Rugby Town were left victims of a classic smash and grab manoeuvre, when an added-time Beaconsfield goal settled the game between two of the division’s in-form sides.

The Rams had rarely troubled Rugby in the 94 minutes that preceded Jack Hutchinson’s decisive late strike, although the hosts’ overall dominance was not necessarily reflected in the number of clear cut goalscoring opportunities created.

Jared Cunniff and Richard Blythe returned for Valley at the expense of Steve Palmer and Michael Williams for a game in which a Town victory would have seen them go top of the table.

The first half was punctuated by a series of half chances (mainly for the home side), with Lewis McBride and Cunniff both putting in off-target efforts early on.

SYCOB skipper Brad Hewitt then did well to cut-out a dangerous cross by Nathan Fox, as Rugby continue to probe in search of a breakthrough.

Alex Gudger headed another Fox delivery over and David Kolodynski almost capitalised on a defensive mistake, before Seb Lake-Gaskin went close with a good shot from the edge of the box.

Zac Joseph had had the visitors’ best two chances of the half, with Niall Cooper first cutting out his low pull-back and then later he blazed high over the bar.

The opening period ended in controversy when referee Alan Sarginson ruled a challenge on Kolodynski was outside the penalty area, despite the exasperated claims of the Valley players that the offence had occurred within it.

Unfortunately Fox’s resulting free-kick was straight at the defensive wall.

The pattern of the second half pretty much followed that of the first, although with Town arguably now even more in the ascendance.

Blythe shot straight at keeper James Reading, Cunniff curled one over and then Blythe, Gudger and Lake-Gaskin all tried in vain to help home a lofted Fox corner.

Blythe, McBride and Lake-Gaskin all had further chances, before Nathan Haines headed another Fox corner onto the woodwork – with the resulting scramble from the rebound again not going Valley’s way.

Kolodynski then missed a gilt-edged opportunity after he had linked well with his strike partner Lake-Gaskin, but he chose to strike Lake-Gaskin’s cross first time, when a touch and a more composed finish would probably have done the trick.

Beaconsfield substitute Brian Haule shot straight at Cooper in a rare attacking foray from the visitors, before Hutchinson struck in the dying moments of the game with an effort that took a significant deflection before hitting the net.

Valley Line-up: Cooper; Myles, Fox, Gudger, Haines; Kaziboni, Cunniff, Blythe, McBride; Kolodynski, Lake-Gaskin. Subs not used: Palmer, Williams, Marsden, Beastall. Booked: Cunniff.

Beaconsfield line-up: Reading, McGarry, Carby, Hewitt, Yorke, Christian, O’Reagan, Webb, Bates, Hutchinson, Joseph. Subs: Phillips, Grant, Owens, Kofi-Lockhart, Haule.