We all know enough about our own club, but a lot of the time at this level the opponents are something of an unknown quantity. With grounds nobody has heard of, and players whose name’s you can’t prenounce, non-league football can sometimes mirror European football of years gone by (O.K. maybe with a little less of the glitz and glamour).
This section does not claim to give you an in depth analysis on all twenty-one clubs currently occupying Blue Square North, but hopes to provide just a little insight on the teams that The Boro will do battle with over the course of the season.
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AFC Telford
Nickname: The Bucks
Home Ground (Capacity): The New Bucks Head (6400)
Manager: Rob Smith
Home Colours: White
Last season’s finish: 3rd Northern Premier League
Recent form against Boro: Telford have never faced Nuneaton under their reformed AFC band. However, the previous side (United) visited Manor Park many times during the club’s stay in the Conference National.
Alfreton Town
Nickname: AlfReds
Home Ground (Capacity): The Impact Arena (5000)
Manager: Nicky Law
Home Colours: Red
Last season’s finish: 14th Conference North
Recent form against Boro: Boro have had mixed success against Alfreton in the past few Conference North seasons. Trips to the Impact Arena have always been toughly contested, with Nuneaton losing two and winning two of the encounters.
Barrow
Nickname: The Bluebirds
Home Ground (Capacity): Holker Street (4500)
Manager: David Bayliss and Darren Sheridan
Home Colours: White
Last season’s finish: 16th Conference North
Recent form against Boro: Barrow have always been a difficult side to play, but Nuneaton have enjoyed a relatively good record against their Cumbrian rivals. Most notabley Stuart Whittaker’s hat-trick complete with Marco van Basten-esque goal at Holker Park a couple of years ago. In Boro’s last season in the Conference, they were dumped out of the FA Cup by Barrow, blowing a half time lead to lose the match 4-3.
Blyth Spartans
Nickname: Spartans
Home Ground (Capacity): Croft Park (4400)
Manager: Harry Dunn
Home Colours: Green
Last season’s finish: 7th Conference North
Recent form against Boro: The two sides hadn’t played each other for a long period before the two reaquainted themselves last season. Boro could only manage a 1-1 draw at Manor Park last year, and a defeat just before this Christmas this season mean that they are not the happiest of opponents for Nuneaton.
Boston United
Nickname: The Pilgrims
Home Ground (Capacity): York Street (6643)
Manager: Tommy Taylor
Home Colours: Orange
Last season’s finish: 23rd League Two
Recent form against Boro: The two clubs last played eachother in the Conference National over five years ago. Since then the two sides had gone in very different directions, with Boston plying their trade in the Football League before beign demoted for financial problems last year. This season two late Boston equalisers have led to two draws between the two.
Burscough
Nickname: The Linnets
Home Ground (Capacity): Victoria Park (2500)
Manager: Liam Watson
Home Colours: Green
Last season’s finish: 1st Northern Premier League
Recent form against Boro: These two clubs had never faced eachother until this season, and were only the second side to come away with all three points at Liberty Way. The 3-2 victory was followed up by a win in the their home fixture too.
Gainsborough Trinity
Nickname: Trinity, The Holy Blues
Home Ground (Capacity): Northolme (4000)
Manager: Steve Charles
Home Colours: Blue
Last season’s finish: 12th Conference North
Recent form against Boro: Boro have always done quite well when playing Gainsbrough since the formation of the Conference North. Points are often there to be picked up at Northolme. A comeback courtesy of a Brian Quailey goal is one particular highlight of playing the side from Lincolnshire.
Harrogate Town
Nickname: The Railwaymen
Home Ground (Capacity): Wetherby Road (3800)
Manager: Neil Aspin
Home Colours: Yellow
Last season’s finish: 6th Conference North
Recent form against Boro: Harrogate have been something of a bogey team for Nuneaton over recent seasons. The first competitive winners at the new Liberty Way ground have also beaten the Boro at Wetherby Road on a couple of occasions. However victory there this season was a welcome boost for our boys’ record.
Hinckley United
Nickname: The Knitters
Home Ground (Capacity): The Marstons Stadium (4329)
Manager: Dean Thomas
Home Colours: Red and blue stripes
Last season’s finish: 4th Conference North
Recent form against Boro: The local rivals that live just down the road have normally produced good results for Nuneaton. The sides have played regularly for the last six years since the Boro’s relegation from the Conference, and there have been some classic matches. Steve Farmer’s headed winner that completed a 3-2 comeback will always live long in the memory, as will the 4-0 demolition at Christmas this season.
Hucknall Town
Nickname: The Yellows
Home Ground (Capacity): Watnall Road (5000)
Manager: Brian Holmes
Home Colours: Yellow
Last season’s finish: 13th Conference North
Recent form against Boro: Boro regularly perform well against their Nottinghamshire rivals, having enjoyed a few good victories at Watnall Road as well as at home. Michael Frew and Gavin Cowan are just two of the names to have produced when facing The Yellows in recent years. The trip to Lord Byron country is the last away fixture of the season this year, and is sure to be a big one.
