2025-26 Opponent Preview
Matt Jones looks at our opponents for the 2025-26 season in the GCE Hire Fleet United Counties Premier South.
Atherstone Town:
Sheepy Road, Atherstone, Warwickshire, CV9 3AD
Distance from Nuneaton - 6 miles
Nickname: The Adders
History:
This team needs no introduction to Nuneaton fans, as teams from Atherstone and Nuneaton have locked horns several times over the years.
Like Nuneaton Town, Atherstone Town have also been through various reformations. The original Atherstone Town was formed in 1887 milling around various midlands regional leagues before folding in 1979. Atherstone United immediately took their place, and had their heyday in the 1990s, as they reached the Southern Premier Division, and reached the FA Cup 2nd Round in 1990-91, losing to Crewe Alexandra.
They folded again midway through the 2003-04 season becoming Atherstone Town once again, and earned 2 promotions in 3 seasons to reach the Southern League Division 1 Midlands, where they faced the reformed Nuneaton Town in 2008-09. Leamington won the division, but Nuneaton and Atherstone would both reach the play offs. Chasetown beat Atherstone 5-0 but lost to Nuneaton Town in the final 1-0.
They had been in the Midland League for 10 years but will switch to the United Counties for the first time this season.
Previous meetings:
Monday 13th April 2009 (Southern League Division 1 Midlands)
Atherstone Town 0-2 Nuneaton Town
(Gareth Dean, David Blenkinsopp)
Tuesday 31st March 2009 (Southern League Division 1 Midlands)
Nuneaton Town 2-2 Atherstone Town
(Gez Murphy, David Blenkinsopp)
Last Season: Midland Football League Premier (3rd) - Lost in playoff semi-final.
Aylestone Park:
Saffron Lane, Wigston, Leicester, LE2 6TG
Distance: 19 miles
Nickname: The Park, AP
Founded as Aylestone Park Youth in 1968, they joined the Leicestershire Senior League as Aylestone Park Old Boys in 1980. They became Aylestone Park in 2007, and won promotion to the East Midlands Counties League in 2012. They won the Leicestershire and Rutland Senior Cup the following season, and the league cup in 2016-17. They transferred to the United Counties in 2018 and were promoted to the Premier Division South in 2023. They will be one of the favourites in the division having been second to St Ives Town most of last season but lost in the play offs.
Previous meetings:
None
Last season:
United Counties League Premier South (2nd) - Lost in playoff semi-final
Bugbrooke Saint Michael's:
Birds Close, Gayton Road, Bugbrooke, Northamptonshire, NN7 3PH
Distance: 34 miles
Nickname: The Badgers
The club were formed in 1929, and named after the local church. They joined the Central Northants Combination in 1952. They won the league without losing in 1968-69. They have been in the United Counties League since 1987, being promoted and relegated between it's Premier Division and Division 1, making them one of the league's longest members.
Previous meetings:
None
Last Season:
United Counties League Premier South (16th)
Coventry United:
Butts Park Arena, Butts Road, Spon End, Coventry, CV1 3GE
Distance: 10 miles
Nickname: United, Red and Greens
Established in 2013 as a protest to Coventry City having to play in Northampton, having taken over Coventry Spartans, United have gone from strength to strength in that time. Earning 3 straight promotions in their first 3 seasons to reach Step 5, they played at several grounds in that time including the Alan Higgs Centre, and Sphinx Drive, and moved to the Butts Park Arena, home of Coventry Rugby Club, in 2017.
United have settled into life in Step 5 and were, until Sphinx were promoted to Step 4, Coventry's top non league team. Current Nuneaton Town joint managers Darren Acton and Russell Dodd were briefly managers of Coventry United from November 2021 until the end of the year.
Previous meetings: None
Last Season: United Counties League Premier South (7th)
Daventry Town:
Master Abrasives Stadium, Browns Road, Daventry, Northamptonshire, NN11 4NS
Distance: 27 miles
Nickname: Purple Army, Town
Daventry Town were formed in 1886 as a local club but only played in local leagues until 1987 when they switched to the Northants Combination, and earned promotion to the United Counties Division 1 in 1990. They left their former ground The Hollow in the same year and moved to their current home. Their ground was devastated by fire in the 2005-06 season after it became victim to an arson attack, but after a takeover they survived, and reached the Southern League Division 1 Central in 2010, losing only in the play off final in the 2010-11 season.
In 2013-14 they reached the FA Cup first round for the first ever time, losing away at Chesterfield. Despite this they suffered financial troubles in 2016 and took voluntary relegation to Step 6. They won 2 promotions to reach the Northern Premier League Division 1 Midlands, but were relegated at the end of the 2022-23 season. This will be their third season at this level.
