Rugby’s unbeaten home start to the season ended with a decidedly below par performance against Romulus.

Having fallen behind to a first half header by ex-Rugby man Luke Keen, the hosts then unravelled after the break – conceding another and rarely troubling a resolute Romulus back-line.

Rob Parker was recalled to the midfield in place of player-boss Gary Mills in the only change from the weekend draw against Lincoln, and it was Mills’ team that had the best chances of the opening twenty minutes or so – with Sam Warburton guilty of squandering a couple of gilt edged opportunities.

First the Northampton Town youngster drew a one-handed save from Chris Gemmell when he shot on the turn after twelve minutes, and then later he somehow poked one wide after seizing upon a loose ball in the box.

In between those two attempts, Parker had clipped the top of the frame with a speculative strike, although the visitors could themselves have taken an early lead when another ex-Town player Luke Bottomer pounced on a misunderstanding between keeper Jamie McAlindon and Tom Ryan to go on and lift the ball over an unguarded net from a tight angle.

Keen’s opener came on 25 minutes when he rose to meet Bottomer’s high cross and nestled his header into the net past a motionless McAlindon.

Danny Clifton and Mason Rowley both sent efforts off-target as Valley looked to return to the changing rooms on level terms, but after the restart the Roms really took control of the game – with the two one-time Town Lukes dovetailing well up-front.

McAlindon had already denied substitute Ged Oldnall with his legs, before the same player made no mistake with a deflected shot from the edge of the area with twenty minutes of normal time remaining.

A dejected-looking Valley never looked likely to get themselves back into things from this point, and aside from a Craig Kelly long range strike which flew way over the bar and a David Kolodynski cross which flashed across the face of the box, the visitors comfortably saw out the game.

Valley Line-up: Mclindon; Walker (Mullarkey), Kelly, Rowley, Ryan; Parker, Warburton (Thompson), Clifton, Towers (Glasscoe); Kolodynski, Powell. Subs not used: Mills, Cooper. Booked: Ryan.

Romulus line-up: Gemmell, Evans, Branch, Curley, Eze, Lee, McDonald, Grandison, Keen, Bottomer, Fitzharris. Subs: Gueyes, Agbor, Oldnall, Dominic, Nesbitt.