There is an ideal opportunity to be part of local sporting history this weekend, when Valley play their 1,000th game in the Southern League at Butlin Road on Saturday - with long-standing rivals Merthyr Tydfil the visitors.

	Date Sat 24th November 07 Kick-off 3pm Venue Butlin Road, Rugby Comp BGB Premier Divsion Match Odds n/a Winger David Staff should return to the line-up after missing Tuesday's Errea Cup win over Halesowen due to work committments Head2Head P W D L F A Home 9 6 0 3 14 10 Away 9 2 1 6 10 17 Total 18 8 1 9 24 27

The club has tried to ensure that there is a bumper crowd to celebrate the landmark occasion by reducing admission charges for the game, and with a number of V.I.P guests due at the match; they will be releasing a 1,000 balloons from the centre circle before kick-off to mark the milestone.

Players from the club's first ever Southern League game at Aylesbury United at the start of the 1983-84 season have been invited, in addition to the current Chairman of the League, representatives from the league's sponsors - British Gas Business - and Rugby Borough Council.

A commemorative 1,000th game programme is also being produced, and there will be a free prize draw for all spectators - with Tebbs the Florist, Winters Delight, 3M, the Big Apple and LA Fitness amongst the latest companies to show their support.

With admission prices reduced to £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and free for all accompanied juniors under sixteen, Club Director Mike Yeats is hoping the people of Rugby turn out in numbers for the game. He said : "It's a one-off chance to celebrate a great achievement for the club. This is our twenty fifth season in the Southern League, and whilst of course we have aspirations to take the club onwards and upwards into the Conference structure in the future, we recognise the significance of having reached this landmark too."

Valley's hard core supporters are also looking forward to occasion. General consensus of opinion places Martin Defferd at the top of the list in terms of games attended over the club's twenty five year Southern League journey, and he estimates that he has missed no more than thirty five games out of the thousand in that period.

Looking back over the years, he picked out his best and worst moments. He said : "I suppose the low point has to be the 11-1 defeat at Ilkeston in 1997-98. I think we all lost count of the score, but we still went to the pub after the game, and on the bright side we played them again at home a couple of days later and only lost by seven that time!"

He continued : "The most memorable league game was probably the 3-0 victory over this Saturday's opponents Merthyr in 1986-87. That victory secured us the Midland Division championship and took us into the Premier Division for the first time. The run-in that season had been fairly dramatic and eventful, and to finish things off in such style made it an even greater day."

On the pitch, Rugby Town put in a morale boosting victory ahead of the Merthyr celebration game, when they progressed through to the next round of the Errea Cup after a 2-0 midweek victory against Halesowen.

The cup victory gave Town an immediate piece of revenge over Yeltz, who had enjoyed a 4-1 success in a league match between the two sides last weekend.

Rugby boss Billy Jeffrey was relieved to finally get a home victory under his belt, after five matches without a win at Butlin Road. Speaking after the game, he said : "We played well again tonight, and could have won by more in the end. We were unlucky on Saturday at their place, they weren't really troubling us, but the loss of Herbs was critical."

He continued : "The win should give the lads the confidence to kick-on at home now. Saturday's game is a big occasion for the club, but on the playing side we must approach it in the same focused fashion and hopefully that will bring us the same rewards as tonight."

Jeffrey will be without Tuesday night's two goal hero David Kolodynski, who is away on a family holiday, but David Staff - who missed the Halesowen victory through work commitments - should be available again.

Jeffrey is also hopeful that Delroy Gordon, who was withdrawn as a precaution late in Tuesday night's game, will be fit to start, although rates Tom Breward as "doubtful", after the in-form midfielder suffered a recurrence of a calf injury in the defeat at the Grove at the weekend.

Saturday's celebration match will kick-off as usual at 3 p.m., with gates open from 1.30 p.m.

Rugby Town Squad From: Martyn Margarson, Aaron Stringfellow, Brad Harris, Stephan Morley, Craig Herbert, Delroy Gordon, James Russell, Nick Thorogood, Ashley Blake, Alex Bolt, Scott Musgrove, Mark Edge, David Staff, Tom Breward, David Stone, Akin Aladetoun.