RUGBY TOWN: Fixture swap means three home games now to end the year

Rugby Town’s narrow defeat at Deeping last Saturday meant they slipped to seventh in the United Counties League Premier Division.

Holbeach and Leicester Nirvana joined Saturday’s hosts in securing a weekend victory to push Town down three places in the table which is still headed by Shepshed.

Next up for Valley is the visit of Anstey Nomads to Butlin Road in the first of what will now be three successive home games for Carl Adams’s men.

Rugby’s plans have been altered following the switch of their scheduled game at Oadby a week Saturday (21st).

Town Director Neil Melvin explained: “It appears that Oadby have ground grading issues which mean they are unable to host games there at the moment, so we were offered the choice of swapping the home and away fixtures or postponing the match and making a midweek trip later in the season instead.”

He continued: “We appear to be in great form at Butlin Road at the moment following the thrashings of Sleaford and Desborough, so hopefully this run of games will be a fruitful one for us.”

Following on from the pre-Christmas visits of Anstey and Oadby, Valley then play host to Lutterworth in the Boxing Day derby before starting the new calendar year with a trip to Desborough, whilst the reverse Oadby game should now take place on February 22.

However, Rugby will have to play the three home matches without last season’s stand-out performer Charlie Evans, after the versatile operator was shown a straight red card at Deeping.

Evans had been an ever present for Town in the league, but now receives a three-match ban for his dismissal, and as a result of this and the recent departures of Fazel Koriya and Jazz Luckie, Adams is looking to add to his squad ahead of the weekend.

Meanwhile the Valley boss has confirmed the registration of Town academy prospect Meluleki Mpande for UCL matches, and the left-sided player joins fellow scholars Caine Elliott and Lewis Padmore in the first team pool.

This Saturday’s opponents currently sit in 14th place - having been promoted from the division below at the end of last season.

Town will be looking to complete the double over the Leicester-based club, after their 5-1 success there in Valley’s first away game of the campaign.