New Rugby Town boss Carl Adams got off to a winning start with a comprehesive win in Peterborough with striker Danico Johnson netting a debut hat-trick.

Johnson's fifth minute strike had given new Town boss Carl Adams the perfect start on the hard, bobbly Cambridgeshire surface, before Loyiso Recci scored before half-time to extend Town's advantage.

A further Johnson brace after the break then sealed the emphatic win for the visitors.

Johnson and Recci were two of six players making a first ever competitive start for the club, as Adams opted for a 3-5-2 formation for Rugby's first game in this league structure in more than forty years.

The early goal came when Johnson seized upon a terrible back pass to run through and slot the ball past Peterborough keeper Quincy Shorunmu.

He almost added to his tally shortly after when his deflected effort clipped the post, with his strike partner Jamal Adams then sending one wide from twenty yards.

With a strong wind behind their backs, Town continued to pile the pressure on the hosts and Johnson and Adams almost combined for Valley's second - but the latter was just unable to get a vital touch to the former's flashed ball across the six yard box.

Recci did fire home a deflected shot in the 32nd minute though, after Johnson's initial strike had been blocked out, with Dominic Perkins nearly snatching a third before the whistle for the interval when he headed over the bar.

Shorunmu was soon back in the action not long after the restart with a good save to Lewis Rankin's curler, before Johnson took advantage of Star's inability to clear Adams's cross by powering a low strike into the net.

The home side finally created a chance of note after Rugby's third, but keeper Matt Hill did well to parry away Jack Bloodworth's header.

Adams, Johnson and Perkins all then went close for Town, before Peterborough's James Hills-Seekings headed a swirling cross wide of the target.

Town sub Charlie Evans tested Shorunmu with shot from the edge of the penalty area, with Johnson hitting the post again after he had streaked clear of the home defence.

Keenah Rosser lifted a great opportunity over the bar after good work by Richard Blythe, before Johnson finally managed to secure his debut hat-trick when he finished off a neat move between Evans and Harry Holloway with virtually the last kick of the game.

Valley Line-up: Hill; Recci, Perkins, Edwards; Rosser, Thomas, Bunting (Holloway), Blythe, Rankin (Blake); Johnson, Adams (Evans). Subs not used: Kavanagh. Booked: None..

Peterborough line-up: Shorunmu, Bloodworth, Cox, Down, Dunn, Gale, Hill-Seekings, KIngston, Rodden, Sansby, S.Wilson.  Subs: Rosser, J.Wilson.