lineup

Jason Pearcey

Gary Moran

Jamie Williams

Adam Hart

Craig Herbert

Andy Commander

Rory Squire

Craig Dutton

Robbie Beard

Justin Marsden

Steve Evans

subs used

none

Two goals in three first half minutes from striker Justin Marsden were enough notch a third consecutive Southern League win.

An unchanged Rugby side looked bright and dangerous early on, and won a penalty after just eleven minutes when Solihull keeper Mark Gayle brought down Justin Marsden in the area as he was running away from goal, but the referee did not hesitate in awarding the spot-kick.  Debatably, Gayle was not dismissed despite being the last man, but Justin Marsden once again confidently tucked the ball away.

While the home side were still reeling from conceding so early on, Robbie Beard produced a fantastic pass to split the Solihull defence to allow Justin Marsden a free run at goal as he shrugged off the covering defender before shooting low into the net from twelve yards.

Rugby were extremely fortunate not to concede a penalty themselves, when a mix up between Adam Hart and Andy Commander allowed Mark Shepherd to run through on goal and with Commander seeming to tug the Solihull player to the ground, the referee was uninterested and Jason Pearcey still had to make a fantastic close range save from the midfielder.  From the ensuing corner, Peer headed over the bar.

The game descended into a competition of who could kick the ball highest, which suited Rugby who were two goals to the good.  Solihull rarely looked dangerous, but had plenty of chances from crosses. 

Scott Voice, the ex-Bilston Town striker, was the first guilty of heading over the bar from a Barry cross and then Matt Hawker was the next to fire over the bar from Martin Hier's cross.

In reality, Rugby rarely attacked again in the first half and were playing more of a containing game to keep the score to 2-0 until half-time at least.  The plan seemed to work, with Solihull rarely having a chance to get back into the game.

At the end of the half, Beard had Rugby's first chance for half an hour, but struck his effort wide from outside the area.

The first twenty minutes of the second half were a little more exciting affair, and Solihull should have got a goal back when Peer got clear of the Rugby defence again from a long ball but Pearcey again made a superb save after holding his ground.  Then, on the counter attack, Marsden broke and the ball came to Gary Moran at the far post who fired over.

Valley should have wrapped up the points when Beard brilliantly fed Steve Evans, but the midfielder's curling effort from the edge of the area when through on goal went just wide of the post.

A candidate for miss of the season came next after a shambles of a Rugby free-kick.  The ball came out wide for Beard who whipped in a fantastic ball which came all the way across the area to the back post where Rory Squire arrived four yards out and somehow contrived to boot the ball over the bar.

Marsden's hat-trick was denied by the hand of Gayle, a hand that allowed Marsden to get his first goal, but after dispossessing Barry and cutting inside Gayle managed to tip the ball onto the bar.

At the other end, Solihull's best chance of getting a goal came after a goalmouth scramble after a corner and Nick Amos saw his effort cannon back off the crossbar.