Saturday 30th December 2006

Attendance | 247

	Rugby's Jason Taylor tries to win possession at a soaked Butlin Road

Rugby's hopes of back-to-back home victories were sunk at a rain-swept Butlin Road last Saturday.

With the ground already wet under foot before play started, the heavens opened shortly before kick-off and continued to pour down throughout an evenly contested, but goal-less first period.

The deluge got heavier during the interval, and when the visitors got off to a flier with two early second half goals, attention turned to the match officials in the hope that the game would be abandoned, with the pitch puddles beginning to grow deeper and wider by the second.

	Rugby boss Billy Jeffrey was unhappy that the game continued in farcical conditions in the second half

However referee Glenn Turner refused repeated requests to call an early halt to proceedings, and attacking by far the worst end of the ground, the Valley rarely threatened to pull back the deficit - with ex Rugby player Rob Gould adding to their misery with a third goal just after the hour mark.

An unchanged Rugby line-up struggled early on to cope with the demands of the weather and the sodden surface, and the best chances fell to Hemel.

Gould's close range header from a Charlie Mapes corner after just four minutes threatened to open the scoring, and shortly after that, Fabio Valenti's well-struck half volley was turned over the bar by Farhad Afandiyev.

Afandiyev had to be quick off his line to clear an Andrew Rigby back-pass which ran short of its target in the wet, before David Stone fashioned Rugby's first meaningful effort when he drew a low near post save from Hemel keeper Steve Smith.

Successive crosses from Chris Tullin then caused problems for the visitor's defence - the first just cut out by Smith and the second finding the head of Matt Gearing, who sent his header wide. At the other end, two Steve Sinclair deliveries into the box also threatened to generate a goal.

On 36 minutes, in the best move of the half, Stone and Jason Taylor combined well to release Rigby in the box, but his on-target effort was blocked. A dangerous inswinging Gearing corner only just failed to find a finishing touch in a crowded six yard box, and then Tullin blasted the loose ball into another covering defender.

Just two minutes into the second half, the visitors took the lead when Valenti pulled clear of his marker Rigby, and sweetly struck the ball home from the edge of the area. On 52 minutes Hemel added a second when Mapes intercepted a speculative shot from Sinclair, and pulled the ball round Afandiyev to tap it into the unguarded net.

With the ball being increasingly held up in the surface water, Valley's hopes of comeback were all too often thwarted by the conditions rather than by their opponents, though Willis Francis's long range shot caused problems for Smith - who only managed to grab it at the 2nd attempt.

Any doubt that the points were on their way back to Hertfordshire were eliminated on 65 minutes when Gould applied a simple finish to Chris Herron's pull-back, with Andy Commander left floundering - unable to clear his decks properly in the mud bath of a penalty area.

Taylor hit a fine curling shot, which brought an equally fine save from Smith, and Danny Hall volleyed wide as Rugby bravely continued to push forward in search of some form of consolation.

Valley boss Billy Jeffrey then earned himself a severe talking to from referee Turner, with the Derby official stubbornly refusing to provide Rugby with a lifeline and end the game prematurely.

As a result, the final stages of the game became increasingly farcical, and the numerous comical water slides and puddle splashes by the players provided the only real entertainment.

Report by Jon Venner.

Rugby Lineup:

	Farhad Afandiyev
	Chris Tullin
	Andy Commander Booked
	Craig Herbert (c)
	DELROY GORDON Star Man
	Danny Hall
	Matthew Gearing
	Willis Francis
	Jason Taylor
	David Stone
	Andrew Rigby

Used Substitutes

	Aaron Stringfellow
	David Kolodynski
	Scott Wells