Match Preview: Belper Town (H), Sat 17th Oct, 3pm

Date: Saturday 17th October 2026
Time: 3pm
Competition: Pitching-In Northern Premier League Division 1 Midlands
Opponent: Belper Town FC
Venue: The Oval, Coventry Road, Bedworth, CV12 8NN
Admission Prices: £12 Adults, £10 Concessions, £5 Students 17-19, £2 under 16s, under 5s and NTFC Season Ticket Holders Free

Nuneaton Town return to The Oval on Saturday as they face Belper Town in a first ever competitive meeting between the two sides.

The away side have settled into the season well after a tricky start, and go into the game unbeaten in 5, although 3 have been draws. The most recent of those games was an impressive 5-0 win over St Ives Town to put distance between themselves and the relegation zone. Belper currently sit in 13th in the table with Harry Draper the one to watch with his 4 goals in 7 appearances so far this season.

Nuneaton on the other hand have settled even better after a tough start, and are looking for a seventh straight win, having notched their sixth last Saturday at Rugby Borough, the second win there in two months. The Town will be hoping to have added more goals to their forward line with the signing of Harry Wakefield, who returns to the club after 5 years, and could make his debut on Saturday.

Will it be seventh heaven for Nuneaton or will Belper nail on an extension to their unbeaten run?

About our opponents:

Belper Town, known as the Nailers due to the town’s nail-making industry, were originally formed in 1883 before being wound up in 1912, and then reformed in 1951. After rising through the regional leagues, they reached the Northern Premier League Division 1 in 1997. Two play off heartbreaks in 2008-09 and 2012-13, lead to a success in 2013-14 as they beat Leek Town and Mickleover Sports to reach Step 3 for the first time. After finishing bottom they were relegated the following season, however bounced back in 2021-22, beating Stamford and Chasetown in the play offs to return to the NPL Premier Division. Finishing bottom again the following season, they have reached the play offs in 2024-25 and 2025-26. After losing to Stocksbridge Park Steels in the semi finals in 2024-25, they lost to Racing Club Warwick in the final last season in a dramatic penalty shootout. 

Belper have played at Christchurch Meadow since 1951, having originally played at the Acorn Ground.

Previous meetings:

None

Fun Facts:

Belper’s name is thought to come from beaurepaire, meaning beautiful retreat, which was the name of a hunting lodge in the area. Belper was known for iron forging, particularly nails (hence the Nailers nickname), and then for textiles, becoming one of the first of the Derwent valley mill towns.

Belper was the first place in the UK to get gas lighting in the 1840s due to its industry links.

Timothy Dalton, a former James Bond among many other film acting roles, lived in the town as a youngster.