EASTER GOAL FEST AT SPENCER STADIUM

Stephan Morley celebrates scoring a second-half penalty with Kieran Fitzharris and the away supporters as Rugby draw level on the way to a 3-2 victory

Valley produced an excellent second half display at the Spencer Stadium to evetually overcome Banbury United despite falling behind twice during the first half.

The win lifts Rugby to 15th in the table and again helps to ease worries of relegation as Valley repeated the scoreline in the corresponding fixture last season.

The game was action-packed and Banbury started the scoring inside ten minutes when Greg Williams was allowed too much room in the Rugby penalty area and he finished from close range.

Rugby were soon level when Stephan Morley superbly headed home Rob Oddy's deep cross from the right.

The visitors thought they were ahead when Dave Pearson put the ball in the net after Kieran Fitzharris' shot deflected into his path but the assistant's flag was raised for offside.

Valley were caught cold on the half hour mark as Banbury reclaimed their goal advantage. The goal was immacculately taken as winger Ollie Stanbridge got the wrong side of Oddy before chesting down a 50-yard cross-field free kick and then lofting the ball over Richard Anstiss and into the net.

Banbury could have extended their lead but for the help of the crossbar keeping out a long range effort from Williams and a fantastic save from Anstiss to deny Mark Essex's header.

After the break, however, Rugby looked a different side and constantly managed to get room behind the Banbury defence.

Valley should have levelled when Pearson broke down the right and cut the ball back to Tom Breward, via a well saved Kieran Fitzharris effort, but the young midfielder's goal-bound effort was brilliantly blocked.

Rugby did manage to level when former Valley player Ben Milner was controversially adjudged to have brought down David Stone on the very edge of the area and Morley tucked away the penalty for his second of the game.

Two minutes later and Rugby had managed to overturn their defecit completely. Fitzharris played a nice interchange with Stone and the latter drove into the penalty area and fired past the goalkeeper with the aid of a deflection.

Rugby had several chances to kill the game off but there was more drama to come when the tricky Nicky Gordon was brought down by Rugby captain Craig Herbert in the penalty area, but Gordon's weak spot kick was well parried away by Anstiss.

Valley Line-up: Anstiss 8, Oddy 7, Scott 6 (Stringfellow 6), Herbert 7, Gordon 7, MORLEY 9* (Musgrove 6), Breward 7, King 7, Pearson 7 (Edge 6), Stone 7, Fitzharris 8.
Subs not used: Staff, Kolodynski.
Booked: None.
Sent Off: None

Report by RTFC Online.