Loyiso Recci celebrates scoring the second goalLoyiso Recci celebrates scoring the second goal
Loyiso Recci celebrates scoring the second goal

Pictures - Rugby Town in control against Eynesbury for third with on bounce

Comfortable victory over manager-less visitors

PICTURES BY MARTIN PULLEY

United Counties League - Premier Division South

Rugby Town 3 Eynesbury Rovers 1

Valley made it three wins in a row with a comfortable victory over manager-less Eynesbury at Butlin Road last Saturday, writes Jon Venner.

The hosts largely controlled the game throughout, and Danico Johnson and Loyiso Recci gave them a quickfire two goal advantage in the run-up to the interval.

Edwin Ahenkorah's 77th minute penalty pretty much secured Town the points after the visitors had missed from the spot themselves, although Rovers did later grab a late consolation for their efforts.

With keeper Ash Bodycote ruled out due to a groin injury, Rugby boss Carl Adams moved swiftly to bring in Jake Woodward as an emergency stand-in, with Keenah Rosser also replacing the unavailable Lee Thomas in the starting line-up.

Town suffered a further injury blow with the match barely ten minutes old, when David Kolodynski emerged from the bench in place of Dylan Parker.

The first real chance of the game came on 17 minutes, when Ahenkorah's shot on the turn was pushed around the post by visiting keeper Josh Mollison.

Woodward then gathered a Levi Squillace strike at the other end, with Ahenkorah putting in a tame effort from distance after a neat back-heel from Kolodynski had set him up.

The Rugby substitute was instrumental in the opening goal on 40 minutes too, when he dispossessed a defender before rolling in a clever pass for Johnson to skillfully rifle the ball past Mollison.

Town soon doubled their lead, when Kolodynski claimed another assist after getting a touch to Max Johnson's free-kick to allow Recci to poke home from close range.

Kolodynski could easily have grabbed a third for Town himself shortly after the restart, but his effort nestled onto the top of the netting instead.

Eynesbury were handed a lifeline on 52 minutes though, when Rosser was harshly penalised for handball - spotted by a distant linesman, after Josh Brown's initial free-kick had come back off the post.

Brown was subsequently handed the responsibility of the penalty, but his weakly struck attempt was kept out by Woodward.

Loyiso Recci headed one over ahead of Rovers' best spell of the game - which saw a speculative effort from skipper James Ducket fly off-target and James Hatch hit the side netting.

Any lingering doubts as to the outcome were dispelled on 77 minutes however, when Ahenkorah was fouled in the area and he picked himself up to make no mistake from twelve yards.

The away side reduced the arrears in the closing minutes, after Kelvin Ossei-Addo punished Alex Lock for an error outside the box with a decent low finish past Woodward.

Rugby line-up: Woodward, English, O.Recci (Hancocks), Rosser, L.Recci, Lock, Ahenkorah, M.Johnson (Parkes), Parker (Kolodynski), D.Johnson, Marsden. Sub not used: Francis, Fitzharris

Eynesbury line-up: Mollison, Josh Brown, Hyde, Uttridge, Bowes, Jordan Brown, Stephens-Abbey, Hatch, Bearman, Olawale. Subs: Guiney, Andrews, Ossei-Addo, Squillace

Rugby Star Man: Danico Johnson

Rugby Town 3 Eynesbury Rovers 1