Rugby Town back to form to regain third place with win at Newport Pagnell

United Counties League - Premier Division South

Newport Pagnell Town 1 Rugby Town 2

Valley finally returned to winning ways by completing the double over their main rivals for third place with a deserved victory at Willen Road on Tuesday evening.

David Kolodynski had given Town a first half lead, before the hosts pegged it back against the run of play just past the hour mark, but a second goal in two games for Madundo Semahimbo was soon securing his side the points.

Rugby's starting line-up showed three changes from the disappointing defeat at Eynesbury three days earlier, with the three subs used in Cambridgeshire - Jamal Clarke, Justin Marsden and Semahimbo - all named from the off instead.

The game started relatively quietly and evenly, with Kolodynski failing to stretch Pagnell keeper Martin Conway with his free-kick from twenty five yards.

At the other end, Ash Bodycote dealt comfortably with Leon Lobjoit's low shot from the edge of the area and a Danny Webb strike drifted wide of the target, before Valley took control of the game and showed a level of intensity that has missing from their play of late.

Kolodynski then went close for the visitors with an excellent strike which was tipped onto the post by Conway after the Town striker had initially delayed his effort following Semahimbo's flick-on to release him down the middle.

A further Kolodynski shot from an angled position was deflected for a corner immediately prior to his opening goal which came from the resulting corner from Edwin Ahenkorah, which saw Kolodynski time his run perfectly to clip his header home on 21 minutes.

Ahenkorah had two subsequent chances to increase Rugby's advantage ahead of the interval, when first sending one straight at Conway from a wide position after he had done well to create himself a shooting opportunity and then he was inches away from a free-kick swung into the box by Harry Eden.

The first opportunities of the new period also fell to the visitors, but Caine Elliott's low strike lacked power and was easily taken by the home keeper, with Semahimbo then causing problems down the left only to see his pulled back cross just cut out by a Pagnell boot.

A trademark Kolodynski overhead strike was cleared off the line as Rugby looked to extend their advantage, with Conway also tipping over another Kolodynski header from a corner.

Newport skipper Jordan Wright's well-executed volley to a Ben Ford pulled them level though, but Town were not phased by this set-back and after Ahenkorah had done well to regain possession on the right hand side, Elliott's fizzed delivery across the box ended up with Semahimbo - who fired home through the fingers of Conway.

The hosts probed for another equaliser in the remaining twenty minutes or so of play, but Rugby coped reasonably well with the challenge.

The closest the Swans came to levelling things up again came when Alfie Powell headed over and also when a back-pedalling Bodycote just managed to tip a flighted free-kick from the right by Kieran Barnes over his bar late on.

Rugby line-up: Bodycote, Summerfield, Eden, Clarke, Francis, Fitzharris, Marsden (Lock), Elliott, Kolodynski (English), Semahimbo, Ahenkorah.

Newport line-up: Conway, Markey, Sage, Small, Wright, Powell, Barnes, Idiakhoa, Burnside, Webb, Lobjoit. Subs: Pryke, Ahmed, Watkinson, Shepherd, Ford

Rugby Star Man: Madundo Semahimbo