The Stutes are back on the road this Saturday as we head to North Warwickshire for our first ever match against Atherstone Town.  The town is famous for its ancient Ball Game, a medieval version of football played by a vast crowd of people on the streets of the town every Shrove Tuesday since 1199, when teams competed for a bag of gold. There is no bag of gold on offer on Saturday, but the three points up for grabs will be just as valuable to the winners.

As Atherstone Town FC are somewhat unknown to us, here are a few key facts you may need to know about the club.

  • They were founded way back in 1887 and played in various leagues around the Birmingham area until the 1970 when they reached the Southern League Premier Division, only to fold in 1979.
  • They reformed as Atherstone United and again reached the Southern League Premier Division, only to folded for a second time in 2004.
  • Now reformed as Atherstone Town Community Football Club, they spent the last few seasons in the Midland League Premier Division (Step 5) but the FA moved them sideways into the UCL Premier Division South for 2025/26.

The Adders, as they are known, are finding life a little more difficult in the UCL after finishing last season in the play-off places.  They are currently in a mid-table position, but one man finding the UCL very much to his liking is top scorer Lewis Collins, who has hit 18 goals in 18 appearances so far this season.  In comparison, our own Connor Barnes has 14 goals in 16 appearances.  We therefore have a ‘game within a game’ on Saturday as two of the Division’s top marksmen go head-to-head in a shootout of epic proportions.  With Barnes having scored at least once in each of his last five games, it promises to be a duel that will have us on the edge of our seats all afternoon.

After fighting back from two goals down to beat Yaxley on Tuesday night, Matt and Mark will be looking to make it six wins in a row, which is something our First team have not achieved since the Autumn of 2018.  An added incentive for the Stutes is that a win could theoretically take us up to third place in the table, but with the season yet to reach the halfway stage, everyone at the club is keeping both feet firmly on the ground (other than the website editor).

Atherstone Town play at Sheepy Road, CV9 3AD, but if you can’t get there on Saturday, the Reserves are playing at Bridge Road against Sawston in a Cambridgeshire League Senior Division A fixture, kicking off at 3.00pm.  Then on Sunday, our Ladies entertain the Stevenage Women’s Development side in a top verses second clash in the Eastern Region Ladies League Division One North.  The Stutes Ladies have yet to drop a point this season while Stevenage Development have only dropped two, so this game has a vast amount riding on it.  Your support for the Ladies would be very much appreciated.  Kick-off is at 2.00pm.