Wendover came out on fire. The high press was relentless, and Slough looked uncomfortable early on, not least because many of them appeared to be experiencing grass for the first time this season. There were even rumours of players asking what the “green, soft, slightly muddy stuff” was beneath their feet.

Despite Wendover’s bright start, it was Slough who struck first, somewhat against the run of play, with a looping finish from a free kick. But heads didn’t drop, they never do with this group (one of the benefits of conceding lots of early goals!)

Wendover hit back quickly. A beautiful diagonal ball from Freddie sliced through the Slough defence, sending Charlie through on goal. He coolly slotted past the keeper before nipping off to top up his Vicks.

Slough’s coach, meanwhile, wasn’t enjoying himself. His sideline instructions were delivered with such intensity that he made Roy Keane sound like David Attenborough. A tactical reshuffle followed, including the introduction of a centre back roughly the size of Wendover clock tower.

The game settled into an even contest before Wendover were dealt two tough blows before half-time. First, a neat bit of footwork and a tidy finish from the edge of the box. Then a penalty – Joel got a strong hand to it, but it agonisingly crept in.

At half-time, the floodlights flickered on and Wendover came out ready to go again. Unfortunately, Slough added a fourth as the game descended into a rugby match for a moment - an “up and under” into the box, Joel was taken out mid-air, but the officials may have been momentarily distracted by the Red Kites circling above.

To their credit, Wendover never stopped battling. A well-worked free kick saw Will square the ball across goal, and it was inches away from a deserved second. As the game wore on, Slough showed their quality – keeping the ball well, stretching the pitch, and managing the game effectively. They’ve got some talented players amongst their 35 man squad.

Euan and Zac seemed to cover every blade of grass between them, while Sam had his winger so well contained he may still be in his pocket now. At the back, Ethan was an absolute monster at centre half, and Aryan really grew into the game in the second half, starting to pull the strings as things opened up.

Off the pitch, tensions were running high, with coach Matt reportedly deep in negotiations over a new kitchen for the officials, though talks broke down when he refused to offer a cash discount.

Congratulations to Slough – deserved winners on the day and now proud owners of both the League Cup and County Cup.

As for Wendover, the short journey back along the A4129 was filled with reflection, but more importantly, pride. This is a special group of players, and while the result didn’t go their way, the spirit, effort, and togetherness were there for all to see.

Well done boys we’re all proud of you !