Michael Taylor's double secured Rugby Town a first win in seven attempts against fellow strugglers Cambridge City.
It was a deserved victory for Rugby after they put in an encouraging performance at Butlin Road, although a late strike from the visitors did ensure a nervy finish for Carl Adams's side.
Adams gave a debut to new goalkeeper Paul Hathaway and also brought in forwards Silvano Obeng and MJ Semahimbo as part of an attack-minded home line-up for this crucial game.
Both teams started fairly brightly, with the returning Obeng having an early chance but his volley on the turn lacked power and was comfortably saved by Joe Welch.
Will Jones's flashed a ball across the Rugby goal but there was nobody on the end of it, before another Obeng strike from the edge of the area also lacked the necessary force to trouble Welch.
The first clear cut opportunity of the match then fell to City, when Dylan Edge got in behind the hosts' defence, but Hathaway did well to spread himself to keep out the resulting shot - with Loyiso Recci clearing the subsequent loose ball to safety.
A lofted cross from Semahimbo was taken by Welch, with Taylor then having a decent shout for a penalty turned down after Richard Black had pulled him down in the box.
Hathaway was equal to Stefan Broccoli's strike after Cambridge had launched a quick counter-attack, before Taylor broke the deadlock on 41 minutes after he finished off a neat one-two with Obeng with a low, composed finish past Welch.
A dangerous Broccoli cross and a wayward effort from George Scales brought the first period to its conclusion, and the visitors came out after the restart on the front foot too, with Edge soon seeing his attempt on goal blocked after referee Haydn Lavender had waved away another strong appeal for a penalty after Brad Rolt went down in the area.
Jones headed wide Mikey Davis's free-kick, before Valley stepped up a gear and pushed hard to extend their lead.
Taylor probably should have done so with a close-range first-time effort to the overlapping Dan Summerfield's cross but Welch's reflexes saved the day, with Obeng's follow-up attempt also denied by the City keeper.
Town's second of the afternoon did come on 64 minutes though, with Taylor's excellent header to Chris Clements's free-kick from out wide giving Welch no chance.
It could have been three for the home side when Semahimbo run clean through onto David Kolodynski's long punt forward, but the Town wide man could not slip the ball past the advancing Welch, with Devonn O'Sullivan also blazing Taylor's knock-down way over the bar.
Town's defence were generally standing up well to any threat offered by City, with Recci and Liam Francis, in particular, marshalling the back-line to good effect. Edge did poke one wide on the stretch though, and Summerfield headed away a dangerous cross, whilst at the other end Rugby sub Jordan Wilson put one wide and fellow replacement Justice Campbell chipped one off-target too.
Hathaway was then called into action when tipping Davis's strike from distance around the post, and from the resulting quickly-taken corner, Davis fired home to reduce the arrears and ensure a tense finish to the game.
Jones's downward header was gathered by Hathaway, and the same Cambridge man also curled a well-struck effort wide, but the final opportunity of the match fell to Rugby in stoppage-time when Taylor's speculative volley from way out bounced agonisingly wide.
