RUGBY SNEAK THE POINTS IN ASHFORD THRILLER

Valley overcame an impressive Ashford Town on a rollercoaster night at the Robert Parker Stadium with a last minute goal sealing the points.

By Craig Webb.

A Luke Keen strike in the 90th minute won it for Rugby in the first of five successive away games.

Despite a blistering start for Valley, scoring three goals in the opening twelve minutes, the hosts put on a thrilling comeback in the second half to even things up until Keen’s late goal.

With a couple of players unavailable, Craig Goodbody made a rare start for Town, with Lee Parsons playing keeping his place with Melvin Gourlay still injured.

Rugby could not have hoped for a better start, going ahead in the just the third minute.

In form Paddy Connolly found Tyrone Fagan in space on the right hand side and the striker coolly slotted home at the goalkeeper's near post from just inside the area under little pressure from the Ashford defence.

Town were clearly the better side in the opening exchanges, with Keen nearly doubling the lead just a couple of minutes later only to see his effort wide from Fagan's pass.

However in the tenth minute, Fagan got his second of the game when an accurate ball over the top of the defence from Ben Steane found the striker onside and he steered his low shot past a helpless Ashford keeper.

The small band of travelling fans were in dreamland just two minutes later when Rugby went 3-0 up.

A hopeful ball into the area by Lee Parsons from thirty yards evaded everybody, and the keeper again at fault allowed the ball to go past him into the net.

After the frantic opening fifteen minutes, the game calmed down, with Ashford trying to get back into the game, and they had their first shot on target midway through the half.

Former football league player Isiah Rankin seeing his effort cause Dave Clarke no problems.

With Town seemingly cruising there is always a danger of complacency and after a couple of decent chances, the home side crucially got a goal back in the last minute of the half.

A long throw into the area found player-manager Jamie Lawrence who quickly passed to Rankin to turned away from his marker to unleash a low shot leaving Clarke stranded.

If Rugby had a great start in the first half it was Ashford who started the second period the better.

They cut the lead further just four minutes in when they were awarded a penalty.

Connolly was adjudged to have fouled the player inside the area much to his annoyance and Jordan Kiffin hit a powerful penalty with Clarke rooted to his spot.

The comeback was well and truly on with Rugby finding it difficult to find any rhythm and fluency they had in the first half.

Ashford completed the comeback when they were given their second penalty in the 64th minute.

Goodbody seemed to clip Kiffin on his way to goal and the referee immediately pointed to the spot.

Kiffin recovered to score a nearly identical penalty from the first.

With Ashford now on level terms, they seemed to be the team that would go on and win it, and with Rankin having two more efforts it came very close.

But it was Rugby who had the spirit late on to win the game from Keen, who received a cracking pass from Fagan, and from a wide angle in acres of space drilled his super shot past Andrei Baptiste.

A thoroughly entertaining game and the result propelling Rugby up to fourth place with the play off dream now very much on after third successive win.

Valley Line-up: Clarke; Goodbody, Phipps-Hall, Preson, Moran; Steane, Wesley, Connolly, Parsons; Fagan, Keen. Subs not used: Alexander, Thomas. Booked: Goodbody. Sent Off: None.

Ashford : Baptiste, Lubwama, Curtis, Canderton, Butitus, Lawrence, Kiffin, Hickie, Rankin, Wood, Awwah.