Rugby’s eventful participation in this season’s FA Cup finally came to an end when a Brackley goal in each half meant they once more missed out on a place in the final qualifying round of the competition.

Overall Town more than held their own in the two games against the side struggling near the foot of the National League North, and were left lamenting what could have been at the end of the tie.

Having come within a minute of holding onto to a famous victory at the weekend, David Kolodynski’s missed penalty denied them an equaliser of their own as part of a particularly impressive first half performance from Dale Belford’s men, but as the replay progressed the visitors began to assert their authority before confirming their victory with a second strike.

Valley’s mettle was truly tested when the visitors took the lead after just four minutes when Owen Story’s ball into the penalty area was cleverly controlled by Richard Batchelor – who then turned and struck it home.

Town responded well to the early setback though, with Dan Crane at full stretch to keep out a strike from the edge of the box by Sean Wilkins, and Mason Rowley flicked a header just wide of the target.

Wilkins had a second chance to bring the scores level when he ran onto a Powell assist, but he dragged his shot wide, before Kolodynski went down in the box to secure the second penalty of the tie.

However as for the first, the keeper was equal to the resulting strike, with Kolodynski’s stuttered run-up failing to fool Crane – who was down to save the low effort from twelve yards.

Crane smothered one at Kolodynski’s feet before the interval, but aside from an excellent cross by Powell which Kolodynski could only head over, Rugby gradually ran out of steam as the second half progressed.

Steve Diggin, Sam Whittall and David Moyo had all gone close for Brackley, before Diggin intercepted a short back header by Steve Towers to coolly slip the ball beyond Raaj Gill’s reach to confirm the visitors’ win.

Valley Line-up: Gill; Parker, Warburton, Rowley, Towers; Healy (Reynolds), Kelly (Clifton), Wilkins (Cartwright), Adams; Kolodynski, Powell. Subs not used: Belford, Woods, Gray, Smith. Booked: Wilkins, Kolodynski.

Brackley line-up: Crane, Odhiambo, McDonald, Whittall, Graham, Mills, Story, Walker, Moyo, Diggin, Batchelor. Subs: Smith, Austin, Truelove, Farrell, Morley.