Previous meetings:
Tuesday 5th November 2019 (Southern League Cup)
Daventry Town 1-3 Nuneaton Borough
(Callum Powell x3)
Saturday 15th October 2011 (FA Cup 3QR)
Daventry Town 1-2 Nuneaton Town
(Eddy Nisevic, Danny Glover)
Last season: United Counties League Premier South (8th)
Easington Sports:
Addison Road, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX16 9DH
Distance: 46 miles
Nickname: The Clan
The club were established in 1946 and joined the Oxfordshire Senior League in the late 50s, and moved to the Hellenic League in 1971. They were transferred to the UCLP South in 2021.
Originally Easington played on farmland before raising money to build their Addison Road ground. They added a 50 seat stand in 2016 and floodlights in 2017, making them eligible for the FA Vase. They are currently at their highest level in their history having won the Hellenic League Division 1 West in 2018-19.
Previous meetings: None
Last season: United Counties League Premier South (14th)
Eynesbury Rovers:
Alfred Hall Memorial Ground, Hall Road, Eynesbury, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 2SF
Distance: 67 miles
Nickname: Rovers
One of the five longer trips for Nuneaton Town this season, Eynesbury Rovers are expected to be tough opponents, having lost in the play offs last season.
They were formed in 1897, and they have won the Huntingdonshire Senior Cup 16 times. Their current ground has been their home since the early 1930s, and the record attendance of 5000 was set in a friendly against Fulham in 1955, when Stanley Matthews featured for the Eynesbury side.
They are current holders of the United Counties League Cup, having beaten Lincoln United 2-0 in the final last season. They have been at Step 5 since 2013, having been transferred between the Spartan South Midlands League and United Counties League.
Previous meetings: None
Last season: United Counties League Premier South (5th) - Lost in playoff semi-final
Godmanchester Rovers:
Bearscroft Farm, Godmanchester, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 2LQ
Distance: 69 miles
Nickname: Goddy
Another of the 5 longer trips for Nuneaton this season is Godmanchester Rovers.
Due to Hinckley Leicester Road FC being liquidated post season, Rugby Town earned a reprieve from Step 4 relegation, and caused a gap in the UCL South which has been filled by Rovers after they were initially relegated from the division last season finishing bottom of the 19 teams who completed it.
Goddy were formed in 1911 and played in the Huntingdonshire League for the majority of their early years before joining the Cambridgeshire League. The club moved from their London Road ground to their current one in 2002, and were accepted to the Eastern Counties League, winning Division 1 10 years later. They have remained at Step 5 ever since, being transferred to the United Counties Premier South in 2021. They have won the Huntingdonshire Senior Cup and the Hinchingbrooke Cup twice each.
Previous meetings: None
Last Season: United Counties League Premier South (19th - reprieved)
Guru Nanak Gurdwara (GNG) Oadby Town:
Riverside, 51 Braunstone Lane East, Braunstone, Leicester, LE3 2FD
Distance: 17 miles
Nickname: The Poachers
The club now known as GNG Oadby Town was formed in 1937 as Oadby Imperial, before merging with a junior team to become Oadby United in 1943. Reverting back to Oadby Imperial in 1949, and then to Oadby Town in 1951, they won promotion to the top division of the Leicestershire Senior League.
They reached the FA Vase semi finals in 2002-03 which is their best run to date, along as winning many local cups during their history. They had financial difficulties in 2018 and were saved by former players of GNG FC and Oadby residents, and moved from their Wigston Road ground across Leicester to the Riverside ground which they have played at since. They changed their name to GNG Oadby Town to reflect this in 2020.
They have been in Step 5 since 2013 when they won the United Counties League Division 1, and although they finished in the relegation places last season, they were given a reprieve to remain in Step 5 this season.
Previous meeting:
Saturday 30th September 2006 (FA Cup 2QR)
Oadby Town 0-6 Nuneaton Borough
(Duane Darby, Gary McPhee x3, Derek Brown, Neil Moore)
Last season: United Counties League Premier South (18th - reprieved)
Hinckley:
Kirkby Road (Barwell FC), Barwell, Leicestershire, LE9 8FQ
Distance: 9 miles
Nickname: The Reds
Hinckley and Nuneaton get to lock horns in the A47 derby once again this season. In October 2013 Hinckley United dissolved, and Leicester Road were formed by the owners, and Hinckley AFC were formed by the fans.
Hinckley initially bid to buy their former ground, but due to legal issues were unsuccessful, and instead Leicester Road FC made it their home. Hinckley AFC have since been, like Nuneaton Town since 2024, homeless. They initially shared with Heather St John's for 4 seasons, then Ibstock United for 2, but moved to Barwell's Kirkby Road ground in 2020, and have agreed with Barwell to remain there up until the end of the 2031-32 season.
