Valley were on the wrong end of a single goal margin game once more, when substitute Jordan Cole struck the winner for the hosts halfway through the second period.

A very quiet opening half had seen Newcastle carrying the slightly greater threat, although apart from Levi Rowley’s goal-line challenge to deny Tim Sanders, there was little goalmouth action to report.

The game did open up after the interval though, and Rugby twice went close in the early exchanges with Mitchell Thomson heading Toby Fura’s cross over and then Fura himself sent a twenty yard effort just wide of the post.

Cole broke the deadlock when he squeezed Chris Baker’s pull-back under Rugby keeper Louis Connor, with Connor soon pulling out a great save to deny Cole a second by tipping his header onto the crossbar.

Cole had another goalbound effort blocked on the line by Mason Rowley after Connor had again done well to keep out Lee Cropper’s shot, whilst David Kolodynski’s speculative strike from distance - which was comfortably gathered by Harry Pickering - was the closest the visitors came to salvaging a point.

Full report to follow.

Valley Line-up: Connor; Print, Brathwaite, M Rowley, L Rowley; Fura, Thomson, Quinn, Parsons (Punter), Sterling; Kolodynski. Subs not used: K Rowley, Moran, Brooks. Booked: None.