NO PLAY-OFF PLACE DESPITE EASY WIN

Rugby Town eased to a comfortable victory over lowly Hayes with two goals in each half in glorious sunshine at Butlin Road on Easter Saturday.

By Jon Venner.

Photo: Martin Pulley

Valley striker Claudiu Hoban strokes home his second and Rugby's third from the penalty spot as the home side cruised to a 4-0 win against AFC Hayes.

Ultimately Slough’s victory elsewhere meant the result was academic, but Martin Sockett’s side put in one of their more dominating performance of the season to complete the double over the Middlesex club – mirroring the 4-0 victory earlier in the season in the reverse fixture.

Sockett recalled the fit again Ben Steane to his starting eleven for the game, and Rugby were soon on top with Melvin Gourlay heading wide Claudiu Hoban’s corner – the first of a series of them – after just two minutes.

Ben Steane’s lobbed through ball then almost played in the industrious Paddy Connolly, before Hayes’s Ross Ahir headed Terry Smith’s corner over the bar in a rare attacking highlight for the visitors.

Town could have took the lead on nine minutes, but keeper Tom McNeil pulled out a top drawer double save to first deny Nik Preston and then Hoban’s follow-up attempt.

However McNeil was to blame for the opening goal just five minutes later, when he made a mess of a regulation gather on the by-line, allowing Hoban to steal the ball from him and fire home from a tight angle.

Valley keeper Dave Clarke was down well to smother Kevin Chakodza, before the onslaught continued from the home side – with Gary Moran’s cross the far post headed down past the wrong side of the post by Seb Hamilton.

Steane made it two nil on 37 minutes when he finished off a free-flowing move involving Hoban, Andy Gundelach and Richard Wesley with a well-executed curler to the top corner.

Hamilton and Hoban both had further efforts ahead of the half-time whistle.

Rugby were even more in control in the second period, and Connolly nearly extended the lead shortly after the restart, but this time McNeil did well to bravely smother his effort.

The visiting keeper was again at the centre of Rugby’s third when he ploughed through the back of Preston after a looping ball into the box, and Hoban powered home the resulting penalty into the right hand side of the goal.

Town stroked the ball around the pitch comfortably for the remaining half an hour of the game, and pinned back the tiring Hayes youngsters.

Substitutes Tyrone Fagan and Leon Simpson both played threatening balls across the face of the goal with no end product, and then McNeil did well to deny Simpson’s shot after Fagan had picked out his strike partner.

Another free-flowing Valley move on 79 minutes saw Danny Hall pick out Nick Heath on the right wing, and from his cross into the box, Connolly had a well-struck effort blocked. Fortunately the ball fell to Simpson, who rammed it home from close range for a fourth goal.

Simpson could have rounded things off with a second not long after, but his first touch in the box let him down.

The referee’s whistle signaled the end of football for another season at Butlin Road, and as the Town playing and management team acknowledged the support of the Valley faithful behind the goal, news of Slough’s victory against Biggleswade slowly filtered through and with it the realisation that Rugby would not be part of the play-offs this time round.

Valley line-up: Clarke; Moran, Hall, Gourlay, Preston; Steane (Heath), Wesley, Connolly, Gundelach; Hamilton (Fagan), Hoban (Simpson). Sub not used: Namdieyte, Goodbody. Booked: None.

Hayes line-up: McNeil, Barnes, Rhone, Duffy, Beccles, Murphy, Smith, Vincent, Chakodza, Quarry-Powell, Ahir. Subs: Lake, Aiken, Jeff, Grant.