possibly different to what we’ve got.

“So, for me, I’m excited, but if we manage to stay up this season and hopefully get to the third round of the FA Cup then I think that would be dreamland for most of us.”

“The finances we’ve brought into the club already have been very useful but if we could go one stage further it could change the fortunes of the club. You just never know who you’d get in the next round. For me, if we could survive and get to the third round, I’d snap their hands off for that.

“People have asked me if I’d rather finish eighth and get to the first round of the FA Cup, or survive and get to the third round, and everyone’s answer was the latter. It’s dreamland, Slough have never got there before. A lot of the players have never been there before, and it would be incredible if we could deliver on that front.

On the prospect of hosting Macclesfield for a place in the third round of the FA Cup - where the big guns from the Premier League and Championship enter the competition - Davies said it’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the excitement of hosting a team from their level for a place in the third round is palpable. On the other, the disappointment the whole club would feel should they not grasp that opportunity could be detrimental and long lasting.

“It’s a winnable tie,” said Davies.

“It would be a great one to win but an awful one to lose because we know that the remit is to beat a team from the same level as us at home.

“And we’d fancy our chances against anyone. But they’re obviously a big club, a good side. I believe they’re full time and if we don’t get the job done, it will play a part and live long in our memories that we weren’t able to do it. It’s not like going away to Bolton Wanderers or Cardiff City where people would expect us to get beat. People will be hoping to get a result, and the pressure is on.

“Hopefully, we can deliver, it would be brilliant if we could. We’re 90 minutes away from dreamland, or we’re 90 minutes away from heartbreak. That’s the beauty and the pitfalls of the FA Cup.

“I’ve called the FA Cup a disease to so many people over the past 10 days. I want people to put it to the back of their minds, because we’ve got 12 important points to play for before then in the league.

“We’ve also got the FA Trophy, but the distraction is so difficult to manage. The Grimsby Town one was much easier to manage, but being a round further on, and knowing what’s at stake, everyone is getting excited.

“Not me and the players, but the club as a whole and we need to just settle down and focus and re-evaluate where we’re at and then enjoy the day when it comes around in a few weeks’ time.

“It’s a crazy one. In the FA Cup anything can happen.

“I wouldn’t worry too much if we got beaten the week before. Because everyone seems to run a bit faster and harder when it comes to the FA Cup. We got beaten 4-1 at home by Maidstone the week before we played Altrincham, and I thought the boys were outstanding against Altrincham. That’s my frustration, because we can’t get that out of the lads every single week.

“However, we have had to chop and change personnel. It’s difficult at the moment, it’s tough to manage but it’s my job to do that and it’s what I get paid to do.”