What might have been for Bromsgrove Sporting who for the third year in succession went out of the FA Cup at the Preliminary Round stage. All the more disappointing was that despite playing a club two levels higher they were the better team for much of the match but paid the price for falling to take opportunities when they were available.
From the off, neither side seemed able to get into a rhythm with the game being punctuated with petty fouls and free-kicks. Aaron Roberts playing in mid-field for Sporting had the first real effort on 15 minutes hitting a hard shot from 25 yards but unfortunately straight at Rugby 'keeper Louis Connor.
Chris Jay between the Sporting sticks was only really called in action once in the half picking the ball up from Aiden Print's feet before he could shoot. Whilst at the other end later on both Sean Brain and Chris Lloyd got into good positions but missed the target by a country mile.
Both teams upped the tempo after the interval but had to cope with more difficult conditions as the swirling wind played its part. As with the first half chances went begging with Chris Lloyd regularly getting into good positions but blasting over on the 53 rd minute then dropping a shot on to the roof of the net a few minutes later. When he did finally get a good shot on target he found Connor in brilliant form making a one-handed save.
Manager Paul Smith brought on substitutes Tony Clark and Chrisi Conway to add some presence up front for the away side which should have paid dividends a few minutes later when Clark hit the bar then saw the re-bound from Brain desperately cleared off the line.
Despite he home side having few opportunities, the inevitable happened on the 82nd minute when substitute Daryll Thomas pulled a ball back from the by-line to the near post, Jay just about got a hand to it but Rugby striker David Kolodynski was a fraction of a second quicker and managed to tap the ball in the net from a short distance to give his lead the lead.
Sporting worked hard looking for the equaliser with the excellent Ahmed Ali spraying good passes around to break the Rugby back line but the defence remained solid and after a couple of minutes added time referee Mr Hughes blew for the end with a win for the home side and a game against Corby Town in the next round.
There was not much doubt about Sporting being the better side and on any other day; they could have been comfortable winners but in the end, it is balls in the net that count.
Sporting: Chris Jay, Aaron Roberts, Jack Wilson, Danny Morris, Jake Willcox, Luke Edwards (Dale Edwards 88 mins), Will Tibbetts (Tony Clarke 62 mins), Robbie Bunn, Ahmed Ali, Chris Lloyd (Chris Conway 70 mins), Sean Brain.
Substitutes not used: Lucky Nwosu, Brendan Kelly, Neil Leech, Lewis Kemp.
Cards: Jake Willcox (62 mins)
Rugby: Louis Connor, Aiden Print, Nathan Fox, Jason Lee, Tank, Andrew Hall (Daryll Thomas 58 mins), Sam Belcher (James Jepson 70 mins), Andy Gooding (Capt.), Richard Lavery, Jake Woolley, David Kolodynski (Dom Bolton 85 mins).
Substitutes not used: Moussa Yussef, Ben Heath.
Goal: Kolodynski (83 mins)
Yellow: Connor (17 mins)
Referee: Mr K Hughes
Assistants: Mr M McGill, Mr S Sears.
Weather: Cool, blustery.
Crowd: 228
Sporting Man of the Match: Ahmed Ali
Reporter: Phil Baker
A David Kolodynski strike eight minutes from time secured an out-of-sorts Town a home tie against Corby in the next round of the Emirates FA Cup.
The result was harsh on the visitors, who were undoubtedly the better side throughout at a blustery Butlin Road.
Rugby boss James Jepson made one change to the line-up that had lost out in the league to Stamford's late winner four days previously, with recent signing Andy Hall starting on the right wing in place of Aron Wint, and there was also a place on the bench for another new arrival Darryl Thomas.
Bromsgrove made the better start to the game and also had the tie's first shot on target when Aaron Roberts tested Louis Connor on fifteen minutes. A rare attacking highlight from the hosts then saw Hall unable to capitalise on Kolodynski's neat pass into the penalty box, with Sporting keeper Chris Jay quickly off his line to eliminate any threat.
Chris Lloyd's twenty yarder was parried away by Connor, before the same player had the best opportunity of the opening period when Connor's skewed clearance fell to him at a similar distance, but with an empty net beckoning, the Bromsgrove man could only send the ball back the wrong side of the frame.
Valley started the second half in stuttering form again, with passes regularly going astray and their defence starting to creak under the visitors' pressure.
Ahmed Ali's twist and turn on the edge of the area ended with a decent shot over the bar, and then Connor redeemed himself for his previous error by first denying Lloyd's shot across the face of the box, before later pushing Sean Brain's powerful effort over.
In between these, Tony Clarke struck Valley's bar and Ali's follow-up attempt was blocked on the line, as Bromsgrove continued to deal better with the swirling wind by creating a series of good chances.
For the hosts, Andy Gooding steered one over the bar on the hour mark, but aside from a number of off-target free-kicks, Town posed little attacking menace. However, with a replay looking the likely outcome,
Thomas marked his introduction as a substitute by finding some room on the right before picking out Kolodynski with his pull-back, and the striker squeezed the ball home from a tight angle in the goalmouth.
Valley Line-up: Connor; Print, Fox, Lee, Tank; Hall (Thomas), Belcher (Jepson), Gooding, Lavery; Woolley, Kolodynski (Bolton).
Subs not used: Heath, Yussuf. Booked: Connor.
Bromsgrove Line-up: Jay, Roberts, Wilson, Morris, Willcox, L.Edwards, Tibbetts, Bunn, Ali, Lloyd, Brain. Subs: Nwosu, Leech, Kelly, Kemp, D.Edwards, Conway, Clarke.
