THE KING OF COMEBACKS

Photo: Martin Pulley

From left: Delroy Gordon, David Stone, Matt Gearing, David Kolodynski, Stephan Morley and Tom Breward celebrate Morley's 80th minute equaliser.

Rugby Town completed a memorbale victory against Hitchin Town at Butlin Road after looking dead and buried when 0-3 down after only twenty minutes.

Valley's fans looked on in horror as a depleted Hitchin side, without any first choice attackers or goalkeepers, raced into a shock three goal lead inside the opening seventeen minutes.

Equally, Hitchin's away following were left to wonder what could have been as they saw their side fail to hold on and ultimately taste nothing from the game.

Rugby boss Tony Dobson made two changes from the defeat to Farnborough - one enforced with Kieran Fitzharris replacing the suspended Scott Musgrove and the other not as David Staff returned for his first game of the season in place of Steve Purton.

In the opening exchanges, the Valley defence looked as if they had never even seen a football before, let alone been the solid unit for so many good performance over the last two months and Hitchin took full advantage.

After just six minutes, a calamity of defensive mistakes resulted in the Canaries opening the scoring. Stephan Morley was caught in position inside his own half allowing a deep cross into the box which Liam Nicell only half cleared as far as Tocco whose low, bobbling shot somehow found its way past Andrew Stevens.

Things went from bad to worse as Hitchin doubled their advantage. Some inexplicably gung-ho defending left Delroy Gordon to deal with three Hitchin attackers running clear on goal but Balderson easily found room to slot the ball past Stevens.

The away side's confidence was going through the roof and some more uncharacteristic hesistancy by Stevens in the Rugby goal allowed Ebeyer to poke the ball home from the tighest of angles.

Valley had had two excellent chances in between the Hitchin goals with David Stone seeing his effort saved when one-on-one and David Kolodynski prodded the ball wide from close range before Rugby did find the net.

Tom Breward won the ball in defence as fed a neat ball for Kolodynski who ran clear and, after being forced wide, saw his effort clip off the defender and loop conveniently into the net to give Rugby a much-needed lifeline.

Rugby could not find a further breakthrough in the first half but came out in the second half with even more determination and it showed as Hitchin barely got near Stevens' goal.

Kolodynski netted Valley's crucial second goal and his 21st of the season in expert fashion. It was a result of an excellent team move involving Staff, Stone and finally Matt Gearing, whose low throughball was well collected by Kolodynski who beat the goalkeepr at his near post with a well-taken left footed effort.

The belief was increased and Rugby could genuinely sense that the comeback was possible and they exerted more and more attacking pressure.

The equaliser came in spectacular fashion as Morley picked up the ball on the edge of the area before drilling the ball home high in the net.

The comeback was truly completed moments later after Kolodynski had been felled right on the edge of the penalty box, resulting in a sending off for the Hitchin centre back and a dangerous free kick.

Staff, fresh from his time on Sky One's Gladiators show, measured a curled effort into the top corner beyond the goalkeeper to send the Valley fans into dreamland.

Valley Line-up: Stevens; Nicell, Breward, Gordon, Morley; Gearing (Simpson), Fitzharris (Taylor), King, Staff; Stone, Kolodynski. Subs not used: Purton. Booked: Breward. Sent off: None.

Hitchin Line-up: TBC. Subs not used: TBC.

Report by RTFC Online.