VALLEY
HOLD SUTTON TO REPLAY
Rugby
Town forced a replay on Tuesday with Seb Hamilton's
late equaliser holding Sutton Coldfield at Butlin
Road.
By
Jon Venner
Photo:
Martin Pulley |
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Rugby
top scorer Seb Hamilton
scrambles home Tyrone Fagan's curling
cross at the far post to give Rugby
another chance at Coles Lane on Tuesday. |
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A
Valley side clearly lacking confidence laboured
to a 1-1 draw for the second successive week at
Butlin Road in their opening game in the FA Trophy,
setting up a midweek replay in the process.
Opponents Sutton were unlucky not to finish off
Town at the first attempt - creating the better
chances throughout, but having seen the visitors
taken the lead just past the hour, Seb Hamilton’s
scrambled equaliser on 76 minutes levelled the
game for Rugby.
It was generally an uninspiring game though, with
the best opportunities early on seeing Sutton’s
James Quiggin curling over and Zac Costello prodding
one wide after Dean Rathbone’s free-kick
had opened up the Valley defence.
For the home side, Tyrone Fagan headed over the
bar and Hamilton forced keeper Niall Cooper into
a fine reflex save as the first half drew to a
close.
Sutton's Craig Marshall nearly broke the deadlock
after the break, but he leant back on his shot
from the edge of the area – sending the
ball high over the stand as a result.
However Marshall was instrumental in the game’s
opening goal when he flicked on a long clearance
from Cooper into the path of the unmarked Quiggin
– who fired home past an exposed Louis Connor.
Quiggin then pulled one wide from twenty yards,
before Rugby’s front three Luke Keen, Fagan
and Hamilton combined to fashion the hosts’
reply – with Hamilton just squeezing Fagan’s
chip to the far post across the line, after Keen
had rolled Fagan in.
A couple of goalmouth scrambles almost saw the
Royals snatch the game near the end, with Rathbone
poking agonisingly wide of the post and Melvin
Gourlay doing well to block an on-target effort
from Edward Booth.
The game ended on a sour note however with the
dismissal of Hamilton for a challenge on keeper
Cooper.
The Rugby striker appeared to legitimately slide
through onto a ball into the left channel, although
did make contact with Cooper in the process.
The ensuing melee of players and verbal exchanges
would not have helped Hamilton’s cause,
but Michael D’Agular’s decision to
produce a red card was perhaps harsh – especially
when earlier Sutton full-back Scott Lycett had
escaped with just a caution when he brought Alex
Austin’s Valley debut to a premature end
after a particularly late tackle.
Valley
line-up: Connor; Moran, Austin (Wesley),
Preston, Gourlay; Banks, Steane (Cayless), Harris
(Gundelach); Fagan, Hamilton, Keen. Subs
not used: Da Costa, Leahy. Booked:
Banks. Sent off: Hamilton.
Sutton line-up:
Cooper, Lycett, Dodd, Jones, Costello, Booth,
Dodd, Rathbone, Marshall, Miller, Quiggin. Subs:
Reid, Chapman, Milner, King, Gayle
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