POINTS FAILURE AT SLOUGH, NO DOUGHNUTS AT TOTTON

 

To be printed in the FA Cup 2nd Qualifying round game v Chatham Town Saturday 19th September 2026

It’s not been the best start, to put it mildly. Seven straight defeats. Manager and assistant sacked. Fed up fans, poor home crowds, our worst start in years. Some serious points failure at Slough. But if we are honest with so much money in this league and losing Scotty Davies, we knew this season was going to be tough.

The financial disparity was illustrated at our bank holiday trip to Dagenham. Another club with lofty ambitions with the backing amongst others of KSI. Our younger supporters were excited but I hadn’t a clue who he was or what he did. Just another tedious influencer?

The financial disparity in the country was highlighted by the drinks stop in Plaistow. Me and Mark Bailey met with the West Ham massive Vinny and Mark at one of the few remaining pubs, The Black Lion. When West Ham moved out of the area so did their thousands of pre-match drinkers, highlighting how football clubs are such an important part of the economic ecosystem. The pub was a lovely old coaching inn that has had to reinvent itself while Plaistow could do with a whole lot of cash and also some serious reinvention.

KSI first gained a following by filming himself playing the computer game Fifa at his parents’ house in Watford and quickly became one of the most famous YouTubers in Britain. I really can’t get my head round people watching someone playing a game on a computer, but he’s also branched out into music, boxing, the Baller League and Prime drink. He’s obviously a smart business man but also an example of First Mover Advantage, where those with an original idea can carve out a career before the market gets swamped. Gain a competitive edge before everyone copies you.

Now he’s taken a 20% stake in Dagenham & Redbridge. “I’m excited to start this journey. It's gonna be a roller-coaster for sure but I hope to bring Dagenham & Redbridge back to the glory days. And once we reach that point, I want to go even further. Reaching the Premier League would be a dream. And I believe it is 100% doable. It will take a long time, so to the Daggers fans, please be patient.”

I’m not so sure what he means about Dagenham’s glory days. In my younger years Dagenham used to be a regular Isthmian League fixture – the massive stand that today housed the Slough fans was once a grass bank as Dagenham devoured clubs around them like a Blue Whale swallowing krill. But this Premier League rubbish; well him and his investors are going to need some very, very deep pockets just to get out of the National League. Wrexham have been there, done it and spent a fortune on the way - and helped by First Mover Advantage. As for the Daggers, well they used to play Sheffield Wednesday but are now back playing Slough.

The problem for KSI and others investing in clubs and promising the earth, is that they are seriously late to the party. There’s not a week that goes by without some club announcing foreign investment but how many are really going to do a Wrexham? Much more likely to go bust and leave the fans to pick up the pieces.

AFC Totton was a more gentile proposition to the rough and tumble of London. Slough Town’s owners worked with the Supporters Trust to put on free coach travel while I had a leisurely trip down by the coast to Southampton. Then those dreaded words flashed up on my phone. Rail Replacement. Oh the trials and tribulations of supporting Slough as I waited for over an hour for the replacement bus that forget to pick us up; with the grand old pub across the road now flats leaving me gasping with only a goods yards and a giant Lidl for company. The short trip became a torturous sardine experience. My plans for a wander round Totton, reading the local paper over breakfast then a pub crawl – all out the window. I bumped into the West Ham boys where we found a friendly and very busy local – at just £11 for 3 pints, I’m not surprised.

Now Slough aren’t the best supported team at home, but boy do we travel away. Considering we had lost seven on the spin, around 150 congregated in Totton's new stand only to be told this was for home fans only – like your old gran’s ‘Sunday best room’ only used for special occasions. Dirty Slough boots wasn’t one of those occasions, so we got moved to the side. Even worse, the doughnut stall had vanished.

Considering Totton is a stones throw from Southampton they are well supported and its a pretty friendly club. So friendly they let the Rebels have their first win of the season. We held onto a deserved one nil victory that put a spring back in everyone’s step...the perfect away day as I tried to convince Brentford fans on their way back from Bournemouth to come and watch the Rebels rather than that Premier League-VAR nonsense.

Now its the FA Cup and familiar opponents Chatham Town, a level below but full time and making great strides.

Slough hasn’t got any influencers, gamers or candlestick makers. There’s no big investors. But the club has got good people with big hearts. I feel sorry for those formerly in charge but putting two of our favourite players Johnny G and Henry with Ryan in charge was a stroke of genius. A cup run would be a very welcome shot in the financial arm and bring back more of the feel good factor, so lets make some noise like we did at Totton. I might even treat you all to some doughnuts.