Saturday 31 March 2007

Attendance | 339

	Willis Francis returned to the line-up and put in a good display but it wasn't enough to secure a win

More shambolic defending condemned Rugby to their sixth game without a victory at Butlin Road last Saturday, with Banbury gaining revenge for their 3-2 defeat against the Valley earlier in the season.

Successive first half defensive howlers from Craig Herbert and Delroy Gordon within a minute had gifted the Puritans a two goal lead, although David Stone did give the home supporters some hope - reducing the arrears just before the interval.

Despite most of the second period being played in the visitors half, the Valley were however unable to make a further breakthrough against the eleven - and briefly and bizarrely twelve - men from Oxfordshire.

Willis Francis had been recalled to the starting line-up for this crucial match, with Chris Tullin demoted to the bench for the first time in the league this season, and Town started brightly enough - with Stone the chief tormentor, causing problems for the opposition defence with his pace and trickery.

United's 17 year old keeper Joe Morrell was called into action early on his debut, parrying away Stone's effort with one hand. David Staff also sent his shot narrowly wide after he had cut inside from the left wing.

There looked to be little threat when a harmless ball bobbled across the Rugby penalty area on 25 minutes, but Herbert's air shot saw it then trickle through to an unmarked Andy Baird, who fired home from ten yards out.

The despair was compounded shortly after when Gordon flung himself at Ollie Stanbridge's cross, only to head the ball into the net in the process - giving the Valley the by-now customary mountain to climb.

Matters could have been worse a few minutes later when Farhad Afandiyev three times tried to gather at the feet of Howard Forinton, and when the ball was finally squared to Baird, he took his time to set up his shot at a keeper-less goal, before blazing it over.

Rugby regained their composure from the double blow and began once more to trouble the United defence - with Stone again at the heart of their most threatening efforts, and his cut-back cross was only just cut-out for a corner and his deflected shot just flashed wide.

Having fallen foul of marginal offside decisions on a couple of occasions, Stone then finally broke through the middle of a sluggish Banbury defence on 39 minutes after Willis Francis had delivered a slide rule pass. David Stone rounded off the move with a composed finish under the body of Morrell.

Parys Okai's free-kick shortly after curled over the bar, and shortly before half-time some neat pass-and-go football between Tom Breward, Okai, Taylor and Staff ended with Staff's dangerous low cross being cut out by the young keeper.

Whilst Town dominated possession for most of the second half, at the same time they failed to excessively extend Morrell in the increasingly blustery conditions, and far too often their goalbound efforts lacked the necessary punch and conviction.

Taylor lifted his shot wide on 53 minutes, Matt Gearing's cross almost found its target and Staff's high swirling corner just bounced wide. At the other end, Afandiyev was quickly off his line to deny Forinton with his feet, and he also turned Baird's long range effort round the post - despite the late bounce of the ball which had threatened to deceive him.

Gearing appeared to be taken out from behind in the penalty area, but referee Mark Edwards - yet another match official of dubious quality to have performed at Butlin Road this season - waved away the appeal.

Apart from Stuart Bridges’s squandered chance on 67 minutes, the final half an hour of the game was all Rugby's. Staff had a series of opportunities to level the scores, but sent his shots wide, into the legs of defenders or weakly into Morrell's arms.

Taylor turned his marker well in the box, but his shot lacked direction, and Herbert headed over from a dangerous position after Okai's cross had picked him out near the penalty spot.

The introduction of David Kolodynski for the ineffectual Gearing added to the firepower available to the Valley, and he was unlucky to be crowded out in the box after Stone had broke down the right and put in a low cross.

When veteran defender Kieran Sullivan's deflection looped up and onto the Banbury crossbar, it was plainly evident that it was not to the Valley's day again. As the game reached its conclusion, the crowd were treated to some moments of pure farce, as Banbury substitute Chris Jackson appeared to replace the injured Tommy Kinch.

Somehow Kinch managed to sneak back onto the field of play too, before the lineslady Lisa Rashid spotted the numerical imbalance, and referee Edwards eradicated the situation and in effect 'rewound' the match action - allowing Rugby a second chance at a free-kick awarded previously.

Rugby Lineup:

	Farhad Afandiyev
	Aaron Stringfellow
	Parys Okai
	Craig Herbert (c) Booked
	Delroy Gordon
	Tom Breward
	Matthew Gearing
	WILLIS FRANCIS Star Man
	Jason Taylor
	David Stone Scored 1
	David Staff

Used Substitutes

	Chris Tullin
	David Kolodynski