Valley registered their first stalemate of the campaign to-date against fellow play-off chasing opponents at Butlin Road.

Despite the lack of goals, it was still a decent enough spectacle though – with both sides having a number of good opportunities to record what would have been a morale boosting victory.

Town’s starting line-up showed two changes from the previous weekend’s defeat at Godalming, with Neil Collett replacing Richard Morris between the sticks and Justin Marsden in for Richard Gregory.

The visitors arguably had the better of the opening exchanges, with Ben Sawyer testing Collett early on with his low strike, and the ex-Coventry City keeper was also out quickly to deny Rhys Hoenes after Craig Kelly had been dispossessed.

Rugby responded well though, with Sam Youngs striking the base of the post with a skimmer from the edge of the area, and Marsden dangerously screwing one across the face of the Rovers’ goal – but it was ultimately cleared for a corner by Bilal Hassan.

Richard Blythe then did well to get a shot off in a crowded penalty box, but Barton keeper Kyle Forster parried this effort at full stretch – with Mason Rowley just unable to get a boot on the resulting loose ball.

The half ended with Kelly redeeming himself by keeping out a powerful Connor Vincent strike on the line, with the visitors also creating the first real chance of the new period when Collett’s legs blocked out the onrushing Sawyer, after the winger had got in behind the Rugby back-line.

At the other end, Blythe lifted his shot over the bar after a neat Town move, Marsden saw his goalbound effort pushed away by the fingertips of Forster and Lewis Rankin also sent one over the target from distance.

Barton were contributing their fair share of goalmouth incident though, with Hoenes’s dipping shot just clearing the top of the bar and Rowley charging down Vincent's strike, before Hoenes missed a great chance when he volleyed wide Sawyer’s cut-back.

The hosts ended the game the stronger though, and Youngs was denied by a good reaction stop from Forster, with Gregory also flashing a cross agonisingly out of reach of a team mate in the closing moments of the game.

Valley Line-up: Collett; George, Kelly, Rowley, Austin; Burns, Blythe (Gregory); Rankin (Banks), Grocott (Koriya), Youngs; Marsden. Subs not used: Piggon, Reeve. Booked: George.

Barton line-up: Forster, Hassan, Perry, Kilroy, Andrews, Reynolds, Hoenes, Keating, Vincent, Putman, Sawyer. Subs: Dhillon, Bull, Gatti, Powell, Peveral.