The Opposition - Key Facts
Full name: Rugby Town Football Club
Nickname: The Valley
Founded: 1956
Ground: Butlin Road
Capacity: 5,000
Chairman: Brian Melvin
Manager: Grant Joshua (since May 2025)
Last season: 19th/21 (NPL Midlands - reprieved)
Journey distance: 56 miles

The Opposition - History
Rugby Town FC began in 1956 as New Bilton Juniors, soon renamed Valley Sports and progressing through local leagues before becoming VS Rugby in 1969. After several ground moves, they settled at Butlin Road in 1973. Under manager Jimmy Knox from 1981, the club enjoyed its greatest success, winning the 1983 FA Vase, claiming league and cup honours, and reaching the FA Cup second round in 1987/88. A highlight came in 1991 with a 1–0 win over Manchester United in a testimonial.

After Knox’s departure, financial struggles saw the club enter receivership in 1992, but supporters rescued it and promotion soon followed. Name changes to Rugby United (2000) and Rugby Town (2005) proved contentious. In the 2010s, Dave Stringer twice led the team close to promotion via play-offs, before a period of managerial changes and eventual relegation to the Midland Football League in 2017.

Stringer briefly returned, then Carl Adams took over in 2018. The club’s best FA Vase run since 1983 came in 2021–22, and in 2022–23 Rugby secured promotion back into the Northern Premier League system.

The Opposition - This Season
The Valley started the season with defeats in the FA Cup and NPL but won their opening away match in the league at Wellingborough Town.
A run of four without a win followed but a draw at the Raygar Stadium kickstarted a five match unbeaten streak, the penultimate match of which was the 3-2 FA Trophy win over Belper where we had been two ahead at half time.
After back to back defeats they went seven without tasting defeat but since this run ended in early November they have won only once in nine matches.

League (17th/22): P 25 W 8 D 4 L 13 F 31 A 38 Pts. 28
Cups: P 4 W 2 D 1 L 1 F 10 A 7 (Exited FA Cup at Extra Preliminary round and FA Trophy at Third Qualifying Round)

Top goalscorers (NPL only): Caine Elliott & Rivel Mardenborough (6)
Biggest victory: Three goal victories on three occasions
Heaviest defeat: 0-3 vs. Mickleover (26th December)
Highest home attendance: 1,169 vs. Rugby Borough (29th November)
Average home attendance: 399 (4th/22)
Most consecutive wins: 4
Most games without a win: 5
Most consecutive defeats: 3
Most games without a defeat: 6

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 against Coventry Sphinx, St. Neots Town took the points away from the Raygar Stadium the following Saturday.
After successive defeats to St. Neots Town and Long Eaton United, the ship was steadied with a New Year's Day draw at home to Basford United.
Three players can still lay claim to have appeared in every match so far.
Goals wise, Kevin Bastos leads the way with nine while Jacob Gratton and Liam Moran are three 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 four players have one goal each.

Head to Head
The sides have met on seven previous occasions, the first five all within an 18 month period when both sides were in the NPL South.
The first match was a goalless draw before Rugby won a League Cup encounter by the odd goal in seven.
They also secured a win in the next encounter at Belper but the Nailers then secured three points in each of the following two meetings without conceding a goal.
The league meeting earlier this season finished 1-1 at the Raygar Stadium, with an Elliot penalty cancelling out Louis Keenan's opener.
A few weeks later the sides crossed paths again, this time in the FA Trophy at Butlin Road. Belper led 2-0 at half time but an inspired second half from Rugby saw them progress to the next round.

Overall record for Belper: P 7 W 2 D 2 L 3 F 10 A 10.
(5 x NPL, 1 x FA Trophy, 1 x League Cup)

Form Guide (all competitive matches)
Rugby Town: LLWLLL
Belper Town: DDWLLD

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

Permutations
The Nailers are ten points behind Carlton so cannot go top but they will hold on to 2nd place with a win. A draw will be enough providing Basford don't win and overturn a seven goal deficit.
Defeat combined with a Basford win would mean Belper ending the day below both Nottingham clubs.
Rugby could climb two places to 15th with a win while defeat could see them drop to 19th though this would take a big goal swing.

Match details
Rugby Town vs. Belper Town
Pitching In Northern Premier League Midlands Division

Saturday, 10th January 2026 - 3:00pm kick off

Butlin Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3SD

Admission prices: Adults £10, Concessions £5, U18 £5, U12 £2 - Cash and card accepted

Follow the match
Full coverage of the match:

Audio commentary with Chris 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
Game of the day is probably at Carlton where 5th place Racing Club Warwick are the visitors and currently 3rd in the form guide.
Basford and Carlton are the only teams in the top nine who are playing at home.

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