FORMER Oxford United midfielder Eddie Denton is plotting his own FA Cup giantkilling when Slough Town take on Sammy McIlroy's Macclesfield Town in a first-round replay at Wexham Park tonight.

Denton, 28, is one of those who have proved that combining non-League football with an office career can be rewarding, even if it lacks the glamour of the full-time professional game.

Ten years ago he was named Oxford United's Young Player of the Year only to be shown the door at the Manor Ground soon after by boss Brian Horton.

Denton then spent two years with Watford in the first division but dropped out of the Football League limelight and had spells at Newbury Town, Chesham, Abingdon Town, Aylesbury and Witney Town before joining Ryman Premier League outfit Slough.

Under new player-manager Graham Roberts, the former Tottenham centre half, Slough have lost just once in eight games and their 2-2 draw at second division Macclesfield was one of the surprises of FA Cup first-round day.

The question everyone in Slough is now asking is: can they finish the job they started?

"If we'd been told before kick-off that we would draw 2-2 at their place we'd have been more than happy," Denton said. "We'd certainly have settled for that.

"But we were leading 2-0 until quite late on, so in the end we came away slightly disappointed. We know we'll have to play very well to win the replay because Macclesfield looked a decent side, but we're capable of doing it.

"Graham Roberts has got us fitter, more organised and we defend from the front better. And when he's played himself in the cup games we've looked stronger at the back."

Alongside Denton in the Slough team will be former Abingdon Town and Oxford City defender Richard Peirson, and ex-Reading player Michael Thorpe, who lives in Wallingford.

The atmosphere when the players take to the field at Slough this evening could be tense following a fracas at the final whistle in the first tie when McIlroy allegedly threw some punches. He has been reported to the FA.

The winners of the replay are at home to Cambridge and Denton, who as Newspaper Operations manager at Newsquest (Oxfordshire) will have a minibus of work colleagues going along to watch him play, believes it could be Slough's night.

"I honestly believe there's not much difference between the level of players in our league, the Conference and Divisions 3 and 2."

It's only when you get into Division 2 that you start coming up against clubs with much bigger resources."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.