Another similarity they have with NTFC is they won the Midland League Division 1 the season before last. It will be interesting to see how the two fan run rival clubs will compete in the same division.
Previous meetings:
Wednesday 26th July 2017 (Pre-Season Friendly)
Hinckley 2-4 Nuneaton Town
(Luke Trotman, Alex Henshall, trialist, Ashley Chambers)
Sunday 1st January 2012 (Blue Square North)
Nuneaton Town 2-5 Hinckley United
(Gareth Dean, Adam Walker)
Last season: United Counties League Premier South (9th)
Histon:
Bridge Road Stadium, Bridge Road, Impington, Cambridge, CB24 9PH
Distance: 85 miles
Nickname: The Stutes
'Who put the ball in the Histon net?' is the first question every Nuneaton fan asks when the name Histon is mentioned. Terry Angus' late winner in the FA Cup 2nd Round sent fans into raptures knowing Premier League side Middlebrough awaited the winners of the cold December Tuesday night replay in Cambridgeshire.
Histon FC were established in 1904 as Histon Institute, named after the club that opened the previous year, hence the nickname The Stutes. They dropped the Institute part in 1952, but it was the early 2000s where Histon gained their fame. They reached the Southern Premier League in 2004, and reached the FA Cup 1st Round for the first time, losing to Woking. They then earned promotion to the Conference South in 2005, and went one better in the FA Cup, losing in the 2nd round to Yeovil Town after beating Shrewsbury Town in the 1st Round.
The 2005-06 season saw them lose to St Albans City in the play off final of the Conference South, and beat Hednesford Town in the FA Cup first round before losing to Nuneaton Borough in the 2nd.
2006-07 saw them win the Conference South earning promotion to the Conference National, and in 2007-08 they finally reached the FA Cup 3rd Round, famously beating then League One Leeds United in the 2nd on ITV, before losing to Swansea City in the 3rd Round. That boosted them to 3rd in the table, their highest ever league finish, and they lost in the play offs to Torquay United.
Since that golden decade they have had 4 relegations to drop back to Step 5, where those FA Cup memories will play again.
Previous meetings:
Saturday 24th March 2012 (Blue Square North)
Histon 1-1 Nuneaton Town
(Andy Brown)
Tuesday 20th September 2011 (Blue Square North)
Nuneaton Town 3-2 Histon
(Lee Smith (p), Danny Pugh, Danny Glover)
Last season: United Counties League Premier South (12th)
Leicester Nirvana:
Hamilton Park, Sandhills Avenue, Hamilton, Leicester, LE5 1LU
Nickname: Nirvana
Distance: 23 miles
Leicester Nirvana were formed in 2008 as a merger between Thurnby Rangers and Leicester Nirvana, initially becoming Thurnby Nirvana before taking the Leicester name back in 2015.
Thurnby Rangers initially started out as a Sunday League side in the 80s, playing at Dakyn Road, before switching to Saturday football in 1993, playing mainly in the Leicestershire Senior League.
FC Nirvana were formed in the mid 80s, playing at Victoria Park, becoming Leicester Nirvana in 1989. After playing in the Central Midlands League for a few seasons they resigned and became a youth team in 1992.
Since the merger, they have earned two promotions to be at Step 5 and have been league runners up twice in 2013-14 and 2015-16.
They play at the upgraded FC Nirvanas ground now named Hamilton Park.
Previous meetings - None
Last season - United Counties League Premier South (10th)
Lutterworth Town:
Dunley Way, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, LE17 4NP
Nickname: The Swifts
Distance: 15 miles
Town are the older of the two Lutterworth clubs having been formed in the 1920s, they have played in the Leicestershire Senior League for most of their history having yo-yo'd between its divisions. They won the Premier Division in 2016-17 in a second successive promotion, to reach the United Counties League for the first time. They then won Division One in 2018-19 to reach Step 5 where they have been since.
Their ground is an interesting story. They initially played at Hall Park before being displaced by Lutterworth Athletic who now play there in 2011. They moved into Athletic's council owned former ground in 2012. Paul Gascoigne opened their 50 seater stand in 2017.
Previous meetings: None
Last season: United Counties League Premier South (15th)
March Town United:
GER Sports Ground, Robingoodfellows Lane, March, Cambridgeshire, PE15 8HS
Nickname: The Hares
Distance: 87 miles
The club were established as March Town in 1885, playing in the Peterborough & District League and Cambridgeshire League in the early 20th century. In 1948 March Town were promoted to the United Counties League. And having moved to March GER United's ground in 1950 they were renamed March Town United.
