Our unbeaten run against Slough Town has stretched to eight games following a deserved 3-0 win on Saturday at the Bob Lucas Stadium.
This result also extends our home winning streak versus The Rebels to FOUR games, starting in 2018.
More importantly, we have now collected three points at home for the first time since November last year, when Truro City were handed a 2-0 loss.
After a slow start, we lead 1-0 at halftime courtesy of Alfie Rutherford, who scored his first goal for the club since his loan move from Dorking Wanderers last month.
The visitors should have equalised close to the hour mark, when Slavi Spasov missed in front of an open goal.
They would later rue their missed chance when goal machine Brandon Goodship doubled our lead with his eighth goal of the season, before Harry Parsons added a third with a stunning strike in stoppage time.
This victory has now moved up to 19th-placed, two points ahead of Taunton Town, albeit having played three games more.
Though with 21st-place Eastbourne Borough losing 2-1 to St Albans City, our gap above the relegation zone has now extended to eight points.
Elliot Bolton was the sole change from our loss away to Tonbridge Angels, standing in for Charlie Rowan.
Also in the XI was Joe Cook, who was confirmed to have extended his stay at the club in the build-up to the match.
Despite what the final scoreline may suggest, it took us a while to get going, with the visitors enjoying the lion’s share of possession early on.
They too would have the first chance of the game, with Nathan Minhas intercepting Gerard Benfield’s loose ball and attempting to chip our keeper from approx. 40 yards out just two minutes in.
Another long-range lob was attempted before 20 minutes, this time Scott Davies attempting an audacious effort from his own half.
Jeanmal Prosper then struck at goal a few minutes before the half-hour mark, a relatively simple stop for our shot-stopper, who was able to collect the ball with ease.
This chance came in quick succession with Leon Parillon’s shot, the midfielder firing just over the bar.
Our first clear chance would come as the game started to approach halftime, skipper Tom Bearwish side-footing his volley just wide following a pinpoint accurate Teddy Howe cross.
Though we wouldn’t have to wait long for another chance.
It all started with a delicate one-touch flick from Goodship into Bearwish’s path, who was just about able to slide the ball across goal down the left-hand side.
Though Olu Durojaiye slid in, the ball skidded past the midfielder through to Rutherford, who faced an open goal in acres of space.
The forward had the easiest job in the world, tapping home to make it 1-0 two minutes before the break.
Slough’s protest for offside was to no avail, as Rutherford was the difference-maker with his first goal for our club.
The first chance of the second half came our way, when Bearwish blasted wide just outside the 18-yard box.
The captain’s strike at goal perhaps suggested that there would soon be more goals from us to come.
That was until 59 minutes.
It would be halftime-sub Spasov who ran through on goal and took the ball past Benfield, looking certain to roll it into an empty net.
Instead, he somehow managed to hit the side netting.
We would ultimately take advantage of Spasov’s missed chance just 12 minutes later.
Howe would orchestrate the attack, feeding Goodship with a through-ball.
It could have only been one outcome with our goal machine one-on-one with Dan Lincoln, the in-form man producing a wonderful finish by lobbing the Slough keeper to make it 2-0.
Bobby Wilkinson then introduced Dan Roberts for goalscorer Rutherford with just 18 minutes to go.
The change was ever so close to paying off.
The sub played through Bearwish, who slotted past Lincoln to make it 3-0.
Or at least he would have done, had the linesman not brandished his flag.
Our third goal would come before the final whistle, though, as seven minutes of additional time was added on to the game.
Parsons had the ball near the edge of the box, though he was surrounded by substitutes Eze Ebuzoeme and David Ogbonna, with both players looking to swipe at the ball.
Parsons, however, beat them with ease, before producing an unexpected piece of magic.
Still outside the box, he curled the ball past Lincoln, who was left standing still, into the top-left corner.
With the game now at 3-0, Roberts could have added a fourth as he put the ball wide from close-range.
However, his missed chance was far less costly than Saspov’s, with us ending the match as deserved winners.
Wilkinson said in his post-match interview that our ability to bounce back from a loss shows the “character” our team has.
The lads have the chance to repeat Saturday’s performance on Tuesday away to Braintree Town [19.45 GMT].
Match report
by Jack Webb
