CUP JOY FOR VALLEY AGAINST LOCAL RIVALS

Valley came from a goal behind to secure a place in the quarter finals of the Southern League cup competition on Tuesday evening after an entertaining local derby against Daventry.

By Jon Venner Tweet

Photo: Martin Pulley

Debutant midfielder Stephen Palmer scored on the stroke of half time with what turned out to be the winning goal.

Rugby rested a number of their normal first choice eleven, giving full debuts to new boys Steve Palmer and Richard Blythe in midfield, and also starts to Ben Steane and Michael Williams.

Robbie Banks and Palmer put in wayward efforts for the hosts early on, before Daventry took control of the opening half an hour of the game.

Home keeper Dave Bevan twice denied Stuart Hendrie, and then Tyrone Amery speared a shot against the inside of the post, before Hendrie gave the visitors the lead on 27 minutes with an easy close range finish after Bevan could only parry Jon Powis's strike from the edge of the area.

Ten minutes on, Rugby equalised in similar circumstances though when Robbie Banks's initial effort was pushed away by Joe Mellings - only for Ed Booth to follow-up and head home from barely five yards out.

Mellings then kept out another Banks' shot from distance, before Valley grabbed what turned out to be the crucial winning goal on the stroke of half-time, with Palmer nodding in after Mellings had watched Banks's looped cross sail over his head.

Whilst the second half generated no further goals, it was nevertheless an eventful affair, and Rugby played some free flowing football, as they sought to make the tie safe.

However Daventry also put in a spirited display - especially in the early exchanges of the period, with Callum Burgess seeing his effort blocked by Booth, and Bevan once more denying Hendrie with a fine one-handed reaction save.

At the other end, Palmer shook the woodwork with a powerful strike from twenty yards, Mellings clawed away a header from Nik Preston, and both Hamilton and Williams saw powerful runs into the Daventry box denied by last ditch blocks.

Daventry substitute Scott Cross was then inches away from converting a dangerous cross from the left, before Tyrone Fagan had three good chances to finally seal things in the closing ten minutes - the last and best of which saw Mellings save well with his legs.

Valley line-up: Bevan; Moran, Leahy, Preston, Booth; Banks, Blythe (Gundelach), Palmer (Allen), Williams; Steane, Hamilton (Fagan). Subs not used: Austin, Da Costa. Booked: None.

Daventry line-up: Mellings, Bishop, Milligan, Burgess, Parkinson, Thompson, O'Grady, Powis, Forinton, Hendrie, Amery. Subs: Lee, Cobb, Cross, Taylor, Ruck.