VALLEY
SLIP TO FIRST DEFEAT
Rugby
Town’s 100% record came to an end on Tuesday
evening, with a goal in each half from Aylesbury’s
Ricky Millar condemning them to their first defeat
of the season.
By
Jon Venner
Photo:
Martin Pulley |
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Valley
centre half Melvin Gourlay
- currently playing with a broken wrist
- could not abate the Aylesbury forward
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Rugby
never really got going against a well-organised
and capable visiting side, and the game was effectively
beyond them after the dismissal of full-back Dominic
Reece and Millar's second strike both came around
the hour mark.
Valley’s
starting line-up showed three changes from the
weekend victory at Burnham, with Seb Hamilton
returning up-front, and Jamal Wilson and new signing
Lee Miveld both making their club debuts.
The
early exchanges were scrappy ones, and half chances
only the order of the day – with Ben Steane
shooting past the post for the hosts and Kieron
Schmidt volleying wide for the visitors.
Jack
Thomson also sent in a couple of wayward efforts
for Aylesbury, ahead of the first real chance
of the game – which saw Schmidt’s
long ranger cannon back off the crossbar after
a short corner.
At
the other end, Steane almost took advantage of
a poor clearance from keeper Anthony Ender, but
his strike back towards the goal was cleared by
a covering defender.
The
Moles took the lead after 29 minutes though when
winger Lamar Simpson glided past Reece on the
touchline and cut the ball across the box to find
Millar in space, who calmly netted into the bottom
corner.
Rugby
rallied a little towards the end of the first
half, with Hamilton showing quick feet in the
box before seeing his rising effort well-taken
by Ender and then Tyrone Fagan was just unable
to get the ball under control when he found himself
in a potentially threatening position in front
of goal.
The
start of the second period saw Valley again show
a renewed sense of purpose, with a spell of pressure
and a series of dangerous crosses and half chances.
However
this all came to an end when Reece's rash challenge
on the tricky Simpson saw him red carded, and
then shortly after Millar curler deceived Louis
Connor to make it two-nil – giving Town
a mountain to climb in the process.
Andy
Gundelach should have done better with a header
though on 67 minutes, and Fagan did have the ball
in the next not long after – but the effort
was ruled out for offside.
Millar
had a number of opportunities to complete a deserved
hat-trick, with both Nik Preston and Melvin Gourlay
blocking goalbound shots, and Connor denying him
at his feet with an excellent stop.
Connor
also prevented substitute Danilson Vicente in
similar circumstances.
Rugby
played some neat football as the match drew to
a close, but had little end product to show for
their creativity – apart from a weak shot
from substitute Steve Evans, which drifted past
the post.
Valley
Line-up: Connor; Wilson, Reece, Preston,
Gourlay; Steane, Wesley, Steane (Evans), Miveld,
Gundelach; Fagan (Khan), Hamilton. Sub
not used: Da Costa, Smith. Booked:
Miveld. Sent Off: Reece.
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