Pre-season is over and now the time has come for Valley to prepare for their fourth consectutive BGB Premier Division season.

	Billy Jeffrey has made some additions to this season's squad such as David Staff (above), Scott Musgrove & Stefan Morley

The league action starts this weekend away to Clevedon Town (August 18th) at the Hand Stadium after what has been a promising pre-season for Rugby - in which they were defeated just once in their eight matches.

After wins against Nuneaton Borough, Luton Town XI, Wellingborough and Ardley in recent weeks - manager Billy Jeffrey will be hoping to take the winning form into the start of the league season.

However, all football fans are aware that pre-season results are rarely an indicator for success or failure as things really start to matter come Saturday.

Billy has retained the majority of his squad from the end of last season with only Ross Harris (Woodford) and Chris Tullin (Atherstone) leaving for pastures new while Billy has been busy over the close season running the rule over trialists in the friendlies and also working hard to sign new players.

So far, Billy has brought in midfielder Scott Musgrove (ex-Cheltenham & Stamford), left-back Stefan Morley (ex-Kettering) while also securing David Staff on a permanent basis this season after joining on loan towards the end of last season from Nuneaton.

This now means that Rugby will have a large nucleus of last season's squad starting the new season - a continuation that has been unfortunately lacking over the past few years and it should be a positive step.

Unfortunately, last season's top scorer, Jason Taylor, is likely to be out for a fairly lengthy period with suspected knee ligament damage although he is still awaiting the results of a scan while Andy Commander is unlikely to be able to start the season after requiring surgery on a broken hand which he sustained against Eastwood.

Rugby will be hoping to buck the trend of their first three seasons back in the Southern League Premier since 2004, which has seen finishes of 16th, 16th and 17th, and improve to challenge at the right end of the table.

Valley's opening day record is not a great one as ever since rejoining the Southern League Premier, Rugby have failed to get a win on the first day of the season - including last season's soul-destroying 2-1 defeat away to Merthyr Tydfil where Valley led with two minutes remaining.

Rugby faced Clevedon on the first day of the 2002/3 season at Butlin Road adn the game finished 2-2 with Ben Milner snatching both goals.

You have to delve deep into the archive and go back to August 2000 to find a Rugby win away from home on the first weekend of the season - Valley defeated Bromsgrove at Victoria Road 3-1 with goals from Scott Machin, Darren Towers and Marvin Marston.

Brackley are the visitors to Butlin Road for the first home game of the season on Tuesday 21st August, kick-off 7.45pm. Valley will be hoping to repeat the 2-1 win against Gloucester in the first home game last season.