RAIN CAN’T DAMPEN TOWN’S PLAY-OFF PUSH

Valley registered a goal in each half in addition to a first clean sheet in ten matches against Fleet Town to maintain their place in the play-off zone at a sodden Butlin Road.

By Jon Venner Tweet

Photo: Martin Pulley

Full back Craig Kelly had an excellent game for Rugby as he cuts inside during the first half at a very wet Butlin Road

Having pretty much dominated the first half, Rugby were good value for their lead at the interval.

However their failure to kill off opposing teams when on-top looked like it could once more come back to haunt the hosts until substitute Richard Blythe settled the game in the 90th minute.

Dave Stringer had stuck with the same eleven that had started in the week against Thatcham, but there were returns to the bench for the previously suspended Steve Palmer and also for Blythe – back at the club after a month’s break.

The first chance of the game actually fell to the visitors, when Jack White forced a good one-handed stop from Dave Bevan.

After that, Valley went on to threaten constantly, creating a series of good goalscoring opportunities in the process.

Rugby’s finishing was not at its best though, and all too often they failed to test Ryan Pryce in the Fleet goal – with Seb Lake-Gaskin twice shooting way-off target and Sam Belcher also sending one the wrong side of the frame.

Fazel Koriya and Craig Kelly did warm Pryce’s hands in the opening twenty minutes, with the keeper particularly alert to deny the latter’s surge into the penalty area.

The goal finally came on 29 minutes when Kelly’s corner appeared to be headed home by Mason Rowley - with David Kolodynski also claiming to have added the final touch.

Kolodynski could have made it two not long after, but Pryce was equal to his effort after Koriya had put the striker through on goal.

Lake-Gaskin put another chance into the back reaches of stand, and Pryce again thwarted Kolodynski after he had cut-in from the left to fire one with his right foot just before the half-time whistle.

Aside from a couple more dangerous Kelly corners and a good run and shot from Koriya, Valley struggled to get the same grasp of the game in the opening exchanges of the second half.

At the other end, Bevan took Ben White’s low shot at the second attempt and Jack White fired wide, as Fleet displayed some evidence that they could force their way back into the game. Kolodynski then struck the upright with a speculative effort from distance after Pryce had sliced his clearance.

Stringer responded to the warning signs by bolstering his midfield with the introduction of Blythe, leaving Kolodynski up as a lone attacker.

The switch around appeared to work well initially, and Ellis Myles, Sam Youngs and Belcher all went close, before Fleet pushed forward again to create their best chance of the game - which saw their skipper Pat Cox’s effort from close range well-blocked on the line by Alex Gudger.

Rugby’s back-line dug in well though and generally defended solidly in the closing quarter of an hour. In the final minute of normal time, Valley broke quickly on the counter-attack with Kolodynski going clear down the left to pull the ball back into the path of Blythe – who steered it into the net, clipping Pryce’s glove on the way.

Kolodynski had a stoppage time chance to add to his ever increasing tally for the season, but again he could not beat Pryce from a good position.

Valley Line-up: Bevan; Myles, Kelly, Gudger, Rowley; Banks, Koriya, Youngs, Belcher (Palmer); Lake-Gaskin (Blythe), Kolodynski. Subs not used: Austin, Evangelinos, Booth. Booked: None.

Fleet line-up: Pryce, Scott, Hutchins, Wilson, Cox, Davis, B.White, Egan, J.White, Vincente, Cadete. Subs: Pilgrim, Smalley, Vockins, Symons, Davies.