THATCHAM NO MATCH FOR FOUR GOAL VALLEY

A David Kolodynski hat-trick helped secure Rugby their first win at Butlin Road in four attempts against a poor quality Thatcham Town side.

By Jon Venner Tweet

Photo: Martin Pulley

Valley striker David Kolodynski took his tally to 12 goals from his last nine appearances with a hat-trick against Thatcham

Kolodynski had given Valley an early lead, but it took the hosts until the second half to really get going stretching the margin to four – before two late strikes from the visitors gave the end result a slightly misleading look to it.

After a scrappy start to the game from both teams, Kolodynski pounced on uncertainty in the heart of the Thatcham defence on twelve minutes and raced through before applying a cool finish past Aaron Bufton for the opening goal.

Sam Belcher could have made it two shortly after, but he shot straight at Bufton after good work on the right from Kolodynski.

Seb Lake-Gaskin shot wide of the target - as did Kolodynski, with both Craig Kelly and Alex Gudger forcing corners with their efforts, before a rare attacking highlight from the away side saw Adam Everiss’s free-kick fly just over the bar.

Kolodynski’s second of the night came just after the restart when he headed home from close range, after Bufton had turned Sam Youngs’s well-struck shot onto the woodwork.

Lake-Gaskin then mistimed his volley from a good position, before Belcher got his first goal for the club stabbing home from eight yards after Thatcham had not dealt well with Robbie Banks’s cross – ending a run of sixteen consecutive Town strikes from either Lake-Gaskin and Kolodynski in the process.

Fazel Koriya and Kolodynski were both denied as Valley moved in for the kill, and then both Lake-Gaskin and Kelly put in successive venomous efforts which were agonisingly shy of the frame.

Rugby’s fourth came after good interchange play on the left wing which ended with Koriya picking out the unmarked Kolodynski on 76 minutes, and the striker finished the flowing move to complete his treble.

Much to the amazement of almost everyone present, referee Paul Evans then spotted an infringement from Rugby in their own penalty area – with Thatcham skipper Tom Mudge stroking the resulting spot-kick home.

A second consolation for the away side came with just a minute of the game remaining, when Sam Flegg headed home Ben McCready’s corner.

Valley Line-up: Bevan; Myles, Kelly, Gudger, Rowley; Banks, Koriya, Youngs, Belcher; Lake-Gaskin (Williams), Kolodynski. Subs not used: Austin, Hall, Booth. Booked: Lake-Gaskin, Koriya.

Thatcham line-up: Bufton, Smith, Flegg, Maylen, Mudge, Willmoth, Langford, Jones, Everiss, Seaward, McCready . Subs: Gregory, Brocks, Carter.