Slough Heating Laurencians - Polish Association

Slough Heating Laurencians FC

Polish Association

Church Lane

Stoke Pages

Slough

Berkshire

SL2 4NZ

SHLFC Website

SHLFC Twitter

Polish Association Website

Ground Number: 1326
Wednesday 31st July 2024

Slough Heating Laurencians 5-3 Old Windsor

Friendly

SLOUGH HEATING LAURENCIANS - A BRIEF HISTORY

SLOUGH HEATING LAURENCIANS is the result of a  2015 merger between Slough Heating and Slough Laurencians with both teams originally established in 1921. Heating had the more prominent history and played four four years in the Chiltonian League Division 1 between 1993 & 1997, finishing in 3rd place twice. The merged club took up residence at the town's Polish club, though this is actually located in nearby Stoke Pages. The clubs were both in the East Berkshire League at the time of the merger and finished 5th, 8th and 4th before earning promotion to the Thames Valley League by finishing behind Delaford in 2019. A 3rd place finish in the next two seasons was a credible start. In 2022, they were runners-up behind SB Phoenix, earning promotion to the Premier Division. They've been there ever since, finishing a credible 7th in their debut season. The ground's primary tenant is KS Gryf, a Polish diaspora team from the East Berkshire League.

MY VISIT

The Friendlies were starting to wind down now with competitive football starting to come back. However, that was not the case for the smaller teams without lights as they were only just starting their pre-season. With the season not starting until late August in a lot of cases, that was understandable. The early kickoffs would be a godsend with me up for work at 4 am most days. I had Woodcote v Wallingford & Crowmarsh pencilled in for this Tuesday for a long time but due to the unavailability of Woodcote's pitch, that was switched to Saturday at Wallingford. This was frustrating, but an alternative cropped up. I would have to wait until Wednesday but there was the potential of Slough Heating Laurencians v Old Windsor on Wednesday. The fixture had been decided ages ago but the hosts seemed pretty good at putting things out on Twitter. So all I could do was cross my fingers and hope for the best. There was a small chance of a game involving FC Bracknell should this one not come to fruition but that would be much further.

From my game at Benfleet on Saturday, it was a less-than-smooth trip back to Amersham. The Bakerloo line was delayed across London and then the Chiltern to Amersham was non-existent. I should have changed at Beaconsfield for a replacement bus but we were kept prisoner on the train at Denham due to some misbehaving passengers. Truly the worst train operator on the planet had excelled themselves this time with conditions more suited to Guantamo Bay saw the ten-minute delay doubled and then some. We eventually got going, but I missed my connecting bus at Amersham, so instead, I blagged it back to Wycombe. There was a patchy bus service and so rather than go to Spoons, I got a Chinese and walked half the way home. I was back around two hours late, having a final drink before bed. Overall, it had been a disappointing day with few highlights but then, I'd enjoyed my visit to Cray the evening before. The reduced sleep made the Sunday slog harder than usual at work. I did at least have the bonus of a game later. In my 20th visit to Chesham United, Aylesbury United beat Milton Keynes 2-1 in a dull pre-season friendly. I spent the evening catching up and planning my week's football.

Monday and Tuesday were far easier, especially with the latter being my day off. I did consider an MK Irish revisit on Tuesday but opted for an earlier night instead. I was even asleep before the end of Wycombe's 3-2 friendly win over Watford which I didn't bother attending. The extra sleep helped me get through a busier-than-usual Wednesday at work but I still had the afternoon to relax. I was glad when the hosts confirmed tonight's game as it put my mind at rest. I was late leaving, getting away at 6.15. It was half an hour to the ground with me getting there fifteen minutes before kickoff. I had a brief look around before settling down for the game. Both sides were wearing their change kit, Slough Heating Laurencians in pale blue and Old Windsor in luminous yellow. It had been a warm day but the conditions were perfect for a pleasant evening watching football.

The hosts took the lead on ten minutes following a ball over the top and some less-than-stellar defending. The game was pretty equal other than that, Old Windsor forced a good save out of the home keeper on 20 minutes. In fact, both keepers were on form in an open game. Slough made it 2-0 just after a water break on the half hour, a quick attack down the right and a low finish from just inside the area. This seemed to embolden the hosts and sap Windsor's spirits. Just before half time, a deflected goal from a cross, possibly an own goal made it 3-0. There was still time before the break for Windsor to pull one back, a cross from the right was drilled down the centre of the goal, a low shot from the edge of the area. A great cross from the left and a nice header reduced the arrears for the visitors who had made a raft of changes at the break. A goal from a tight angle wide on the left restored Slough's two-goal lead to make it 4-2. Around 20 minutes from time, it was 4-3, a penalty converted following a trip in the area. It was 5-3 five minutes later, though I didn't see the goal as I walked around the ground.

THE GROUND 

SLOUGH POLISH ASSOCIATION is a decent place to watch a game at, though there is little in the way of furniture, just two goals and temporary benches for the teams. It is very peaceful and pleasant though and feels enclosed on three sides. Parking is plentiful and the attached Polish club has a bar and restaurant. I didn't get the time to visit when I went though.