Rugby stormed to the top of the table after emerging with an emphatic victory from a highly eventful encounter at Butlin Road.

Not for the first time in the short history of games between the two RTFCs, there was plenty to reflect upon at its conclusion – with three red cards to add to the seven goals scored, which included yet another David Kolodynski Valley hat-trick.

Town went into the match with an unchanged starting line-up, although there was a place on the bench for Jamie Towers, back from a two game absence due to a hamstring injury.

The two sides took a while to get used to the blustery conditions, and as a result the opening exchanges lacked quality, although Lewis McBride did twice test Crows’ keeper Nick Thompson, and Kaan Fehmi and Reece Dobson both had half chances for the visitors.

The hosts made the breakthrough on 24 minutes though, when the in-form Seb Lake-Gaskin made his mark on the game, taking on a Jared Cunniff pass and easily drifting past a couple of Royston defenders before firing low into the corner.

The visitors were almost back on level terms shortly after when Dobson’s centre picked out Antonio Murray, but he could only head wide from close range.

Lake-Gaskin was again in unstoppable mode for Valley’s second, skipping unhindered through the Royston defence to unleash another clinical finish, after Greg Kaziboni had played him in.

Kaziboni then picked out the run of McBride through the middle, but the midfielder’s lifted effort over a stranded Thompson was way off target.

Dobson almost reduced the arrears just ahead of the interval with a low shot that came back off the base of the post, and Royston were further encouraged four minutes after the restart when Nathan Haines became the first player to be dismissed after a challenge through the back of Fehmi – which referee Gareth Hubbard presumably viewed as dangerous.

However with the wind getting even stronger, a hastily re-organised Valley dug-in well with Kaziboni dropping back to a full-back position, and Ellis Myles and Nathan Fox also switching to less familiar defensive roles.

Despite their numerical advantage, the visitors failed to trouble the resulting makeshift back-line and Valley killed the game off just after the hour mark, when Lake-Gaskin was once more too good for his marker, flying down the right wing, before sending in an inch-perfect cross for Kolodynski to apply a good finish.

The game had become an increasingly niggly and bad tempered affair after Haines’s sending off, so it was no surprise when Fehmi also was given a premature departure when he raised his hands to McBride.

With the sides now returned to an equilibrium, Rugby upped their game even further and were soon four ahead when substitute Towers registered his first goal for the club – volleying home Cunniff’s cross-field ball.

Two minutes later, Kolodynski executed one of his trademark finishes when expertly lobbing Cooper’s long clearance over the oncoming Thompson for Valley’s fifth.

The third red card of the game then came when Lewis Endacott’s high, late tackle on Cunniff was correctly punished.

However in added-time it was nine man Crows turn to strike when light on numbers, with Dobson given too much room on the edge of the box, before successfully finding the bottom corner of the net with his effort.

There was still time for Kolodynski to complete his hat-trick though, when he followed up on Justin Marsden’s initially saved effort to ram home Valley’s sixth.

Valley Line-up: Cooper; Myles, Fox, Gudger, Haines; Kaziboni, Cunniff, Blythe (Palmer), McBride (Marsden); Kolodynski, Lake-Gaskin (Towers). Subs not used: Williams, Beastall. Booked: None. Sent off: Haines.

Royston line-up: Thompson, Collins, Parr, Ingrey, Cambridge, Endacott, Murray, Edwards, Hammond, Fehmi, Dobson. Subs: Mason, Nightingale, Lockett, Spencer, Robins.