OLD FRIENDS DO VALLEY NO FAVOURS

David Stone attacks during a first half which sees Rugby take a deserved lead, but Valley could not keep up the intensity and eventually were defeated

Saints boss Roger Ashby put one over his close friend and one-time assistant Billy Jeffrey, as Valley slipped to a second defeat at the start of the new season.

Tom Winters' 89th minute winner deservedly earned Brackley the points at Butlin Road, after Rugby had previously survived a series of close escapes in the second half of the game.

The game saw a return to action for club captain Craig Herbert and also a debut for goalkeeper Alessandro Barcherini.

Barcherini was in the game as early as the 3rd minute, pulling off a good save low down from Elliott Sandy's shot, but it was Rugby that took the lead after 8 minutes when David Staff's pinpoint corner picked out Delroy Gordon, and the defender's downward header comfortably beat Richard Knight in the Brackley goal.

Valley generally had the better of the first half, with David Stone and Matt Gearing both threatening down the right hand flank after Gordon's goal. Gearing had two shooting opportunities from on and around the edge of the box. The first one saw him unable to make decent contact with the ball when it stuck beneath his feet after Akin Aladetoun had shown good strength on the turn before releasing him, and then was off-balance when dispatching the second after a good run from David Staff.

Barcherini survived a scare shortly after the Rugby goal, when a misunderstanding with Aaron Stringfellow saw the right-back's header fly past him, but fortunately Gordon was on-hand to clear the danger.

A fine saving tackle by Morley on Sandy kept the score at 1-0, and then Barcherini himself pulled off a fine double stop from shots in quick succession through a crowded box on the stroke of half-time.

Sandy made amends for his earlier misses when he headed home Winters' cross on 59 minutes, and with Rugby on the back foot for most of the second half - chances continued to come for the visitors.

Brackley introduced ex-Rugby favourite Robbie Beard to the game with twenty minutes remaining, and the club's record league goalscorer almost sealed things with five minutes remaining when after having rounded Barcherini, he delayed his finish long enough for Stringfellow to slide in and deny him.

Rugby's respite was only short-lived however, and four minutes later Winters' broke down the Rugby right, and then cut inside to fire his shot low past the beaten Barcherini.

Valley had created little in the second period, too often falling foul of the well-organised Brackley defence's offside trap.

The final attack of the game saw Gearing get behind his marker, but his pull-back from the by-line was cut out by Knight.

Valley Lineup: Barcherini 6, Stringfellow 6, Morley 6, HERBERT 7*, Gordon 6, Breward 6, Gearing 5, Francis 6 (Musgrove 6), Aladetoun 5 (Kolodynski 7), Stone 7, Staff 7.
Subs Not Used: McGrath, Edge, Harris.
Bookings: Francis.
Sent Off: None.

Clevedon Lineup: Knight, Farley, Love, G.Hadland (Stanbridge), Green, Williams, S.Hadland, Savage, Jackson (Beard), Sandy, Winters.
Subs Not Used: Brown, Hines, Murphy.

Report by Jon Venner.