ANOTHER HOME DEFEAT AFTER TOWN FALL APART

Valley put in a second half shocker to crash to a home defeat on Tuesday evening – allowing Burnham to complete a ten day double over them in the process.

By Jon Venner.

Photo: Martin Pulley

Rugby Town midfielder Andy Gundelach skips past a challenge during the first half at Butlin Road.

Danny Hall’s strike in added-on time of the first half had buoyed an unchanged Rugby ahead of the break, and they were pushing for a second after the restart before unraveling in the final thirty five minutes of the game conceding four times to a side who - to be fair - had looked sharp contenders from the off.

The visitors had registered the first two on-target strikes of the game early on with Dave Clarke taking Ben Gladwin’s rising shot on the up and then making a regulation save to Joe Chandiram’s low effort.

Town countered by squandering two great chances of their own to take the lead – with first Gary Moran blazing over from a great position after Andy Gundelach’s deep ball into the box had picked him out and then Hall released Seb Hamilton down the middle, only for the striker to also fire high of the target.

A Claudio Hoban jinking run and shot was turned round the post by Burnham keeper Sam Mazurek, before the Berkshire side fought back with a series of efforts at the other end from Adrian Sear, Chandiram and the best of the bunch from Lee Thompson – which saw a good block at close quarters from Clarke.

Ben Steane then pinged his free-kick from the edge of the area back off the crossbar, before Hall registered his first goal of the season with a strike from similar distance which deviated significantly on its passage before clipping the inside of the post and hitting the net.

Town started the second period brightly enough, with Hoban again testing Mazurek from distance, before the turning point came on 55 minutes when Gundelach’s misplaced crossfield place left his side exposed at the back, and Ryan Bird beat Nick Heath in a wide position before applying a low finish past Clarke.

Thompson fired a good chance wide, before grabbing the second when completing a neat move on the edge of the box, and apart from a final effort from Hoban on 68 minutes which Mazurek again turned away for a corner, from then on it was all Burnham.

Thompson grabbed his second and his side’s third when he followed up on Clarke’s poor fumble to Lewis Cook’s free-kick, and substitute Tom Collins rounded off the scoring on 81 minutes with a good finish from the left hand side of the penalty box.

Collins and Gladwin had further chances for the visitors late-on, as Valley’s passing became increasingly sloppy.

Valley line-up: Clarke; Moran, Hall, Preston, Heath (Gourlay); Gundelach, Steane, Connolly, Hamilton, Hoban, Wesley (Simpson). Subs not used: Edwards, Goodbody, Alexander. Booked: Preston, Heath.

Burnham line-up: Mazurek, Adams, Reading, Dunlop, Chemlal, Sear, Chandiram, Gladwin, Thompson, Bird, Cook. Subs: Collins, Lofthouse-Smith,Garstang, Dowdilan.