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Match - Rugby Town FC
2026/27 SEASON - MATCH REPORT - UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH - 31 AUGUST 2026
Rugby Town

Highgate United
Sanneh 23'
Vadir sent off 69'

1
Rugby Town

Rugby Town
Tye 7', 37'
Nuttall 8', 46'
Mardenborough 32', 35', 48' (p)
Nicholson 54'
Boothe 63', 65', 79', 82'

12
X - Highgate United 1-12 Rugby Town - United Counties League Premier Division South - August 2026
X X
 

Monday 31 August 2026

The GCE Hire Fleet United Counties League Premier Division South
The Coppice, Shirley
Attendance 120
Valley Star Man
RYAN BOOTHE
by JON VENNER

Rugby Town romped to victory against basement side Highgate United at the Coppice Stadium.

The Bank Holiday annihilation represented the best-ever away league victory in the club's history, but could not surpass the 12-0 home success over Desborough in November 2019 - also at UCL Premier level.

However, both twelve-goal romps fell well short of Valley's December 1959 Rugby Junior Charity Cup 20-0 win against BTH Apprentices back in the club's very early days.

There were four changes from the side that had narrowly lost out to league leaders Knowle just two days earlier, with new signing Hisham Chiha straight into Town's midfield and Jamie Ashmore, Ryley Nicholson and Zidan Sutherland also named in the starting line-up.

Valley were on the front foot from the off against their beleaguered opponents - who had already suffered a number of heavy defeats this season, with Aaron Nuttall making an early threatening run down the left-hand-side before seeing his cross pushed away by home keeper Harry Timmin-Hayes.

Chiha's shot from the edge of the penalty area was kept out by a full-length save from the young Highgate stopper, although Louie Clifford did offer a glimmer of hope for the hosts with a dangerous cross into the Rugby box.

Town went ahead on seven minutes though, when Sutherland found Sam Tye in space on the edge of the box and he stroked the ball past Timmin-Hayes.

The visitors soon doubled their advantage when Sutherland again provided a telling ball across for Nuttall to help home from close range.

Daniel Kimpungui dispatched one over Ash Bodycote's bar, before Sutherland's rising effort was saved by Timmin-Hayes.

Sutherland had another low shot saved and Rivel Mardenborough also missed out with a decent opportunity.

Highgate were enjoying their best spell of the game though, with Charlie Tilley clearing another decent Clifford cross away for a corner, and then they scored only their second league goal of their troubled campaign when Sulaiman Sanneh pounced on Nicholson's hesitancy to show good strength and fire one low past Bodycote.

The goal sparked Town back into life, with Rivel Mardenborough putting one into the side netting, before he netted his side's third on 31 minutes with a shot on the turn after Nuttall had opened up the home defence with a threaded pass.

Four minutes later, Mardenborough struck again when his shot took a deflection before looping in after a poor defensive clearance from the hosts.

Tye's low finish after more uncertainty at the back from the hosts made it three Valley goals in five minutes and five in total, although Sanneh almost shaved one of the deficit shortly after when he helped a KImpungui cross just the wrong side of the post.

A low free-kick from Sutherland was saved by Timmin-Hayes, with the Rugby man then dragging a further effort wide, before Timmin-Hayes pulled off a good full-length stop to deny Nicholson's header.

The final chance of the first-half fell to Highgate though, when Sanneh's surging run from deep ended with a rasping strike onto Town's post - with Kai Eaton blazing the rebound over the bar.

Valley eased further ahead within a minute of the restart, when Tye poked the ball through to Nuttall, who ran on before guiding it into the bottom corner.

It was soon seven, after Chiha was taken down in the box and Mardenborough duly stepped up to secure his hat-trick from the spot.

Bodycote then saved Clifford's low shot, before Tye's volley from 25 yards saw Timmin-Hayes make another good stop, although the respite was only short-lived, as from the resulting corner Nicholson made it 8-1 with a powerful header from Nuttall's delivery.

Oliver Ostapiuk and Kimpungui both put efforts over the bar, before the introduction of Ryan Boothe from the bench gave Rugby fresh impetus and launched another run of goals for them.

Boothe had been on the pitch for barely a minute when he pounced on Bodycote's long clearance to nonchalantly lob the ball over a stranded Timmin-Hayes, and he grabbed his second when he eased another one past the keeper after he had turned his marker on the edge of the box.

The compound Highgate's misery, Bashir Badir was then red-carded after he pulled back Boothe as the striker pulled clear of the defence again.

Mardenborough and Tye both had off-target efforts, before Boothe matched Mardenborough's treble achievement with a poked finish after Mardenborough had headed the ball onto him.

It was twelve for Valley and four for Boothe on 82 minutes when he expertly curled his free-kick past Timmin-Hayes after Chiha had been fouled twenty yards out.

Jake Wormleighton headed Jamie Ashmore's corner over, and Tye and sub Dylan Cook were both denied late-on after they had both interchanged well in the build-up play.

Valley Line-up: Bodycote; O'Sullivan, Ashmore, Nicholson, Wormleighton; Chiha, Tilley (Dulgheru 65'), Tye; Sutherland (Cook 77'), Nuttall (Boothe 61'), Mardenborough. Subs not used: Cooper, Morley. Booked: Wormleighton, Dulgheru.

Highgate Line-up: Timmin-Hayes, Vadir, R.Davis, Ostapiuk, Chahal, Kwarteng, Paz, Eaton, Sanneh, Kimpungui, Clifford. Subs: Hasker, F.Davis.

  Valley Line-up - Highgate United 1-12 Rugby Town - United Counties League Premier Division South - August 2026

 

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