IT WAS a mixed bag for Rugby Town over the Bank Holiday weekend after they progressed in the FA Cup but tasted defeat in the league away at Basford United.
Gary Mills’ side kicked off their weekend with a 1-0 win over Midland Premier League side Coventry Sphinx in the preliminary round of the FA Cup.
A Mason Rowley header on the stroke of half-time proved to be the difference at Butlin Road in a match that saw home debutant Ashley Bodycote earn an impressive clean sheet.
The hosts started on the front foot with Sam Warburton twice threatening the Sphinx defence with his pace before David Kolodynski seized upon a short back pass from Ashley Jackson but having rounded Sphinx goalkeeper Carl O’Neill, the out-of-touch striker could then only help the ball the wrong side of the frame.
At the other end it was a relatively quiet baptism for Bodycote, although one of the five ex-Valley men in the Sphinx starting line-up – Lewis McBride – did send a header just over the bar from a deep looping cross.
Craig Kelly, Danny Clifton and Rowley all had chances before the latter made no mistake when he met Kelly’s free-kick into the box to head powerfully past O’Neill in first half stoppage time.
Town carried on where they had left off after the break, with Kolodynski flashing one across the face of the goalmouth and O’Neill doing well to keep out a Tom Liversedge effort at close range.
Another ex-Townee Avun Jephcott blazed over from a few yards out for Sphinx before Ashley Cain forced Bodycote into a fine save with the young goalkeeper denying the former Coventry City player from close range.
Robbie Banks came close from 20 yards out but that signalled the end of the visitors’ best spell of the game and it was Town that ended the tie the stronger but they were unable to add to their total.
Valley were hoping to make it back-to-back wins but they tasted a 3-0 defeat away at Basford on Bank Holiday Monday in the Evostik NPL – South Division.
Town made two changes from the FA Cup win with both Tom Glasscoe and Callum Powell being handed their first competitive starts.
Rugby started brightly with Powell testing Saul Deeney with a shot from 20-yards out which the United keeper fingertipped around the post and Danny Clifton fired one over the bar.
Deeney parried a low strike by Kolodynski and the Valley striker narrowly missed out again when he fired over from 18 yards.
The hosts soon made Town pay for their lack of a finishing when on 34 minutes Stuart Hendrie tapped home from close range to give the hosts the lead.
The goal visibly boosted Basford and they put in a much more controlled performance after the interval.
Wiggins-Thomas ran onto a long ball behind the Rugby defence to make it 2-0 with a composed finished.
On the hour mark the visitors almost halved the arrears when Kolodynski smashed one against the crossbar after a well-worked set-piece.
Wiggins-Thomas had another opportunity when through on goal, with Bodycote then equal to a double strike by Hendrie, before Basford rounded off the game when the unmarked Meikle headed home a deep Blair Anderson free-kick with three minutes of normal time remaining.
