Adams able to find positives as Valley's unbeaten run is ended

Rugby Town captain Loyiso Recci in action before he was red-carded in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Coventry Sphinx at Butlin Road. Picture by Martin Pulley

But Valley boss Carl Adams was still drawing positives out of the 2-0 defeat to fellow United Counties League Premier Division South promotion challengers Coventry Sphinx.

Rugby skipper Loyiso Recci was red-carded for a stamp just as striker Jordan Wilson was about to complete a 10-minute sinbinning for dissent.

Coventry's James Bryson had headed the visitors into a 38th minute lead shortly after Wilson had received his punishment, and despite Town’s valiant efforts to get back level after the interval, they then presented Callum Stewart with a gift wrapped opportunity of a second in the final minute of normal time.

Both Recci and Wilson – who has now totted up five standard yellow cards this season – will miss this Saturday's UCL Premier South home game against Oadby, with Recci also missing a further two fixtures after that.

Adams said: "We're still top of the table with pretty much a third of the season gone now and we've probably got the bulk of our more challenging fixtures out of the way too.

"Our second-half performance with 10 men was particularly encouraging against a side that were clearly up for it and played well on the day, but we were ultimately punished for a couple of moments of bad discipline in the first half."

With Valley's two nearest rivals Sphinx and Newport Pagnell both engaged in League Cup action this weekend, a Town victory would extend the gap at the top to four points.

Adams added: "It would have been great to have been able to create some real daylight between us and the chasing pack last weekend.

"But we're looking to quickly get over it and go on another unbeaten run of 10 (or even more) games again now."

In the lead-up to the Sphinx reverse, Adams had signed a contract that keeps him at the club until May 2024 – which would make it at least six years at Rugby for the ex-Stratford boss. He now joins 16 of his players that have inked their commitment this season already.

Town have been drawn at home in both the Isuzu FA Vase and Birmingham Senior Cup.

Midland Football League side Wulfrunians will travel to Butlin Road in the second round of the Vase on November 12 and then a team from Wolverhampton Wanderers will also visit Rugby on November 22 in the regional FA competition.