DAVENTRY TAKE THE DIRECT ROUTE TO DERBY WIN

Rugby Town's play-off credentials took a blow at local rivals Daventry Town who ran away 4-2 winners to boost their own championship hopes.

By Craig Webb.

Photo: Martin Pulley

Valley's Paddy Connolly makes a burst from midfield as Rugby took a while to find their feet once more against their local rivals

The hosts raced into a three goal lead inside twenty five minutes on a dry and bobbly pitch at Communications Park although Rugby had reduced the arrears to just one goal by midway through the second half with Claudiu Hoban and Leon Simpson on target.

However with Valley pushing hard for an equaliser Daventry effectively killed the game on the break with twelve minutes remaining with Aaron Parkinson heading home from a corner.

With games running out to secure their play off place, this was a must win game against a side who before the game had won sixteen successive games to seriously threaten Hitchin at the top of the table.

Valley boss Martin Sockett named an unchanged team from the win against Northwood and as ever the Rugby fans made their presence felt before the game, but unfortunately it was the home fans who celebrated first when they netted the first goal of the game inside the first minute.

The ball was bobbing around in the penalty area and with Paddy Connolly struggling to clear, midfielder Adam Confue pounced in space to stab the ball home from close range.

Town were obviously shaken with the start with Daventry imposing themselves quickly into the game despite this being their fourth game in a week.

It got worse though for Rugby just thirteen minutes in, when they went 2-0 down.

Ryan Howell toe poked a cracking shot from eight yards after Rugby’s Nik Preston had initially cleared.

At this stage Rugby were clearly struggling to get any foothold in the game, although Tyrone Fagan had their first chance midway through the half from Connolly’s pass, but home goalkeeper Aaron Butcher made a comfortable save from the striker's volleyed effort.

A fear of a thrashing surfaced when after 25 minutes, Rugby went further behind through a Nick Heath own goal.

Forward Josh Blake made a rampaging run down the wing into the penalty area unchallenged and as he unleashed his shot it hit the unfortunate Heath, and the ball flew past the stranded Dave Clarke.

After the goal, Rugby seemed to have woken up with the impressive Claudiu Hoban having a cross cum shot hit the top of the net, and Fagan having a shot on turn but saw his effort saved.

Rugby needed a goal back before half time to install some belief and they did just that in the 41st minute.

It came from a set piece and Hoban who has unbelievable accuracy rate at free kicks struck again when his effort sailed over the crowded penalty area and straight into the top corner of the net despite Butcher trying valiantly to get a touch on it.

The second half, Town started it much better than the first putting Daventry under much more pressure and restricting them to hardly any shots and it was no surprise that they cut the deficit further when striker Leon Simpson pounced with a bullet header from Preston’s cross from six yards out after 51 minutes.

With Town back in it, you could sense an equalizer was not far away with Daventry perhaps beginning to tire after their busy week of games, and Simpson was again close to equal the score but his header from Gary Moran’s free kick was well held by Butcher.

At this point the game was starting to get scrappy with many substitutions made from both sides.

Rugby though were dealt a hammer blow in the 78th minute when Daventry made sure of the points when central defender Aaron Parkinson leapt highest to score with a looping header from a Josh O’Grady corner to leave Town deflated, but a valiant effort at least in the second half means they can go into the next game against high flying Arlesey with much confidence despite this defeat.

Valley Line-up: Clarke; Moran, Gourlay, Preston; Steane (Gundelach), Wesley (Hamilton), Heath (Oulton), Connolly; Hoban, Simpson, Fagan. Subs not used: Goodbody, Hall. Booked: Hoban, Heath, Preston. Sent Off: None.

Daventry Town: Butcher, Hitchcox, Stringfellow, Lee, Parkinson, Fountain, Howell, Confue, Berwick, Forinton, Blake.