FIVE STAR TOWN RETURN TO TOP

Valley strolled to victory in the Butlin Road sun against lowly Leighton Town – notching up their thirteenth win on the trot on home territory in the process and marked a return to the top of the table.

By Jon Venner Tweet

Photo: Martin Pulley

Sam Youngs attacks a corner ball during the first half at Butlin Road before scoring from a corner in the second half

The five goal demolition also marked an eleventh consecutive success overall, as Dave Stringer’s continue to impress in their record-breaking season.

Unchanged Rugby again took an early lead when Fazel Koriya’s crossfield run was followed by an incisive pass by David Kolodynski to give Lewis McBride a free run on goal – with the ex-Leighton man firing low past Brad Kirkwood.

Mason Rowley then headed straight at Kirkwood and Kolodynski struck the side netting, with Alex Gudger also missing the target with a header from a good position.

The flow of the game was interrupted halfway through the first period when referee Andrew Tonks limped from the field, with one of his assistants taking over and normal Butlin Road matchday announcer Tom Binding taking his place on the line.

Kolodynski made it two on 38 minutes when he ran onto Sam Youngs’s curled through ball before rounding Kirkwood to stroke the ball home.

Kolodynski went close twice more before the interval, striking the base of the post from a tight angle and then blazing his volley on the turn over the bar.

Leighton’s only chance of the half had seen Dave Bevan fingertip Jack Downes’s powerful rising strike over the frame.

Four minutes after the restart, Valley extended their lead further courtesy of Leighton full-back Mark Boyce who – under no real pressure - inexplicably headed Youngs’s cross to the back post into his own net.

Kirkwood saved well from Youngs shortly after, before the midfielder grabbed his eleventh of the campaign - heading in after Kolodynski had flicked Sam Belcher’s corner against the post.

It was soon five when Kolodynski capitalised on more poor defending to break through the middle, and although Kirkwood was equal to his first effort, the ball fell kindly for Kolodynski to allow him to force the rebound across the line.

Mark Burfoot then had two decent chances for the visitors, but Bevan comfortably dealt with both efforts.

Seb Lake-Gaskin hit the crossbar with a well-struck shot, with Kolodynski this time unable to take full advantage of the rebound.

Youngs, McBride, Kolodynski and substitute Michael Williams all had further opportunities to boost Rugby’s goal difference in the closing twenty minutes, with Kolodynski having a great chance to register back-to-back hat-tricks at the death – but he fired over from close range instead.

Valley Line-up: Bevan; Myles, Austin, Gudger, Rowley; McBride, Koriya (Spencer), Youngs, Belcher (Blythe); Lake-Gaskin (Williams), Kolodynski. Subs not used: French, Palmer. Booked: Youngs.

Leighton Town: Kirkwood, Boyce, Harrison, Hewitt, Taylor, Bishop, Downes, Nash, Burfoot, Charles, Bradley. Subs: Pursey, Ayettey, McNulty. .