Valley finally rediscovered their ‘A’ game in Middlesex last Saturday, smashing six past divisional newcomers Hanwell - who had gone into the match in second place in the table.
Six different Rugby names found themselves on the scoresheet, and the margin of victory could easily have been greater on the day – with the usually prolific David Kolodynski in particular guilty of a series of squandered gilt-edged opportunities.
Town were unchanged from the side that had progressed in the FA Cup the previous weekend, although there were first outings from the bench from the recently signed duo Nick Bennion and Ben George.
The visitors started brightly with half chances for Kolodynski and Seb Lake-Gaskin going begging, before they were rewarded when Mason Rowley headed in a pinpoint Sam Youngs’ corner on six minutes.
Joe Mellings pulled out a top drawer save to deny Lewis Putman, before the Valley keeper left the field injured giving an unexpected early debut for ex-St Ives and Kettering stopper Bennion.
Lake-Gaskin and Youngs both fired efforts over the bar from the edge of the penalty area, and Kolodynski’s shot lacked power after he found himself clean through, as Rugby continually took advantage of over-elaboration from the home side.
Kolodynski did then make amends though when he tapped in James Jepson’s square pass, after Lake-Gaskin had played the midfielder in.
However the hosts halved the deficit when Bill Healey seized upon Ricky Pither’s initially deflected shot to force the ball past Bennion at the second attempt five minutes ahead of the planned interval.
There was still time for a Rugby third before the half-time whistle, with Lake-Gaskin clinically finishing off a neat one-two with Kolodynski.
The pattern of the game’s first period soon became evident in its second, with the visitors regularly finding space behind the Hanwell defence. One such example saw both Jamie Towers and Kolodynski running free onto Lake-Gaskin’s through ball, with Towers taking responsibility to coolly slot home past Alex Marginean.
Hanwell visibly wilted after this fourth goal, and from this point on it was just a matter of how many Rugby would go on to add to their tally.
Marginean made a good save with his feet to Lake-Gaskin’s strike, before Kolodynski twice missed out from decent positions.
Will Grocott then capped a fine individual performance with the goal of the game on 74 minutes, executing a great first time strike from 25 yards into the top corner after Kolodynski had laid off Kyle Bishop’s cross.
Youngs’s lob saw Kolodynski through once more, but his own attempted lob over Marginean was unsuccessful, before the other debutant George made it six with an impressive stooping header to Grocott’s equally impressive inswinging cross.
Two further late chances fell to Kolodysnki – with Grocott once more the provider for them both, but the striker was again unable to take full advantage.
Valley
Line-up: Melling (Bennion); Simpson, Kelly, Gudger, Rowley; Towers (George), Jepson, Grocott, Youngs; Lake-Gaskin (K Bishop), Kolodynski. Subs not used: Austin, Weale. Booked: Gudger.
Hanwell line-up: Marginean, Kennedy, Mills, Rhone, O.Duffy, Buckley, C.Duffy, Pither, Healey, Putman, Inch. Subs: Vincent, Bywater, Watson, Rowlands, Senior. |