Rugby Town put on a late show to take the three points at Butlin Road with substitutes Josh Ruff and debutant Sam Lockley scoring the crucial goals.
The hosts had fallen behind on 31 minutes and then their problems were compounded by the sending-off of defender Brad Harris on the half-time whistle.
However after what turned out to be an inspired double substitution by Valley boss Dave Stringer, replacements Josh Ruff and Sam Lockley struck in the final three minutes of normal time to fashion the turnaround.
Stringer gave first starts to two other recent new signings Jeff Woodward and Stuart Hendrie in place of Aiden Print and Ruff against a team who had not yet won on their league travels this season.
Town started the game well, with Hendrie in particular looking lively from the off.
David Kolodynski put an early chance straight at Lewis Fenny, and Harry Holloway screwed one wide after neat build-up play between Hendrie and Ruben Wiggins-Thomas.
Boldmere responded well in winning a succession of corners, with Ryan Nesbitt shooting at Niall Cooper and then Curvin Ellis having an effort blocked in the Town goalmouth.
The nip and tuck feel to the encounter continued though, as Rugby carved out a trio of opportunities down the right hand flank.
First Kolodynski headed over Hendrie’s looping cross, then Fenny just got a vital hand to Holloway’s centre and finally Mikes’ defender Harry Craven did well to cut-out Woodward’s delivery.
The deadlock was broken at the other end, when Joe Lyng beat his marker to loop home Nesbitt’s free-kick with his head.
Wiggins-Thomas dragged the ball wide as the home side looked for an immediate response, whist Cooper denied the visitors a second by tipping over Nesbitt’s rising strike.
Harris and Ellis had already clashed in the aftermath of Boldmere’s goal, and when the same two players had tangled near the touchline in the opening half’s closing seconds, the Town man’s subsequent words to the linesman saw him receive a straight red card for dissent.
Despite being a man short, Valley pretty much controlled proceedings after the restart, without really gaining the necessary territory or creating too much to trouble for Fenny.
Wiggins-Thomas and Holloway did both have shots blocked in the same passage of play, with Hendrie also suffering the same fate later in the half, but all too often Rugby’s front-line fell foul of the away defence’s high-line.
The introduction of Ruff and Lockley stirred things up a little though, and Kolodynski’s shot from the edge of the box was gathered by Fenny.
The dismissal of goalscorer Lyng for a second yellow with ten minutes remaining gave Valley the confidence to launch a final assault on the game, and the equaliser came on 87 minutes after Ruff seized upon Sam Belcher’s cleverly dinked pass to lift the ball over Fenny into the net.
There was more to come when James Dance broke purposefully from the back to pick out Kolodynski, who in turn released Lockley to execute a decent low finish for the late winner.
Valley
Line-up: Cooper; Woodward (Wright), Kelly, Dance, Harris; Belcher, Ashby; Holloway (Ruff), Kolodynski, Hendrie; Wiggins-Thomas (Lockley). Subs not used: Castleton, C Birch. Booked: Belcher. Sent Off: Harris.
Boldmere line-up: Fenny, Ray, Hallissey, Gayle, Craven, Lyng, Usher-Shipway, Milligan, Ellis, Nesbitt, Morris. Subs: Abraham, Shaw, Brauns, Ntamark, Wagstaff. |