Match Preview: Rushall Olympic (H - PSF), Tues 28th July, 7.45PM
Date: Tuesday 28th July 2026
Time: 7:45pm
Opponent: Rushall Olympic
Venue: The Oval, Coventry Road, Bedworth, CV12 8NN
Admission Prices: £10 Adults, £8 Concessions, £5 Students 17-19, £1 Under 17s, Under 5s and NTFC Season Ticket Holders Free
Weather forecast: Sun and light showers, 26°C
Nuneaton Town play their final pre-season friendly as they host Rushall Olympic at The Oval on Tuesday evening.
It is set to be a big test for the home team as Rushall provide Step 3 opposition for the second time this month. Rushall finished 16th in the Northern Premier League Premier Division last season, and due to geographical adjustments, make the switch back to the Southern League Premier Central this season.
One familiar face in the Rushall squad will be Luke Benbow. The striker was a cult figure in his time at Nuneaton Borough and will be a threat to the new look Nuneaton defence should he feature for the Pics on Tuesday.
It is the first meeting between the two sides since the Southern Premier League Central play off final in 2022-23, which Rushall won on penalties after Nuneaton were famously denied one at the end of extra time.
Rushall's pre-season has featured a 2-1 win away at Shifnal Town, a 2-2 draw with Boldmere St Michael's, a 2-1 loss at Sporting Khalsa, a 2-1 home loss to a West Bromwich Albion XI, a 1-1 home draw with a Birmingham City XI, and a 4-0 victory over Dudley Town.
Nuneaton have 5 wins in 7 games so far, including a 2-1 win away at Rushall's league rivals Stratford Town, and Saturday's impressive 6-2 win over Coalville Town. Nuneaton will be looking to make it 6 out of 8 on Tuesday and complete a Step 3 pre-season double.
Previous competitive meetings:
Sat 1 May 2023 - Southern League Premier Central Play-off Final
Nuneaton Borough 0-0 Rushall Olympic
(Rushall won 4-3 on penalties)
Sat 4 Mar 2023 - Southern League Premier Central
Rushall Olympic 3-0 Nuneaton Town
About our opponents:
Rushall Olympic were formed back in 1893, although the club were disbanded during the World Wars. They reformed in 1951, playing at Rowley Place. After rising through the leagues they moved to the Aston University sports ground in 1975, while a lease was secured on the land that is now Dale's Lane, which they moved into in August 1977 and they have spent 49 years at to date.
The Pics have made slow rises through the leagues ever since, reaching Step 4 in 2005, Step 3 in 2011, and (unfortunately for us) Step 2 in 2023. After surviving their first season in the National League North, finishing 19th, they were relegated the following season back to Step 3, where they are about to start a second season. Due to their location, just north of Walsall, they are regularly switched between northern facing and southern facing football leagues, meaning their fans have been to a number of different grounds over the last few years.
They have reached the FA Cup first round once, in 2024-25, losing at home to Accrington Stanley. That season also saw their best FA Trophy run to the 3rd Round.
The 'Pics' nickname is a shortened version of Olympic. Whilst the origin of the Olympic suffix isn't known for certain, it is likely to follow the trend from many other clubs formed in the late 1800; as the Olympic Games made a resurgence, the word Olympic appeared in many clubs' names. Other examples include Radcliffe Olympic, and many French clubs including Olympique de Marseille and Olympic Lyonnais.
