Rugby fell to a narrow Butlin Road pre-season friendly defeat against a youthful Northampton Town XI.

The home side once more struggled offensively, and as they had at the weekend against King’s Lynn they lost out to a late, solitary strike by the visitors when Robbie Parsons dinked one past substitute goalkeeper to score the decisive goal.

Valley boss Gary Mills made two changes to his starting line-up, with Craig Kelly returning at left back and Aron Wint featuring in attack.

Callum Powell squandered a couple of gilt edged chances for the home side in the first half – including dragging one effort wide early in the game, before Mills made wholesale changes near the start of the second half.

Kelly’s long range free-kick flew over the bar, with Shaquelle Master clipping the bar for Northampton just before Parsons flicked home a cross from Shaun McWilliams on 78 minutes for the winner.

There was an appearance from the bench for former Northampton Town and Kettering Town striker Lewis Wilson, and he perhaps spurned Valley’s best chance of the game when clean through but his heavy touch allowed the goalkeeper to smother.

Valley Line-up: Dutton (Collett); Walker, Kelly (Opoku), Rowley (Rosser), Ryan; Hamilton (Delaney), Powell (Brathwaite), Towers, Parker; Kolodynski (Wilson), Wint (Liversedge).