The Hares have reached the FA Cup 1st Round twice, in 1955-56 they lost to Brentford, and in 1978-79 to Swindon Town. They also reached the FA Vase 4th round last season as they eventually lost in the play offs to Rugby Borough.
Previous meetings: None
Last season: United Counties League Premier South (4th - lost in the play offs)
Moulton:
Brunting Road, Moulton, Northampton, NN3 9QF
Nickname: The Magpies
Distance: 41 miles
Moulton were formed all the way back in 1896, but most of their history has been spent playing local football in the Northamptonshire Combination. They have invested in their facilities in the last 6-7 years to add a 3G pitch, and community facilities, and they reached the Spartan South Midlands Division 1 for the 2022-23 season. They beat Step 6s 2nd highest scorers Desborough Town in a surprise play off final result last season, and will play at Step 5 for the first ever time next season.
Previous meetings - None
Last season: Spartan South Midlands League Division 1 (3rd - promoted via play offs)
Newport Pagnell Town:
The Pavilion, Willen Road, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, MK16 0DF
Distance: 52 miles
Nickname: The Swans
The United Counties League Premier South's most southerly team are closer to London than they are to most of their opponents, but due to their proximity to the M1 are easier to get to from the north.
The club were established as Newport Pagnell Wanderers in 1963 and after several promotions reached the South Midlands League in 1971 and were renamed Newport Pagnell Town. They were promoted to the United Counties League just 2 years later.
After progressing to the Premier Division over several years they won back to back county cups in 2009-10 and 2010-11. A short 2 season stint in the Spartan South Midlands League interrupted their United Counties League membership during the shortened Covid seasons.
The Swans had their best day in 2022, winning the FA Vase at Wembley with a 3-0 victory over Littlehampton Town. They nearly retained it the following season but lost 1-0 in the final to Ascot United.
The club missed out on last season's play offs on goal difference.
They have played at the Willen Sports Ground since 1972, and have a pitch named after former England lioness Leah Williamson, who is from the town.
Previous meetings: None
Last season: United Counties League Premier South (6th)
Northampton Old Northamptonians Chenecks:
Old Northamptonians Sports Ground, Ardington Road, Northampton, NN1 5LS
Nickname: The Chens
Established in 1946, the football team is a branch of the Old Northamptonians Association created in 1919 in memorial to 94 old Northampton Grammar School staff and students who lost their lives in World War One. The football club was created with the name Chenecks, which is a combination of the 4 house names, Chipseys, Spencer, Beckett and St Crispins.
They became a senior side in 1950. They officially fell under the Old Northamptonians bracket in 1960 and moved to the Billing Road Sports Ground. They joined the United Counties League in 1969 and have been there ever since.
After installing floodlights in 2014, to enable them to participate in FA competitions, they had their best FA Vase run last season, reaching the Third Round.
Previous meetings: None
Last season: United Counties League Premier South (11th)
Northampton Sileby Rangers:
Fernie Field, Talavera Way, Northampton, NN3 6FR
Nickname: Rangers
Distance: 39 miles
Sileby Rangers were formed in 1968 after the Sileby Engineering Works, named after Sileby in Leicester. They initially played in Sunday leagues, but after winning the Northampton Town League, they were promoted to the United Counties League in 1993. They won division one 3 times several times but couldn't be promoted due to a lack of floodlights. They became Northampton Sileby Rangers in 2000 to link themselves to the town further.
They finally reached Step 5 with a 4th win in 2012-13, beating AFC Rushden & Diamonds to the title, and have solidified at Step 5 since.
Previous meetings: None
Last season: United Counties League Premier South (13th)
Yaxley:
APG Park, Leading Drive, Yaxley, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE7 3NA
Nickname: The Cuckoos
Distance: 69 miles
Yaxley were formed in 1962 and became Yaxley British Legion a year later. Playing in the Peterborough and District League, they were promoted to Division 1 in 1971 and dropped British Legion from their name.
They were founder members of the Eastern Counties League Division 1 in 1988, and briefly changed name to Clarksteel Yaxley in 1990. Due to ground issues they were expelled from the ECL in 1992. Having moved to a new ground that was up to standard they were promoted back to the UCL in 1995, and reached the Premier Division after 2 seasons.
Yaxley won the UCL Premier in 2018, and were promoted to Step 4 for the first time, playing in the Southern League Division 1 Central, transferring to the Northern Premier League Division 1 Midlands in 2021. During 2022-23 Sammy Mould at the age of 20 became the youngest ever manager in English football, but he couldn't prevent relegation, and Yaxley went back to the United Counties Premier for 2023-24 where they remain.
Previous meetings: None
Last season: United Counties League Premier South (17th)
