Rugby returned to winning ways once more after a workmanlike performance at the DWB Stadium saw off the Lincolnshire hosts.

Charlie Evans struck a goal in each half to earn the visitors the points from an encounter that was lacking in terms of quality and penalty box action.

Town boss Carl Adams made three changes to his starting line-up from his side's previous outing at Sleaford, with Dom Perkins back having served his two match suspension, and Josh Steele and Harry Holloway also in from the off - with Liam Francis, Eli Bako and Daniel Kavanagh the three players to miss out.

The game was played out in a similar manner to that Sleaford affair, with both teams over-reliant on a long-ball approach which resulted in a generally disjointed spectacle.

The home side just edged the opening exchanges, and striker Liam Tunstall threatened Valley keeper Louis Connor's goal early on.

Jacob Fenton also went close for Boston, whilst Evans was looking like Town's most potent force, and he headed one wide of the target in his side's first significant attacking play.

Perkins sent a shot over the bar and then Evans had a further effort saved by Poachers' keeper Travis Portas, before Rugby broke the deadlock with twenty minutes on the clock.

The goal came after Loyiso Recci headed a Simeon Tulloch corner back across the box, and Evans was on-hand to apply a neat finish from within the six yard box.

Boston's equaliser also came from a corner just over a quarter of an hour further on, with Valley's defence once more guilty of poor marking from a set-piece.

Daniel Horton was the man to benefit this time, as he looped one over the top of Connor's head into the back of the net.

Valley responded well enough to the blow of the equaliser though, and they put in arguably their best spell of the game in the run up to the interval.

In this period of pressure, Portas saved a decent effort from Holloway, and then Evans had a goalbound strike blocked.

The second half brought forth even fewer clear cut goalscoring opportunities for either side, although Fraser Bayliss was a consistent threat for the hosts throughout it.

The game's deciding moment came on 66 minutes after Evans had shown good skill to outfox his marker on the edge of the penalty box, before firing a sweet shot past Portas into the bottom corner.

Town managed to hold onto their advantage this time without too much difficulty, although Boston's efforts overall were commendable - without showing any real cutting edge.

The hosts' challenge was intensified further when they forced to play the final quarter of an hour of the game a man light, after they suffered an injury with all three permitted substitutions having been made.

Evans had a couple of half chances to secure a third hat-trick of the season, with Perkins again missing the target with a speculative effort ahead of the final whistle.

Valley Line-up: Hill; Rosser, Steele, Recci, Perkins; Marsden, Summerfield, Holloway (Bako); Tulloch (Dawson), Evans, Ahenkorah. Subs not used: Francis, Hill. Booked: Connor, Dawson.

Boston line-up: Portas, Sparrow, Borbely, Fosu, Watkins, Cunliffe, Horton, Holland, Tunstall, Fenton, Bayliss. Subs: Nassunculo, Raducan, Lytvynets, Harris, Turki.