Valley registered another straightforward victory when a Ruben Wiggins-Thomas double and a David Kolodynski strike saw off the Sutton Coldfield based hosts.
After going two up in the opening twenty three minutes, Rugby then coasted to the win – with the persistent rain hampering players from both sides on the Mikes’ slippery 3G pitch surface.
Dave Stringer made two changes from the previous Vase success at Smethwick, with Ben Ashby and new signing Lee Miveld starting in Town’s midfield, meaning Aiden Print and Craig Kelly both shifted back to full-back and Kyle Rowley and the unavailable Jamie Hall missing out.
Ashby volleyed just wide early on, but Valley were soon ahead on ten minutes after Wiggins-Thomas capitalised on a wayward defensive header to smash home through Boldmere keeper Lewis Fenney’s legs.
Trey Brathwaite bobbled one wide from twenty five yards, and Kolodynski’s low shot from the edge of the box was punched away by Fenney, as the visitors’ early dominance continued.
Kolodynski made it two when he nodded in Miveld’s far post header to a Josh Ruff corner, with Wiggins-Thomas then testing Fenney again with a low strike.
The home side did show some promise though in the lead-up to the interval, with Joe Lyng almost punishing keeper Lewis Gwilliams for a poor clearance and Ryan Nesbitt putting one into the side netting.
Wiggins-Thomas was in the action in the opening minutes of the second period by twice sending efforts just off-target – the second of which from a close range acrobatic attempt.
At the other end Gwilliams comfortably gathered sub Anthony Fitzmaurice’s strike, before pulling off a good reflex stop to keep out Lyng’s header.
Wiggins-Thomas went close to doubling his tally again from Sam Belcher’s pass, before he achieved this when Brathwaite played him through in the final minute of normal time – with the striker once more calmly rounding off his run with a side-footed finish.
A chance for a second hat-trick for the club went begging in added-time though when Fenney smothered his shot to Tevin Shakespeare’s cross.
Valley
Line-up: Gwilliams; Print, Kelly (Shakespeare), Dance, Castleton; Brathwaite, Ashby, Miveld; Ruff (Belcher), Wiggins-Thomas, Kolodynski. Subs not used: C Birch, K Rowley, Palmer. Booked: Ruff, Ashby, Kolodynski.
Boldmere line-up: Fenney, Gayle, Abraham, Dodd, Craven, Milligan, Shaw, Lyng, Nesbitt, Smith, Brauns. Subs: Fitzmaurice, Lindsey, Usher-Shipway, Morris, Ellis. |