| Rugby
Town 3-0 Northwood |
| BGB
Premier Division |
Saturday
21st April 2007
Attendance
| 266
|
Entertainment |
|
 |
 |
Chris
Tullin breaks from midfield to make it 3-0
just after half time |
Town
finally banished any lingering fears of relegation
with a comprehensive victory over bottom of the
table Northwood last Saturday at a sun drenched
Butlin Road.
The
margin of victory could have easily been greater
as Valley dominated from the off, with Akinwale
Aladetoun marking his full debut with two first
half goals and Chris Tullin settling the game
with his side's third on 52 minutes.
Aladetoun
had replaced David Kolodynski in the starting
line-up, with Town manager Billy Jeffrey also
deciding to gamble on the fitness of central defensive
duo Delroy Gordon and Craig Herbert for this must-win
fixture.
Rugby
looked up for the challenge from the whistle,
and Aladetoun and strike partner David Stone combined
well in the third minute with Northwood keeper
Billy Fishenden forced into the first of a series
of impressive saves when he got down well to save
Aladetoun's well-struck effort.
On
8 minutes, Stone flicked a long clearance over
the top of the defence, and
Akin Aladetoun's pace
saw him speed past a defender and claim the ball
ahead of the nervously advancing Fishenden - before
calmly skipping past the keeper and side footing
home to open the scoring.
17
year old Fishenden then blocked Tullin's powerful
low shot after Stone had turned his marker inside-out,
and then saved well again from Aladetoun, as Rugby
continued to pile forward.
Delroy
Gordon's speculative overhead lob from David Staff's
bounced wide of the post, and then Staff himself
had his shot parried after he had beaten a couple
of Woods' defenders with his tricky run.
Town's
second came on 28 minutes when Gordon broke strongly
from deep inside his own half before releasing
Stone with a incisive pass. Stone then rolled
a simple cross across the box to allow an unmarked
Akin Aladetoun
to administer an equally simple finish.
The
visitors did show some signs of life in the remainder
of the first period, but still failed to muster
a single shot - either on or off-target - to round
off probably the most one-sided of 45 minutes
seen at the ground this season.
Rugby
continued to control the game in the second half,
although Northwood did finally involve Farhad
Afandiyev in the match when Karl Lewis rolled
a long-range effort into his hands, and Elliott
Buchanan fired into the side netting in the half’s
opening exchanges.
Chances
continued to come with regularity for Town too
though, with Andy Commander's looping header rising
just high of the goal and Fishenden pulling off
another impressive stop to deny Aladetoun a hat-trick,
after the Coventry University student had turned
well on the edge of the box.
Quick
thinking from Parys Okai created Rugby's third
when his hastily taken free-kick released Stone
in a wide position once more, and Stone again
provided a colleague - this time Chris
Tullin - with a straightforward
close range tap-in.
Shortly
after Lewis volleyed very wide from around the
penalty spot, when Valley's defence dropped its
guard momentarily and allowed him a free shot
at goal, and then Northwood substitute Harry Hunt
forced Afandiyev into his only save of note in
the game parrying a low drive - before Herbert
cleared the danger.
Stone
put Aladetoun's fizzing cross-cum-shot into the
side netting, and Staff's on-target effort was
blocked by a defender after good skill from Stone.
Tom
Breward's well-struck effort from the edge of
the penalty area brought another fine stop from
Fishenden, and another acrobatic one followed
from Stone.
Valley
substitute Matt Gearing was another to find the
side netting from an acute angle, and Aladetoun's
dreams of capping an impressive debut with a third
were nearly realised when his power and pace saw
him break down the middle, but unfortunately he
dragged his shot wide.
Report
by Jon Venner.
Links
>> Around
the League: Northwood
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Previous
Meetings: Rugby v Northwood
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Northwood Website
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