Football
Town continue good run

RUGBY Town boss Dave Stringer has called on his side to maintain their improved form after seeing his men record another league success on Saturday before progressing in the Red Insure Cup on Tuesday night.

Their third round tie with Daventry was finally settled at the third attempt by debutant Steve Palmer’s goal just before the interval after a previous abandonment due to floodlight failure and a postponement due to a frozen pitch.

Town now travel to Southern League Premier Division side Chesham in the quarter-finals on February 7, in a competition the club have previously only won once in their history, back in 1990.

Last weekend’s narrow Southern League Division One Central win at Chertsey tightened things up even further at the top of the table, with Rugby now moving up to ninth in the table, just a point behind the four teams immediately above them.

Valley boss Dave Stringer insisted that nobody was getting carried away with the team’s progress just yet, but was also optimistic about the run-in to the end of the campaign.

“There are 15 games left and we are handily placed now. We are in good form at the moment, but it’s important that we maintain this.

“We know that anything can happen in this league, but hopefully we’ve overcome the bad patch we had in the autumn and can use the momentum that we have at the moment to really push on.”

Town entertain Burnham on Saturday as they go in search of a fifth consecutive victory.

Although their opponents are currently sitting 14th, the same place they ended up at the conclusion of the 2010-11 season, they are in the middle of a reasonably good run of form.

The Buckinghamshire club have lost only twice in their last 12 Southern League games - an identical record to Valley’s, although that does include four 1-1 draws within the last six matches.

Stringer gave a debut to new keeper Dave Bevan at Chertsey in place of Pete Smith who had conceded 32 goals in his 16 games in Rugby colours.

He kept faith with Bevan on Tuesday and the ex-Aston Villa man looks likely to become the team’s first choice stopper for the foreseeable future.

Whilst Stringer has yet to secure his targeted defender, he has brought in two new midfielders in the shape of Richard Blythe and Palmer. Both started against Daventry, with Blythe also appearing from the bench at Chertsey.

A Welsh u19 international, Blythe is another product of the Villa academy, before moving onto Barwell and Rushall Olympic. Having started 2011-12 as a first choice pick at Dales Lane he suffered an injury in October and has been out of action since.

Palmer signs from Midland Alliance outfit Alvechurch for whom he had featured 27 times this season, scoring five goals. He lists Coleshill, Cadbury Athletic and Castle Vale JKS amongst his other previous clubs.

Buy photos» New signing Richard Blyth drives forward against Daventry. Picture by Martin Pulley. Buy photos» Michael Williams maintains possession. Picture by Martin Pulley. Buy photos» Luke Leahy launches a Rugby attack on Tuesday night. Picture by Martin Pulley.