Hyde United
Nickname: The Tigers
Home Ground (Capacity): Ewen Fields (4130)
Manager: Steve Waywell
Home Colours: Red
Last season’ finish: 8th Conference North
Recent form against Boro: Hyde have only been in this division for a couple of years, and are very much homers. Away they have not fared well against Nuneaton, but at home they have twice put one over us in recent times.
Kettering Town
Nickname: The Poppies
Home Ground (Capacity): A-Line Arena (6100)
Manager: Mark Cooper
Home Colours: Red
Last season’s finish: 2nd Conference North
Recent form against Boro: These two have become fierce rivals over the last few years, with results on and off the pitch. An Easter weekend brawl in Nuneaton has definitely built tension between the two sides, and the encounters are normally fiesty. Both teams have similar records in the fixture though, with each side boasting impressive victories against the other at some point over the last few years.
Leigh RMI
Nickname: The Railwaymen
Home Ground (Capacity): Hilton Park (7500)
Manager: Steve Bleasdale
Home Colours: Red
Last season’ s finish: 17th Conference North
Recent form against Boro: Former Conference side Leigh RMI have struggled since moving down to the Conference North, and have never done well when travelling down to Nuneaton either. Hilton Park has seen them beat the Boro recently though, with a 1-0 win a few seasons ago. Two Boro wins have been good for morale this year too.
Redditch United
Nickname: United
Home Ground (Capacity): The Valley Stadium (5000)
Manager: Gary Whild
Home Colours: Red
Last season’s finish: 19th Conference North
Recent form against Boro: At home Nuneaton normally dispatch Redditch without much problem over the past few years, with an exception the 0-0 draw at MP last year. At The Valley, there have been mixed successes though, a 0-0 draw this season and a 3-0 defeat the match before the FA Cup game against Middlesbrough blots on Boro’s copybook.
Solihull Moors
Nickname: The Moors
Home Ground (Capacity): Damson Parkway (3040)
Manager: Bob Faulkner
Home Colours: White
Last season’s finish: 11th Conference North (as Moor Green)
Recent form against Boro: This is the first season that Solihull Moors have been formed. An amalgamation between Solihull Borough and Moor Green. The two games this season have gone the way of the home side, Moors winning 3-1 at home in September, and Boro serving up a 2-1 success later in the campaign.
Southport
Nickname: The Sandgrounders
Home Ground (Capacity): Haig Avenue (6000)
Manager: Peter Davenport
Home Colours: Yellow
Last season’s finish: 23rd Conference National
Recent form against Boro: Southport beat Nuneaton to the Conference North title in the first year of the competition, after Boro’s ten wins in a row left them in second place. But after The Sandgrounder’s relegation last year the two locked horns again this year. A 2-2 draw at Haig Avenue was a good result for Nuneaton earlier this season.
Stalybridge Celtic
Nickname: Celtic
Home Ground (Capacity): Bower Fold (6108)
Manager: Steve Burr
Home Colours: Blue
Last season’s finish: 18th Conference North
Recent form against Boro: Former Nuneaton manager Steve Burr has enjoyed getting a good amount of cash to spend during his time at Celtic, but hasn’t always enjoyed success against his old club. Boro completeed a double against them this season, and were the first side to be beaten at Liberty Way.
Tamworth
Nickname: The Lambs
Home Ground (Capacity): The Lamb (4065)
Manager: Gary Mills
Home Colours: Red
Last season’s finish: 22nd Conference National
Recent form against Boro: These two rivals had not played since the heavy defeat at the Lamb for Nuneaton while in their Conference days, Marc McGregor being forced into goal that day. A 2-1 win there this season was sweet revenge, and the two face eachother on the final day of the season at Liberty Way. Expect fireworks.
Vauxhall Motors
Nickname: The Motormen
Home Ground (Capacity): Rivacre Park (2500)
Manager: Carl Macauley
Home Colours: White
Last season’s finish: 15th Conference North
Recent form against Boro: Vauxhall Motors have always been a side battling to survive relegation since their promotion to the Conference North a few years ago. Most famous for their game against QPR in the FA Cup a number of season’s ago, Vauxhall have normally found themselves losing to Nuneaton.
Worcester City
Nickname: The Blues
Home Ground (Capacity): St. George’s Lane (4004)
Manager: Richard Dryden
Home Colours: Blue and white stripes
Last season’s finish: 9th Conference North
Recent form against Boro: Boro have had mixed fortunes when facing Worcester in the last five years or so. The two always produce keenly contested games, and the 3-3 draw there last season was one of the most entertaining. One to forget must surely be the 4-0 drubbing while under Alan Lewer’s reign in charge, but revenge was firmly dealt with two victories at St. George’s Lane this season. The floodlight failure fiasco this season may have sullied the waters between the two this year, and it is yet to see whether that will cost Nuneaton big time.
Workington
Nickname: The Reds
Home Ground (Capacity): Borough Park (2500)
Manager: Darren Edmondson
Home Colours: Red
Last season’s finish: 3rd Conference North
Recent form against Boro: Workington is always a tough trip to make, and Boro have certainly felt that over the past two seasons. Points away have always been hard to come of, and a defeat there this season was only avenged by a highly polished Boro performance in January this year.
