Rugby Town secured a third win in a row after an entertaining and action-packed win over in-form Northwood at Butlin Road.

With Craig Kelly, Lewis McBride and Andrew Spencer all ruled-out, Valley’s options for the table topping clash were limited – meaning an unfamiliar full-back role for Josh O’Grady and returns from injury for Greg Kaziboni and Sam Belcher.

The in-form visitors started well, and Dave Lawrence had already struck the crossbar within the opening minute, before he soon nodded home Mark Burgess’s flick-on at the near post to open the scoring.

Alex Gudger then denied Lawrence a second with a saving tackle, when Northwood had broken quickly with men to spare.

The away side also threatened from a series of corners, as they looked to extend their early advantage.

The game turned on 22 minutes though, when Seb Lake-Gaskin somehow squeezed his shot from the edge of the box under keeper Rob Blackburne, after Belcher had done well out on the left.

Lake-Gaskin had a good chance deflected away for a corner, before David Kolodynski gave Rugby the lead when he headed in Belcher’s curled cross.

That was to be Belcher’s final contribution, as he limped out of the action with another injury to his problematic knee.

However Valley’s third soon came, after persistent play from Kaziboni led to Lake-Gaskin’s low shot being parried by Blackburne – with Belcher’s replacement Mitchell Piggon on-hand to ram home the rebound with his very first touch.

Rugby ended the half in ascendance, and Kaziboni’s shot was saved after he had linked well with Kolodynski.

Kolodynski was once more the provider shortly after the restart - picking out Piggon, but the striker’s header hit the top of the bar.

Kolodynski then set-up another team mate – this time Justin Marsden – but Blackburne saved the resulting effort with his legs.

Just as it looked like Town were cruising, they gifted Northwood a lifeline when Gudger’s backward header fell short of Niall Cooper, and the Rugby keeper ended up taking out Niko Muir in the box.

Muir picked himself up to beat Cooper from the spot, with Lawrence then having two decent opportunities to level the scores – as the home supporters’ nerves were tested.

Valley sealed the points though with ten minutes left, when Lake-Gaskin’s great run down the left ended with an inch-perfect clip to the back post – where Piggon headed home for his second.

Kolodynski should have rounded off his committed overall contribution late on with another when he was through on goal, but Blackburne ensured the final scoreline had a realistic level of respectability when he pulled out a fine stop.

Valley Line-up: Cooper; Myles, O'Grady, Gudger, Rowley; Marsden, Kaziboni, Belcher (Piggon), Blythe; Lake-Gaskin, Kolodynski. Subs not used: Palmer, Wilson. Booked: Cooper, Marsden.

Northwood line-up: Blackburne, Sheriff, Sprague, M.Burgess, Brown, J.Burgess, Ehui, White, Muir, Lawrence, Oliyide. Subs: Nolan, Nicholas, Knight, Duncan.