Rugby Town ended a run of six straight defeats to gain a draw against play-off chasing Wellingborough Town at a gusty Butlin Road.
With relegation confirmed already for Valley, the visitors' play-off hopes were very much still alive going into the game, but the hosts' decent performance deserved at least the point it earnt with Rivel Mardenborough's brace taking his season total to 11 goals.
Town academy prospect Fabian Stolowski made his first league start for the club at right-back in place of Nathan Kabeya, with Callum Woodward also back in to replace Tyler Bruck - who had returned to his parent club Redditch earlier in the week.
Rugby made a great start to the game and were ahead with just nineteen seconds on the clock, when Mardenborough took on Harrison Nee's long ball behind the Wellingborough defence before firing off a low shot onto the base of the post and into the net.
It was soon clear that the strong wind blowing around Butlin Road would be a significant factor on the game when one-time Valley man Sam Warburton sent in a swirling corner which almost caught out home keeper Charlie Woods - with Woods just able to palm the ball behind for another corner.
Lessons were not learnt though, and Warburton's subsequent corner again had Woods scrambling and his attempted punch to it ended up crossing the line to give the Doughboys an equaliser.
Sam Tye then had a first-time volley to Nee's corner from the right blocked, and Mardenborough saw a dangerous cross deflected wide by Warburton after Tye had slipped him in.
For Wellingborough, Connor Tomlinson's shot from a good position was deflected over by Archie Murray, and Lloyd Buckby's header was also diverted off-target by Josh Thomas, as both sides looked to take the lead.
Caine Elliott's side-footed effort from the edge after neat work from Mardenborough lacked the power to trouble Snedker unduly, before Thomas did well again to snuff out Joseph Evans at the other end.
A dangerous Stolowski cross was cut-out by Snedker, before Tomlinson had two decent opportunities in quick succession when first shooting just over on the turn and then seeing another wind-assisted effort clawed away for a corner by Woods.
Jack Concannon a great chance to give Valley a lead at the interval after Mardenborough had played him in, but Snedker was off his line quickly to narrow down the angle and Concannon's effort was saved, with Nee also having a low strike kept out by Snedker before the half-time whistle was blown.
Nee bounced in a cross shortly after the restart which was gathered by Snedker as the open nature of the game continued, with Tye's header to Nee's cross then taken high by the busy Wellingborough number one.
On 54 minutes and against the run of play, the visitors went ahead though when James Clifton neatly turned home a cross from the right from sub Joe Pursey, with Matt Slinn and Evans both missing out with opportunities that soon followed.
Concannon's weak effort was easily gathered after a decent spell of pressure from Town, before Doughboys skipper Jack O'Connor headed one over.
Rugby were rewarded for their endeavours on 73 minutes when Concannon threaded one through to Mardenborough - who went on to skip around Snedker and score from a narrow angle. Snedker then did well to punch away a Concannon cross and claim a further centre from Elliott, before Nee flashed one across the face of the goal.
Another Nee effort from a Tye pass was deflecred just wide, with Woods then back in the action with a good low stop to Evans's header to a deep cross from Pursey.
Ethan Johnson dragged one wide as Wellingborough pushed for a much-needed victory, with Woods pulling off a full-length save to push away Clifton's free-kick from the edge of the area.
Clifton also headed wide Warburton's corner, before the last chance of the game saw Concannon lift the ball over the bar after Tye had headed on a Nee set-piece delivery.
Valley
Line-up: Woods; Stolowski, Lundoloki, Thomas (Dulgheru 46'), Murray; Woodward, Elliott, Tye; Nee, Concannon, Mardenborough. Subs not used: Morris, Petkovic, Cook, Cooper. Booked: Murray, Mardenborough.
