LAST MINUTE PENALTY DRAMA HARSH ON RUGBY

A penalty deep into added-on time deprived Town of any return after an at-times encouraging performance against a side set for a place in the play-offs at the end of the season.

By Jon Venner.

Photo: Martin Pulley

Winger Shawn Richards shoots high and wide as Rugby looked to extend their second half lead only to see it slip away

The nature of Rugby's latest league defeat pretty much summed up their luckless campaign to-date, and with supporters thoughts and debates already focused on the 2010-11 season, it is hoped that fortune favours them a little more kindly after the now surely inevitable drop into the lower Zamaretto regional league.

Having fallen behind to a 22nd minute Bash strike on Tuesday evening, goals from David Kolodynski and an exquisite free-kick from Chris Hollist gave Valley a rare advantage on the opposition.

However the visitors threw everything at Town in the last half an hour, and finally got their reward with ten minutes remaining. Just when it looked like Rugby would at least come away with a deserved point for their valiant efforts, they were once more on the wrong end of a crucial refereeing decision in the penalty area, and Bashley captain David Allen sealed the victory from the spot in the 94th minute of play.

Bashley had had the better of the opening exchanges, with chances for Matt Parnell and Adam Kelly both drawing good stops from Andrew Stevens.

However it was Kolodynski who squandered the game's first stand-out opportunity, when - after a slip by a defender - he found himself one-on-one with keeper David Elm. Last season's league top marksman never looked confident on his subsequent run through, and put his shot within easy reach of Elm.

Kelly then made Town pay for that miss with a goal from nothing. As had been the case against Farnborough at the weekend, Rugby gave a player far too much time and space on the edge of the box, and Kelly gratefully made them pay with a low strike into the net.

Seven minutes later, Rugby were level though, when Kolodynski poked home from close range after Hollist's low corner had been controlled and played on by Matt Gearing.

Sam Youngs smashed two efforts - first high, then wide of the target, as Valley pushed forward after the equaliser. At the other end, Stevens pulled out an excellent point blank save from Gary Middleton, and on the stroke of half-time the visitors were aggrieved to see Joe Maxwell's goal chalked off for offside.

Town started the second half brightly, as Kolodynski's low shot drifted just wide shortly after the restart.

When Hollist grabbed his first goal for the club with a swerving free-kick from twenty yards and more, it prompted the home side's best spell of the match – and both Shawn Richards and Matt Gearing could have made the game safe with the chances that followed in it.

Up until the hour mark, Bashley had shown little to suggest why they occupied a place in the top three going into the game, but the shock of Hollist's goal the subsequent Rugby swagger then sparked them into life.

Stevens did well to keep Matt Parnell's near post strike out with his legs, as the away team pushed forward in search of an equaliser of their own.

Referee Husband then made his first major impact on the game, awarding a penalty for what he appeared to think was a handball in the box by a Rugby defender.

The decision incensed the entire Town team, and they rounded on the linesman to try and communicate to the man in the middle that it was in fact a Bashley hand that had made contact with the ball.

Fortunately, the pleas bore fruit and the referee reversed his decision, but it was not long before Bash's pressure finally gained reward, when substitute Max Cream turned his marker in the penalty area before lifting his shot into the roof of the net.

Kelly almost added his second just after, but his effort was deflected away for a corner, and Stevens then made the save of the match with an excellent one-handed stop to deny Middleton.

Having been denied the opportunity of awarding a penalty earlier in the proceedings, Husband finally got his wish in stoppage time when he adjudged that Kelly was fouled in the box. Allen stroked the kick into the bottom left of the goal, once another impassioned plea from Town's players had this time been ignored.

There was still time for further incident in the Bashley area, with Kolodynski's appeal for a penalty turned down and Sam Birtwhistle's header flying just wide of the target in the last play of the game.

Valley Line-up: Stevens; Stringfellow, Hollist, Birtwistle, Tullin, Fellows; Farrow, Youngs; Gearing, Richards (Brown); Kolodynski. Subs not used: Bell, Glover, Love, Huddlestone. Booked: None. Sent off: None.