For the second game running Town let a lead slip from their grasp, allowing Westfields to return to Hereford with all the points from the first ever league fixture between the two clubs.

A goal either side of half-time by Fields’ Craig Jones had overturned David Kolodynski’s eleventh minute opener, and despite the hosts pushing hard for an equaliser in the game’s closing stages, they were unable salvage anything from the Butlin Road encounter.

Captain James Dance and Sam Belcher both returned to Rugby’s starting line-up following the 1-1 draw at Stourport two days previously, and once more Valley dominated the early stages of the match – with Josh Ruff almost taking advantage of Kolodynski’s lay-off and Stuart Hendrie long search for a first Town goal almost coming to an end when keeper Alex Harris tipped his curling effort onto the bar.

Hendrie also started the move that led to Town’s goal, with Harry Holloway then flicking the ball into path of Kolodynski to apply an excellent volleyed finish on the turn from the edge of the penalty area. Kolodynski had another strike blocked and Belcher’s volley drifted wide of the frame, before Kolodynski and Sean Castleton both tried in vain to scramble home the ball from close range after a Ruff corner from the left.

It was a foul from Ruff at the other end against the run of play that saw the visitors awarded a free-kick only a yard outside the box to give Jones the opportunity to fire a low set-piece past the wall and into the corner of Niall Cooper’s net.

The tempo of the half increased a little following this 36th minute equaliser, and Ruff was soon flashing a free-kick across the face of the goal – just beyond the reach of Castleton.

Westfields’ Ben Miller poked one straight at Cooper from a dangerous position, before Kolodynski’s stretching header to Holloway’s cross to the far post fell wide to bring an end to the half’s main action.

The visitors put in their most dangerous spell of the game immediately following the resumption. During this, Cooper saved well from Mark Magee’s shot on the turn, Adrian Thomas’s low strike was also gathered by Valley’s keeper and Miller chipped one over.

The pressure finally told on 53 minutes when Cooper could only parry Thomas’s initial strike, with Jones successfully following up for his second of the match.

Having got their noses in front, Westfields sat deep to protect their advantage and it took a while for Rugby to get back into their stride.

Wiggins-Thomas took too long to pull the trigger after Kolodynski had set him up, whilst Ruff sent a couple of efforts wide. Holloway scuffed his shot from just inside the box and Ruff also failed to apply a true connection to a further opportunity, with John Mills then leaning back on his effort to send the ball way over the goal.

Valley continued to dispatch cross after cross into the Westfields’ penalty area, but clear cut chances were limited, although both Ruff and Hendrie did miss the target with their attempts late on.

Valley Line-up: Cooper; Print, Birch, Dance, Castleton; Belcher, Ruff; Hendrie, Holloway (Mills), Kolodynski; Wiggins-Thomas. Subs not used: Beasley, Bodycote, Rowley. Booked: Ruff.

Westfields line-up: Harris, Gwyne, Plane, Khaki, Sysum, Hainault, Jones, Thomas, Magee, Miller, Moreira. Subs: Kingsford, Hunt, Turner, Blackburn.