Cooke treble in big Bank Holiday win

A Cody Cooke hat-trick plus goals for Tom Smith and Alex Fletcher saw a clinical performance from City this afternoon to run out 5-1 winners against Slough Town at Twerton Park. The first minute of the game saw Scott Wilson and Togwell tussle for the ball on the edge of the six-yard box and the referee pointed to the spot. Cooke stepped up to make it three from three penalty kicks this season. The game was briefly halted three minutes later when the visitors were asked to change their light grey shirts due to a clash with City’s black and white stripes. Now resplendent in City’s 16/17 blue away shirt the Rebels levelled on 16 minutes, Goddard turning and shooting past Joe Wright from eight yards. Wilson’s 23rd minute cross almost picked out Cooke as City looked to restore their lead but it was Slough who were looking more threatening, Wright saving well from Davies on the half hour and then Kieran Parselle clearing Goddard’s effort off the line six minutes later. However, on the stroke of half-time City struck again, Wilson breaking clear down the left and, after his first effort was blocked, teeing up Cooke to steer the ball home. City found themselves pressed back during the opening exchanges of the second half but stood firm in the face of Slough pressure. Then on 58 minutes they made it 3-1 as Cooke latched onto a loose ball to shoot past North for his first hat-trick in City colours. To their credit Slough continued to search for a way back into the game, somehow failing to pull a goal back on 78 minutes during a goalmouth scramble. And City punished them twice in the final ten minutes, as Tom Smith raced clear to lift the ball past North in the 82nd minute then one minute into stoppage time Fletcher tapped home the fifth goal after North had initially blocked Zac Bell’s shot.