Slough Town Vs Torquay United | Away Fans Guide by Sam Turner
Admission
Adult (18-64) – £13
Concession (65+) – £9
Student (16-17, Student) – £5
Child (5-15) – £3 (12 year old and under must be accompanied by an Adult)
Infant (0-4) – Free
Away trip number three of the 2018/19 season will be to the town of Slough in Berkshire to take on…well…Slough Town. On the outskirts of London, the town stands as one of the most ethnically diverse places in the country. Following on from finding out the roots of Oxford’s name, it seemed for continuity sake, to find out that Slough’s name means ‘soil’ and was originally recorded in 1195 as Slo.
Slough Town FC, nicknamed ‘The Rebels’, were actually promoted into the National League South at the end of the 2017/18 season after getting through the Southern League play offs.
Key facts time!
SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE
Location: 20 miles (32 kilometres) west of central London. Slough Town’s ground (Arbour Park, SL25AY) is 182 miles (293 kilometres) away from Plainmoor which is about a 3-and-a-half-hour drive by car.
Population: 140,200 (ONS Census, 2011)
Interesting facts:
- The Mars Bar was first manufactured in Slough in 1932, the UK headquarters is still based there today
- Unemployment rate in Slough is one of the lowest in the country at just 1.4% (2017) compared to the national average of 4.5%
- Slough is second only to London in the country when it comes to the concentration of global corporate headquarters
- The Beatles began their first ever British tour in Slough in 1963 in the Adelphi Cinema
- Thanks to express trains running every 30 minutes from Slough Station you can get in to London Paddington in just 17 minutes
Slough Town F.C.
Manager(s): Neil Baker/Jon Underwood (joint managers)
Ground: Arbour Park
Capacity: 2,000 (500 seated)
History:
- Formed (as Slough F.C.) in 1890 after the merger of Swifts, Slough Albion and Young Men’s Friendly Society
- Initially played in the Southern Alliance with teams such as Tottenham Hotspur before moving on to the Great Western Suburban League
- Attempted to join the Isthmian League in 1921 but lost out to Wycombe Wanderers in voting and instead chose to join the Spartan League
- Merged again with Slough Centre F.C. to form Slough United F.C.
- Reluctant to re-join the Spartan League after World War 2 and led a movement to form the new Corinthian League. This is where they got their nickname ‘The Rebels’ from.
- Shortly after the two clubs that merged to form Slough United separated and Slough F.C. went on to be renamed as Slough Town F.C. (which of course it still is today).
- Over the next 50 years the club shifted between the new Athenian League, the Isthmian League and the Football Conference (now the National League) where they stayed for 4 years (and after a brief relegation and bounce back, 3 more years) and which remains as their highest ever league standing.
- Notable achievements in the FA Cup include knocking out then League 1 side Walsall in the first round of the 2004/05 season (before losing to Yeading in the 2nd round) as well as reaching the 2nd round against Rochdale at home in the 2017/18 season. The match was broadcast on BT Sport (some might remember) but Town lost to Rochdale 4-0. Highlights of the game are available on Rochdale’s YouTube channel (if you fancied scouting the team and the ground itself before our visit).
Things to do and see in Slough:
- Windsor Castle, though not technically in Slough, is just a 20-minute drive from Arbour Park. You can also get there via a 30-minute bus ride if you get on the number 2 at Slough Bus Station (Bay 7) and get off at Parish Church (Stop J).
- The nearest pub to Arbour Park is a Wetherspoons (The Moon and Spoon) which is about a 15-minute walk (half a mile) down the road.
- The famous Eton College, where people such as David Cameron and Princes William and Harry attended school, is a half hour walk down the road.
Directions to the ground from Slough Train Station:
- Arbour Park is a 15-minute walk up Stoke Road from Slough Train Station or a 10 minute bus journey on the number 1 bus from Brunel Way (Bay 12) to Myrtle Crescent.
Info from Slough Town:
- Matchday programmes – £2
- Turnstiles open at 13:30 – two turnstiles in operation, Turnstile 4 and Turnstile 1.
- No segregation to be enforced
- No ATMs on site – however major credit and debit cards are accepted at the turnstiles, club shop and main bar in the West Stand.
- No smoking or vaping inside Arbour Park – supporters wishing to smoke can have their hand stamped at of the exit gates by a steward to enable readmission
- Consumption of alcohol is to be restricted to two dedicated areas – the first floor bar in the main stand (West Stand) and an outdoor bar within the ground.
- We will be serving hot and cold drinks from the first floor bar area in the West Stand and the Club Room, which is on the ground floor of the West Stand.
- The ground is a short 10-15 minute walk from Slough town centre and the train and bus stations.
- Parking at Arbour Park and Lynch Hill Enterprise Academy next door is free, but severely limited (post code for both is SL2 5AY). We would strongly encourage supporters to car-share or travel by public transport where possible. If driving, we would recommend parking in one of the car parks nearer the town centre.If parking in residential areas, please be respectful to our neighbours – keep noise to a minimum, and do not litter. When parking, do not block entranceways and driveways, and do not park dangerously, including on blind corners.
- Directions to Arbour Park are available here: https://www.sloughtownfc.net/how-to-find-us
• A map showing nearby public car parks is here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9nC0MruyclrWlA1WWNmbWt4SXM
Slough Town Vs Torquay United | 18/08/18 | 3pm KO | For away travel info click here.