Last year’s home game with Slough ended in a 2-1 defeat. Picture by Steve Terrell.
JACK FOULGER previews Saturday’s game with Slough Town, a team who may be bottom of the table, but who have a new owner, a new manager and who have been busy signing new players.
HISTORY
Initially formed in 1889 following the amalgamation of various existing nearby clubs, Slough and District (as they were known) spent much of their early existence competing in various regional leagues prior to merging with Slough Centre in 1943. This saw them take the name Slough United for a short period before the two clubs eventually separated again four years later, with the original club eventually adopting the Slough Town alias which has been carried through to today.
The Berkshire side became a mainstay in the Corinthian League for almost two decades, notably being crowned champions in the 1950-51 season before going on to spend a further 10 years in the Athenian League that saw the Rebels win three Premier Division titles and a further Division One championship.
Up next was further success in the Isthmian League, which saw Slough twice finish top of the pile before eventually reaching the Conference where the Rebels would spend seven seasons between 1990 and 1998, finishing as high as fifth in the 1992-93 season.
Fast forward to the 2000s and the Berkshire outfit would face arguably one of their toughest periods yet, losing their home ground Wexham Park in 2003 before also falling to Step 4 of the non-league pyramid on multiple occasions. Fortunately, Slough’s situation on and off the pitch would eventually improve, winning promotion to the Southern League Premier Division in the 2013/14 campaign before finally returning to the town in 2016 following the construction of Arbour Park.
In just their second season back in SL2, the Rebels rose up the pyramid once again as a third-place finish in the 2017-18 season eventually culminated in a 2-1 play-off final victory over King’s Lynn Town that saw Slough break into the NL South for the first time since Step 2 was restructured in 2004.
Ever since their promotion, the Rebels have established themselves as regulars in the NLS with their best season so far coming in 2019/20, as they qualified for the play-offs on a points-per-game basis after standing in fifth when the season was suspended before eventually losing 3-0 to Dartford in the eliminator. Last campaign, Scott Davies led the Berkshire side to a 16th-place finish, beating the dropzone by 11 points in a season that also saw them reach the Second Round Proper of the FA Cup before bowing out to NL North Macclesfield.
THE SQUAD
Currently standing as the Rebels’ joint top-scorer this season with three goals is former Stones forward Ruben Shakpoke, who has established himself as a major asset for Slough’s frontline since being acquired from Welling United last November. The former England youth international had a brief stint at ME14 at the back-end of the 2024/25 season, scoring once as he netted in an Easter Monday derby against Tonbridge Angels.
Joining Shakpoke at the top of the pitch is fellow striker Luke Holness, who this campaign has also netted three times so far. Having also joined Slough last November, the 28-year-old carries a wealth of non-league experience having had notable stints at Hemel Hempstead Town, Welling United and Braintree Town, where he established himself as the Iron’s top-scorer in the 2021/22 season with nine goals in 34 games.
In the middle of the park, new signing Dennon Lewis recently arrived at Arbour Park following a 17-month spell with Dorking Wanderers where he made 54 NL South appearances for Marc White’s side, scoring six times. Prior to that, the former reality TV star had established himself as a mainstay at Step 1, having spent the best part of eight seasons in non-league’s premier division with spells at Wealdstone, Boreham Wood and Woking.
THE GAFFER
Slough announced a new ownership structure last week and having sacked Alan Julian, the new regime have appointed Steve McKimm as his replacement. The 51-year-old arrives at SL2 eight months on since leaving Cray Valley PM, whom he led to an Isthmian South East title win, a Premier Division play-off finish and an impressive FA Cup run which saw the Millers take then-League One side Charlton Athletic to a replay following a 1-1 draw at The Valley.
Many Stones fans will remember McKimm from his time down the A26, where he managed Tonbridge Angels from 2014 through to 2022. In his eight-year spell at Longmead, Slough’s new gaffer helped to see the Angels promoted from the Isthmian League to the NLS via a super play-off before subsequently playing a key role in consolidating their Step 2 status prior to his departure.
FORM
Following a dismal start to the campaign which has seen the Rebels take just one win and a draw from their opening 14 matches, Slough are currently rooted to the foot of the NL South table whilst being nine points adrift of the dotted line as things stand.
Currently on a run of four straight defeats, Steve McKimm’s side most recently travelled to promotion-chasing Truro City as the Rebels initially looked to be pulling off a surprise result following a 23rd-minute opener from midfielder Kyle Brooks. However a difficult second-half would subsequently send Slough back to Berkshire empty-handed with goals from Tom Tweedy, Harvey Greenslade and Tyler Harvey inspiring the Tinners to a routine victory.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Despite being sat bottom of the league, many Slough fans may look at Saturday’s fixture with hope given the Rebels’ impressive record against the Stones in recent seasons. In their previous eight encounters with Maidstone, the Berkshire side have only lost twice whilst claiming four wins and a pair of draws.
Slough’s most recent victory in this fixture came back in February, the last time both sides met at ME14. Whilst a first-half opener from ex-Rebel John Gilbert looked to swing the game in favour of the Stones, a clinical second 45 saw Scott Davies’ side flip the game on its head as goals from Jaiden Drakes-Thomas and Basil Tuma snatched all three points.
The last Maidstone win on the other hand occurred little over a year ago in October 2025 as a brace from midfielder Gilbert coupled with further efforts from Antony Papadopulous and Jephte Tanga saw George Elokobi and co return to Kent with a 4-1 victory.
THE STADIUM
Opened in 2016, community ground Arbour Park currently stands as Slough’s primary residence following the Rebels’ departure from Holloways Park, where they groundshared with Beaconsfield Town during a 13-year exile away from their hometown.
With an approximate capacity of 2,000, the Stoke Road site is a considerably sleek and modern–looking venue featuring stands on four sides including a 300-capacity Main Stand, which holds bars on multiple levels as well as additional food & drink and corporate facilities.
