Stocksbridge completed the double over Valley at a blustery Butlin Road, but once more left it late with substitute Ben Rhodes’ securing the victory with just three minutes of normal time remaining.

Town manager Dale Belford kept faith with the starting line-up that had earned a point against an in-form Spalding side the week previously, and they were out of the traps the quickest when Matt Curley put Callum Powell’s pinpoint cross over the bar after just two minutes.

David Kolodynski’s lay off to Kevin Thornton saw another decent chance for the hosts, but the midfielder’s effort was well-saved by Steels’ keeper David Reay.

However, Rugby’s promising start was shattered in the eleventh minute, with the visitors going ahead when a decent cross field ball from Corey Gregory found Harrison Biggins in space and his fizzing lob from twenty yards flew past the out-of-position Sam Andrew and into the net.

Just minutes later though, Valley were nearly level when Thornton forced a fingertip save from Reay, and the influential midfielder went close again with another shot that was blocked on the line.

Town’s pressure eventually paid off in the seventeenth minute when Chris Tullin grabbed an equaliser after his near post header to Thornton’s corner somehow crept through a crowded goalmouth and across the line.

The remainder of the half was an end-to-end affair, and Adam Hinchliffe nearly put the visitors back in front with a powerful header from close quarters that went just wide, and Kolodynski tried a cheeky chip from distance after spotting Reay off his line, but this also drifted the wrong side of the target.

The second period was a little less open and entertaining though, with the many substitutions affecting the flow of the game.

Thornton continued to look a threat for the home side, and he produced another shot that was blocked en route to goal, after a good run by Powell had played him in.

Two of Valley’s substitutes – Jake Healy and Rob Parker - then had good goalscoring opportunities, with Healy failing to take advantage of the space he found himself in after Curley had played him through, and Parker’s well-struck volley was met another decent stop by Reay.

The match was settled on 87 minutes when a rare error by Town’s Mason Rowley was punished by Rhodes, who seized upon his misdirected back-pass to skip round Andrew and slide the ball home from a wide angle.

Valley Line-up: Andrew; Tullin, Warburton, Rowley, Ryan; Curley, Towers; Smith (Parker), Powell, Thornton (Opoku); Kolodynski (Healy). Subs not used: Wilkins, Clifton. Booked: Rowley.

Stocksbridge line-up: D.Reay, Meade, Coleman, Patterson, McFadyen, M.Reay, Biggins, Hinchliffe, Ruthven, Lumsden, Gregory.