Rugby Town were denied of a win at the death by a relentless Kettering Town at Butlin Road.

Whilst it would have been extremely harsh on the impressive, in-form visitors to have left with nothing from this great advert for non-league football, it had looked as if Valley were going to hang onto the win thanks to Mason Rowley’s twelfth minute goal.

Rugby gave a debut to new signing Jamie Towers – one of three ex-Kettering players in their starting line-up – and he was soon in the game, putting in a dangerous cross from the right, which was just cut out for a corner.

Poppies’ keeper Denham Hinds made a complete hash of the resulting set-piece from Nathan Fox, giving Rowley the relatively easy task of heading into an empty net to register his third of the season.

Kettering responded well to this early setback though, with Josh Moreman twice missing the target with his efforts and Elliot Sandy blazing over from distance.

David Kolodynski also struck one over from an acute angle for Rugby, however it was the away side that ended the first half in the ascendance with three great opportunities in the run-up the interval.

First Nathan Haines somehow managed to get a flying head to a well-struck goalbound effort from Moreman, then Steve Kinniburgh headed wide from close range, and finally Dubi Ogbonna should have done better with his header to Kinniburgh’s cross – but instead placed it into the arms of Niall Cooper.

Ogbonna had the first chance of the second period too, when - after having dispossessed Rowley - his shot across the face of the goal was tipped away by a full-length Cooper.

Valley then had arguably their strongest spell of the whole match, as they looked to put the game beyond their dangerous opponents.

Kolodynski played in Greg Kaziboni, but he was unable to get a proper strike on the ball, Seb Lake-Gaskin shot on the turn went just wide, and Kolodynski nearly clipped one home after he broke in from the right – but unfortunately his effort did not have the momentum to reach the goal-line.

At the other end, Haines again did well to block another Moreman shot, and Cooper once more denied Ogbonna with a neat reaction stop. Kolodynski then saw another good opportunity go begging, when he was crowded out at the far post.

The two teams continued to trade chances, as Moreman struck the base of the upright, and Hinds just kept out Fox’s free-kick with a one-handed save, before the Poppies launched their final push for an equaliser.

However Rugby stood-up well to the onslaught with some resolute defending, combined with more than an element of good fortune at times too though. Despite the general rearguard effort, the hosts did always look capable of hitting Kettering on the break, and their gilt-edged chance of making the game safe came (and went) when Sam Belcher’s low strike from the edge of the area was only parried by Hinds – with Kolodynski somehow lifting the rebound up onto the crossbar from a couple of yards out.

Ogbonna pulled another decent chance across the face of the goal, before Sandy sent the sizeable travelling support back home to Northamptonshire happy when he powered home - after Moreman’s initial shot had been blocked by his own man Ogbonna.

Rugby line-up: Cooper, Myles, Fox, Rowley, Haines, Cunniff, Towers (Belcher), Blythe, Kolodynski, Lake-Gaskin, Kaziboni. Subs not used: Palmer, Piggon, Williams, Gudger.

Valley Line-up: Cooper; Myles, Fox, Rowley, Haines; Kaziboni, Towers (Belcher), Blythe, Cunniff; Kolodynski, Lake-Gaskin. Subs not used: Palmer, Piggon, Williams, Gudger. Booked: Rowley, Fox, Myles.

Kettering line-up: Hinds, Clifton, Kinniburgh, Gooding, Crowie (Bukasa), Hull, Thorpe (Hamilton), Jepson (Fuller), Ogbonna, Moreman, Sandy. Subs not used: Logan, Newman.