The Opposition - Key Facts
Full name: Long Eaton United Football Club
Nickname: The Blues
Founded: 1956
Ground: Grange Park
Capacity: 1,500 (450 seated)
Chairman: Nick Dargan
Manager: Brad Munn (since November 2023 as sole Manager)
Last season: 5th/21 (NPL Midlands)
Journey distance: 19 miles

The Opposition - History

Long Eaton St Helens joined the Derbyshire Alliance in 1907 before becoming founder members of the Notts & Derbyshire League and later the Central Alliance in 1911, winning the league in 1912–13. Renamed Long Eaton Town in 1914, they briefly competed in the Midland League in the mid-1920s. The club was re-established in 1949, rejoined the Central Alliance, and became Long Eaton United in 1956 following financial restructuring. Success followed with a Division One South title in 1958–59, leading to promotion to the Midland League in 1961.

The club won the Derbyshire Senior Cup in 1964–65 and 1975–76 and became a Midland League Premier Division side. Following the formation of the Northern Counties East League in 1982, Long Eaton won Division One South in 1984–85 to reach the Premier Division. They later moved between the Central Midlands League and the NCEL, earning promotion back to the NCEL Premier Division in 2003–04 and finishing runners-up in 2008–09, also winning the League Cup.

Transferred to the Midland League in 2014, Long Eaton won the Premier Division Cup in 2014–15. After joining the United Counties League in 2021, they won the Premier Division North in 2021–22 and achieved successive promotions via play-offs to reach the Southern League Premier Division Central in 2023. However, relegation followed the next season, returning the club to Division One Midlands of the Northern Premier League.

(Source - Wikipedia)

The Opposition - This Season
After opening the season with a home defeat to Corby Town, The Blues went on a three game winning streak without conceding as they laid the foundations for a return to Step Three.
After exiting both the FA Cup and Trophy in successive matches, they went another couple unbeaten in the NPL but then hit a sticky patch, losing four on the bounce and conceding nine goals in two matches against Racing Club Warwick and Loughborough Students.
They bounced back with two wins before a thrilling draw at Bourne Town then won and lost two out of four home matches in a row.
They come into the match today in decent form, unbeaten in four and winning their last two including last weekend's sensational 7-0 victory at Corby Town.

League (10th/22): P 22 W 9 D 5 L 8 F 30 A 22 Pts. 32
Cups: P 3 W 1 D 1 L 1 F 6 A 6 (Exited FA Cup at First Qualifying Round and FA Trophy at First Qualifying Round)

Top goalscorers (NPL only): Evan Garnett (14), Jahvan Davidson-Miller (6)
Biggest victory: 7-0 vs. Corby Town (20th December)
Heaviest defeat: 0-4 vs. Racing Club Warwick (4th October)
Highest home attendance: 432 vs. Kettering Town (30th August)
Average home attendance: 193 (15th/22)
Most consecutive wins: 3
Most games without a win: 4
Most consecutive defeats: 4
Most games without a defeat: 4

The Nailers
Belper started the season with back to back wins before coming unstuck in a home FA Cup tie against Kidsgrove Athletic.
After this came a six match unbeaten run, ended with another cup defeat, this time an FA Trophy reversal at Rugby Town.
Once again Lee Attenborough got the response he wanted, with back to back NPL wins being secured.
After this however they lost two on the spin before flipping their form back on its head again to defeat Anstey Nomads and AFC Rushden & Diamonds.
A draw at Racing Club Warwick followed before two late Corby Town goals consigned us to defeat on the road.
That was the last time Belper tasted defeat, with five wins and three draws since in all competitions.
A Jacob Gratton penalty and thunderbolt finish from James Tague secured the points at Bourne Town.
The following Tuesday saw the Nailers progress to the quarter-finals of the Derbyshire Senior Cup with 4-2 home win over Belper United while four days later Tague was on the scoresheet again as we shared the points at Bedworth United.
The next match was another draw at home to Shepshed Dynamo but after getting back to winning ways two weeks ago, St. Neots Town took the points away from the Raygar Stadium on Saturday.
Four players can still lay claim to have appeared in every match so far.
Goals wise, Kevin Bastos leads the way with eight while Jacob Gratton and Liam Moran are one behind on six. Jacob Fenton has five. Defenders Jack Broadhead and Ben Rhodes sit on four goals along with James Tague. Jonathan Wafula has netted three times and Curtis Burrows twice. A further three players have one goal each.

Head to Head
This fixture was the one to watch in the 1950s, with the first three encounters - all won by Belper - seeing 18 goals and including a 6-3 win where the Nailers scored after five seconds!
Early goals became feature, with a Lakin penalty in the sixth minute setting Belper on the way to a 5-0 win in March 1962.
Neither side managed to take a hold of the fixture in these early days and there plenty of other thrillers including a 5-3 Belper victory in April 1964 and a 4-4 draw just before Christmas the following year.
Another crazy match came in October 1969 with Long Eaton winning by the odd goal in nine, this part of a four game winning streak, one of only two achieved by either side.
The Blues won 6-0 in October 1978 but this was the exception rather than the rule as by this time the fixture was seeing far fewer goals, including three goalless draws out of six encounters in the late 70s/ early 80s.
The Nailers prevailed in successive Derbyshire Senior Cup ties in 1982 but Long Eaton had the better of the NCEL fixtures played in the 1980s.
More recently, the last three matches have all been in the DSC and won by Belper (one on penalties) and today represents a first league meeting since January 1989.

Overall record for Belper:
P 69 W 28 D 19 L 22 F 106 A 88
(53 x League, 10 x Derbyshire Senior Cup, 6 x League Cup)

Form Guide (all competitive matches)
Long Eaton United: WLDDWW
Belper Town: WWDDWL

Team News
Full team news will be announced at 2:15pm.

Permutations
With Carlton Town opening up some daylight at the top, the Nailers must concentrate on holding on to 2nd place for the time being.
This will happen with a point or more. If defeated, Anstey Nomads (who play tomorrow) still need to win and overturn a five goal deficit to overtake us.
Basford are also three points back but ten goals adrift.
Long Eaton could climb as high as 5th with a win but could drop to 13th if defeated.

Match details
Long Eaton United vs. Belper Town
Pitching In Northern Premier League Midlands Division

Friday, 26th December 2025 - 3:00pm kick off

Grange Park
Station Road
Long Eaton
Derbyshire
NG10 2EF

Admission prices: Adults £11, Concessions £8, U16 £4

Follow the match
Full coverage of the match:

• Audio commentary with Tom on Radio Belper Town
• Full text coverage on X and Facebook.
• Match reports on the website (all matches) and in the Non-League Paper (Saturday matches only)

NPL Midlands fixtures
Boxing Day
(16th) Coventry Sphinx vs. Rugby Borough (12th)
(18th) St. Neots Town vs. Bedworth United (22nd)
(13th) AFC Rushden & Diamonds vs. Wellingborough Town (9th)
(4th) Basford United vs. Carlton Town (1st)
(20th) Boldmere St. Michaels vs. Sutton Coldfield Town (17th)
(19th) Bourne Town vs. Corby Town (8th)
(5th) Lichfield City vs. Coleshill Town (6th)
(10th) Long Eaton United vs. Belper Town (2nd)
(21st) Loughborough Students vs. Shepshed Dynamo (14th)
(15th) Rugby Town vs. Mickleover FC (11th)
Saturday
(7th) Racing Club Warwick vs. Anstey Nomads (3rd)