Oshilaja and Makowski help Slough turn the tables on Eastbourne and kick off 2026 in style

Photo credit: Zak Rana

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Slough Town 2, Eastbourne Borough 1

Wiktor Makowski drilled home the Rebels' second half winner as Scott Davies’ side came from behind to kick off 2026 with a 2-1 win over Eastbourne Borough.

After a sluggish start, the Rebels grew into this contest and after 90 absorbing minutes, they were good value for their third straight league win.

Davies won’t have been much pleased with the side’s start to the game, and old boy George Alexander deservedly punished their hesitancy when he side-footed the visitors in front after only 15 minutes.

Eastbourne had already nodded a header wide of the mark in the third minute and failed to capitalise on a couple of promising attacks before the ball was played into Alexander on the edge of the area, and he made no mistake with a first time shot that flew past Adam Desbois.

The visitors really should have added to their advantage in those early stages, but Slough were resilient in defence, and the visitors were wasteful in the final third.

They struggled to get a proper foothold in the game until defender Kiki Oshilaja hooked home a brilliant equaliser on the half-hour mark, the ball bouncing in off the inside of the post.

Oshilaja had his back to goal when he collected a ball in from the left from Tyrique Clarke, but he managed to bring it under control, swivel and fire it into the bottom left-hand corner. It was his third goal in as many games for the Rebels and once again it put them on course for all three points.

The hosts had the ball in the back of the net once again in the 43rd minute when Tyrese Dyce bundled home at the back post from a corner. But Slough’s celebrations were cut short when the goal was ruled out for handball – the defender receiving a yellow card in the process.

The lively Jared Myers also went close with a snapshot that Williamson managed to parry a minute or two later, but the teams went in level at the break and that felt about right after a half of two halves.

Ruben Shakpoke had a quiet game by his recent standards, but he came close to a second for Slough in the 59th minute, curling an effort just past the post after receiving the cutback from Makowski.

The Rebels did though forge ahead for the first time a minute later when Makowski beat the Borough offside trap and cracked a low shot across keeper Williamson and into the bottom corner. Myers timed his through ball to perfection and Makowski held his run and took a moment to compose himself before firing home.

Borough, to their credit, remained a threat, and only a smart save from Adam Desbois in the 72nd minute prevented Jordan-Mullins levelling matters from a close-range header.

Makowski might have made the final few minutes a little easier for the 933 who braved the chilly conditions at Arbour Park when he forced Williamson into another decent save in the 84th minute. But in truth, the Rebels defence were dominant in the final 10 minutes, and any anticipated late onslaught from the visitors failed to materialise.

The result lifts the Rebels to 16th in the table, four points clear of the National League South relegation zone, and the general sense is that Davies and his players are now looking up rather than over their shoulders.

After back-to-back home wins over Chesham and Eastbourne, the Rebels now face three tricky away games, starting with Monday’s trip to Chelmsford City.

A delighted Scott Davies spoke with Connor McNeish after his side made it three consecutive National League South wins with a 2-1 victory over Eastbourne Borough.#OneSloughhttps://t.co/OmT4TTo4bc

— Slough Town FC (@sloughtownfc) January 3, 2026