Rugby Town's opening fixture of the Northern Premier League Midlands campaign ended in defeat against Carlton Town at Butlin Road.
The visitors who have been switched from the NPL East scooped all three points despite late controversy at Butlin Road.
Harrison Nee and Ryan Sahota came into the side among four changes from the FA Cup defeat at Coton Green defeat the previous week, while there were Valley debuts for goalkeeper Marcus Bald and winger Cairo Taylor.
The hosts made a purposeful start, and went close to securing an early lead after Taylor had done well to chase down a backward defensive header to then hook the ball across to Nee - who twice just failed to squeeze it in from a tight angle.
Ethan Hanson almost headed into his own net from Lewis Durow's long-throw but the effort was tipped onto the woodwork by Bald in a rare attacking threat from the visitors, but Rugby were generally in the ascendance and either side of Bald's impressive save, Callum Griffin sent a rising volley marginally over the target and then the same player drew a decent stop from ex-Rugby keeper Nathan Liburd-Hines after Hanson's searching ball into the box had picked him out.
Liburd-Hines was back in fine form to deny Ryan Sahota's effort from the edge of the box after Nee and Griffin had combined well to set him up, with another Nee strike being deflected wide for a corner.
The remainder of the first half was a more scrappy affair, as Carlton began to cope better with the home side's threat, although Taylor did drag one wide, and Griffin nearly played in Rivel Mardenborough ahead of the interval.
The visitors had the first real opportunity of the new period when Durow dinked a cross from the left over Bald but also beyond the back post, with Nee then getting in behind his marker to tee up Taylor - but his shot was deflected away.
The deadlock was broken on 57 minutes though after a neat interchange between Durow and Niall Davie, which saw the Carlton skipper slip Durow in to ultimately power home from a tight angle.
It was soon two-nil, with Ashley Chambers nipping ahead of both Hanson and Bald to clip home Liam Bateman's whipped-in cross on the hour mark.
Davie pulled his low effort just wide of the post, as Carlton threatened to increase their lead further, with Sahota lifting one harmlessly over the bar at the other end.
However, Rugby did pull one back on 82 minutes, after Palmer showed good strength to ease off his marker before laying the ball onto to Nee who in turn poked it across to Mardenborough to calmly fire home into the bottom left-hand corner.
Niall Hylton's cross/shot failed to trouble Bald as Carlton attempted to take advantage of a stretched Town back-line, before Kabeya's wayward shot drifted well off-target.
Valley were almost handed a stoppage-time lifeline when it looked like referee Christopher Walton had pointed to the spot following a challenge on Nee in the box.
However, in the confusion that followed there was alas no penalty opportunity for Town, and it appeared that the match official's whistle and signalling had been to stop the game to assess potential head injuries caused by an aerial challenge immediately prior to the foul on Nee.
Valley
Line-up: Bald; Tye (McNeil 86'), Kabeya, Thomas (Francis 90'+7), Hanson; Sahota (West 83'), Elliott, Griffin (Palmer 77'); Taylor (Reid 73'), Nee, Mardenborough. Subs not used: None. Booked: Thomas, Nee.
