VALLEY returned to action after a two week break last Saturday and secured a deserved 3-1 victory over play-off chasing Market Drayton Town in the Evostik NPL – South Division thanks to a quickfire first half treble, reports Jon Venner.
Dale Belford’s side struck three times in just seven minutes to see off Drayton at Butlin Road, although the visitors did then at least make a game of it with a goal ahead of interval, before a much less eventful second period was played out.
Rugby started the game brightly with some decent free-flowing football. In the early exchanges, the reinstalled Rob Parker twice put efforts off-target and Jake Healy also tested Ash Rawlings with a rising strike – which the keeper tipped over the bar.
Healy stabbed another chance from Kevin Thornton’s assist into Rawlings’s arms, before David Kolodynski finally broke the deadlock on 26 minutes with a powerful finish to Steve Towers’ excellently threaded through ball.
Town’s leading scorer was soon grabbing his second of the afternoon helping home Thornton’s free-kick to the near post, before Rawlings was again in the action to deny Parker’s volley on the turn.
Thornton made it three for a buoyant Valley with a curling shot from the edge of the area on 33 minutes, although the away side then pulled one back when Will Whieldon scored from a similar distance with a low strike past Sam Andrew.
Thornton’s whipped set-piece was well kept-out by Rawlings shortly after the restart, and with the hosts returning to the action showing no sign of the jitters, Healy displayed good pace to get a cross in from the by-line from which saw Kolodynski narrowly missed the target with his acrobatic effort.
Drayton skipper Paul McMullen’s downward header skidded up off the greasy surface, but it was gathered by a watchful Andrew, before another Healy cross again gave Kolodynski the opportunity to complete his hat-trick – but he directed his header from close range over.
Andrew’s best save of the game came next, when he kept out Niall Flint’s powerful effort, but a restructured Valley defence generally coped well with anything the visitors’ front-line had to offer, with the only further moment of concern seeing Sam Warburton across well to head clear Cohen Bramall’s searching centre.
