Valley and Hednesford Town played out an entertaining draw in the Emirates FA Cup Second Round Qualifying at a sunny Butlin Road.
Rugby's Trey Charles and Hednesford's Manny Duku shared the four goals to send the tie to a replay at Keys Park on Tuesday evening.
Dan Summerfield returned to his right-back slot after missing out through injury at Loughborough earlier in the week as one of three changes from that heavy University defeat.
A Charles' cross floated just beyond a team-mate in the opening minutes, but it was the visitors that set the early pace and looked the more likely side to open the scoring.
A free-kick from distance by Dan Trickett-Smith was comfortably taken by Paul Hathaway, with Duku twice meeting crosses from Blaine Rowe and Jack Bearne respectively with his head, but for the first his weak connection dribbled wide and then subsequently Hathaway again gathered easily.
Omar Holness's rising strike was also cleanly caught by Hathaway, with Liam Francis's back post headed attempt to a curling Charles corner representing Rugby's best opportunity of the opening quarter.
Another Charles' delivery almost saw the opening goal of the game though, with Pitmen keeper Jack Rose not properly dealing with Simeon Maye's contact to it - allowing Tayo Tucker to poke it goalwards and then Rose clawing the ball away from the line - amid claims from the Valley supporters behind the goal that the ball had crossed it.
Town had been gradually improving ahead of that moment of controversy, and their efforts were rewarded on 37 minutes when Rose misjudged another in-swinging corner from Charles and the ball somehow evaded the keeper and everyone else in a crowded goalmouth to sneak home.
Hednesford responded well for the remainder of the half though, and Rob Stevenson's shot-on-the-turn drifted wide, and after that Trickett-Smith innocuously found the side netting with his effort.
The pressure on the Town back-line intensified, with Dan Summerfield performing a good block to thwart Duku, and then Hathaway did well to keep out Trickett-Smith's shot, after he had broken free down the right hand side.
However, the visitors did manage to level things up just before the interval, when Elliott Johnson flicked on a Trickett-Smith corner, and the unmarked Duku ghosted in to fire home from close range.
The first chance of the new period fell to Rugby though, when an excellent flowing move involving Charles, Tucker and Ethan O'Toole ended with Harrison Nee striking the outside of the post from an angled position.
Hathaway pulled off a fine double save to deny back-to-back headers from Duku after another neat Trickett-Smith set-piece delivery, before Valley then enjoyed their best spell of the game.
Charles was nearly onto a searching ball behind the Hednesford defence, and Rose did well to keep out Hilton Arthur's strike after Ryan Sahota had played him in.
Rose punched away another dangerous Charles delivery into the box, and Nee headed harmlessly into Rose's arms as the open nature of the second half continued.
Mike McGrath's block to Duku's shot on the turn reinforced the danger the away side could pose though, with Summerfield also getting his body in the way of Trickett-Smith's on-target effort.
The Pitmen's second came on 67 minutes, after Stevenson had done particularly well to create space for himself at the by-line before floating up a cross to the back post for the lanky Duku to head home.
Another similarly positioned cross from Bearne was this time met by a wayward header by Duku, with the visitors nearly extending their lead when Hathaway could only parry Duku's free-kick, but fortunately Trickett-Smith's rebound attempt was smothered away.
Rugby's equaliser came on 76 minutes, when an O'Toole corner was only partially flicked away by a Hednesford head and the ball dropped to Charles, who executed a perfectly hooked volley past Rose and into the net.
Both sides had openings to snatch a late winner, with sub Mike Taylor almost plundering his way through the middle of the opposition defence, whilst at the other end Hathaway pulled off two excellent one handed saves - first denying Stevenson and then Johnson, after both had found space to break beyond the Town defence.
Valley
Line-up: Hathaway; Summerfield, Ahenkorah, Francis, McGrath; Sahota (Fitzharris 77'), O'Toole (Mensah 77'); Arthur (Kolodynski 82'), Nee (Semahimbo 82'), Tucker (Taylor 75'); Charles. Subs not used: Osoimoejiokhian, Rai.
