So tight at the top as Rugby Town's survival fight goes down to the wire

Theo Rowe takes on his man during Rugby's 1-1 draw with Bedworth on Saturday (Picture: Martin Pulley)

Valley battled back to earn a 1-1 draw against an in-form Bedworth side at Butlin Road, whilst Gresley were losing at Hinckley and Rushden were securing a point at Boldmere.

Town's local derby point moved them off the bottom above Gresley with a healthy seven goal difference advantage.

Gresley then lost 2-0 at Shepshed Dynamo on Tuesday night to stay bottom.

The differential between Rugby and 18th-placed Rushden remained at a single goal though with just two games left for all to play.

Two further clubs - Cambridge and Coventry Sphinx - are five points above the most-at-risk trio and they still both need a point to be sure of keeping their place in Step Four of the non-league pyramid for 2024/25.

Gresley were have just one match left to play and have a blank Saturday this weekend, with Rushden hosting Shepshed on Saturday.

At the same time Walsall Wood come to Butlin Road for the first time competitively, whilst Sphinx and Cambridge host Boldmere and HInckley respectively.

David Kolodynski's 70th-minute strike ensured that honours were even last weekend when he forced home from close range after United's Liam Murphy had broken the deadlock early in the second half.

The hosts had arguably edged a generally-cagey first half, with their best chance of it falling to Madundo Semahimbo - who forced a neat save from Bedworth keeper Liam O'Brien to his crisply struck effort.

Tomasz Bukowski's equally adept stop to ex-Valley youth teamer Leo Stone's strike late on meant that Town recorded their first home draw of the league campaign to-date.

Rugby's result also extended their unbeaten run to three matches, with Kolodynski's goal meaning he reached a double-figure tally in a season for the eleventh time for the club and simultaneously pulled him one clear of long-term injury victim Jordan Wilson at the top of this term's Valley scoring chart.

After Saturday, Rugby round off their fixtures with a trip to Boldmere next weekend, with Rushden at Walsall and Gresley visiting in-form Corby Town as the race to avoid the two-team drop zone reaches its conclusion.