The points were deservedly shared at Butlin Road after an injury hit Valley let a first half lead slip against one of their play-off rivals.

Rugby skipper Alex Gudger was a late withdrawal from Dave Stringer’s starting line-up when he pulled up injured in the warm-up, with Alex Austin stepping up from the bench at late notice.

The only other change from the previous week’s comfortable victory over North Greenford saw a return to action for Richard Blythe in place of the unavailable Lewis McBride.

The hosts started the game in dominant fashion, with Lewis Rankin in particular looking lively, and it was the former Coventry City Academy player that had their first chance when he seized upon an error by Hanwell keeper Alex Tokarczyk – but he was unable to take full advantage with his subsequent effort.

Rugby’s fine start continued, with Robbie Burns and Justin Marsden both putting their shots agonisingly wide of the post after good build-up play in each case.

Valley then suffered a blow when the dangerous Rankin limped out of the game after thirteen minutes, but despite this setback they deservedly took the lead six minutes later when Craig Kelly broke his scoring duck in a Town shirt.

The full-back unleashed a spectacular shot from twenty yards into the top corner of the net after he had ran onto a decent lay-off from Rankin’s early replacement Robbie Banks. The visitors responded well though, with Richard Morris down well with a reflex save to Dayo Olofemi’s goalbound strike shortly after Kelly’s opener.

The home side continued to play some attractive football up to the interval, but without Rankin’s energetic contribution, all too often Justin Marsden cut an isolated figure up-front for them.

Valley suffered another injury blow when Ben George was unable to rejoin the action after the break – giving a prolonged opportunity at full-back to recent addition to the squad Danny Pritchard, who previously had only featured very briefly from the bench against North Greenford.

It was no surprise therefore that a by-now makeshift Valley let the visitors seize the initiative for large periods of the second half, and the first real sign of danger came when Bill Healey drew another fine save from Morris.

Hanwell were level just past the hour mark though, when this time Healey made no mistake in heading home a decent cross by Kyle Watson.

However despite a distinct territorial advantage, Hanwell did not really threaten Morris’s goal again, and it was Valley that carved out the best opportunity of the remainder of the game, when on 80 minutes Marsden’s ball into the box fell fortuitously at Robbie Burns’s feet – but the midfielder could only lift it over the bar from no more than five yards.

Valley line-up: Morris; George (Pritchard), Kelly, Rowley, Austin; Blythe, Grocott, Youngs, Burns; Marsden, Rankin (Banks). Subs not used: Lake-Gaskin. Booked: Grocott.

Hanwell line-up: Tokarczyk, Otira, Watson, Rowlands, O.Duffy, Ochoa, Buckley, Jackson, Healey, Adcock, Olofemi.