In the first of a Christmas slate of games, Slough Town hosted one of the promotion favourites in Dorking Wanderers. Basil Tuma certainly put himself about in this game, not afraid to match the National
League South physicality levels.
He was later booked and, on Boxing Day in the SL Classico at Maidenhead United, was sent off. While going up for a header, Tuma’s shoulder made contact with a Maidenhead defender.
Surely helped by the Magpies’ defenders telling the defender in question to get back down on the floor after he had confirmed he was OK, Tuma was shown a straight red, in a game which his family had travelled over from Malta to watch.
However, on the ball he fared much better. His final pass was slightly off vs Dorking when, on an attack, he only just misplaced a pass when he perhaps could have shot.
He then missed a golden one-on-one chance as he showed great movement when he and another attacker split to give Rebels striker Wilton Makowski two options. He opted for Tuma, who had his firm shot saved, when perhaps he could’ve lifted it over the keeper.
In this game Tuma played in the two behind the striker in a 3-4-2-1, was extremely energetic and, thanks to a high press in the first half, won the ball back high up many a time when Dorking tried to play it out.
In the second, he showed his fantastic ability on the dribble, with a step-over and lay-off for a shot that was saved. As is the theme with this article, he perhaps could have taken a shot, just slightly lacking that decision making, a la Daniel Kyerewaa.
He looked by far one of the best players on the pitch in the last 10/15, with a roulette turn, then a curved ball down the channel late on at 1-1 and some really good touches with the ball just glued to his feet. He was constantly playing little one-twos and looking to make things happen intelligently.
Before his sending-off against United, he was arguably the best player on the pitch, showcasing his close ball control and blistering pace on the dribble.
In his final game of the Christmas period, vs Chesham United, he continued his string of good performances, turning a man in the middle early on and playing in a teammate. Here he showed fantastic patience and made exactly the right choice following a very clever turn.
He also showcased his pace, skinning defenders and managing a cut-back to a teammate following a bad touch, which should have actually resulted in a penalty.
Fellow Slough loanee Jacob Borgnis has also adapted fantastically to the level and helped set up Slough’s first goal, floating a ball forwards, Luke Holness flicking it on before himself scoring from a rebound of a blocked Jared Myers shot. Borgy also looked to push forwards and attempt more shots in this game than in previous ones.
In a Slough side showing a resurgence up the table, Tuma and Borgnis have played a big part over the Christmas period.
