Saturday 25th July 2026 ko 18:00

United Counties League Premier South

ATHERSTONE TOWN 7 (Harkin 7 Edwards 31 Collins 51 Steele 79p Smith 82 Wood 89 Newey 90+1)

HIGHGATE UNITED 0

Att 558

Entry £9

Programme £3

If you’d have approached this year’s UCL hop on the basis that you knew nothing of any of the 6 grounds, they my advice would have been that Atherstone’s Sheepy Road, was by far the best of the bunch, and I don’t think that’s a controversial view.

The stadium dates from 1900 with the Main stand being constructed just before World War II and the cover opposite from 1954, and we haven’t even thought about that wonderful terracing. If you didn’t know about that history of football in the town then you’d say that ground deserves Southern League football- when Sheepy Road, has done so three times!

The original Atherstone Town were formed in 1887 but went bankrupt in 1979 after after playing Southern League football from 1973. They were replaced by Atherstone United who reached the Southern League in 1987 and played in the league until their demise in 2004

This interation of Atherstone Town started in 2004 in the old Midland Combination, making it through to the Southern League for three seasons but since relegation in 2011 back to the Midland Alliance (now the Midland League Premier) there were dicey times for a while before they climbed back to Step 5 two seasons ago. Here’s my photos from Atherstone vs Nuneaton Town in October 2008

Certainly what we saw here was a Southern League club in waiting; the club coped admirably with a huge crowd, and I’d love to know whether the Chinese Chicken on sale is a regular occurence. If it is they might just have a regular customer!

Sadly the same couldn’t be said for Highgate. They received their second reprieve from relegation in two seasons to play in this division this season and judging by the mauling they took here they will struggle once again this season. But in all honesty the evening belonged to Atherstone Town, both on and off the pitch. Obviously some revisits are better than others….