Rugby Town host fellow strugglers Mangotsfield United this Saturday at Butlin Road with both sides desperate to gain all three points to aid their attempt to retain BGB Premier Division status.

	Date Saturday 15th March 2008 Kick-off 3pm Venue Butlin Road, Rugby Comp BGB Premier Divsion Match Odds Rugby 13/8 Draw 5/2 Mangotsfield 5/4 Rugby boss Rod Brown is still searching for an elusive first league win at Butlin Road since taking over in January Head2Head P W D L F A Home 5 2 1 2 6 9 Away 6 2 2 2 9 7 Total 11 4 3 4 15 16

Valley's 2-1 reverse last Saturday against Hemel Hempstead Town made it five straight league defeats on the bounce at home and also saw them drop to just one place outside the relegation zone. With just seven games now remaining, each game is becoming all the more critical to record enough points to ensure safety.

A string of poor results has seen Rugby claim just four points from a possible twenty-seven and the current form at Butlin Road has certainly compounded problems. Valley have four of their remaining games at home, including Saturday's, but the last home league win was over two months ago, way back in early January against second-placed Halesowen Town. This is clearly the sort of statistic that boss Rod Brown knows must be turned on its head if Rugby are to survive the drop.

He said: "The magic total to stay safe this season is likely to be around 46 or 47 points which means getting at least three wins from our remaining games. To achieve this, we are going to have to start converting chances into goals.

"I have been encouraged by the players' efforts and performances in the last two matches, especially after the Hitchin and Gloucester games, but we have only managed to come away with one point when it could have been six or at least four.

"Good performances are not enough and we need to get points on the board."

The Hemel defeat on Saturday was a bitter blow to Rod and his players, as Rugby dominated possession but were made to pay for missed chances.

"I was really disappointed at half-time that we had not killed the game off during the first half. We certainly created enough chances but somehow we came in level.

"Two lapses in concentration led to their goals. Hemel certainly taught us a lesson in clinical finishing."

Saturday's visitors Mangotsfield lie just inside the relegation zone but only one point behind Rugby with three games in hand making getting a result all the more important.

Rod is fully aware that Saturday's game represents a proverbial six-pointer: "Mangotsfield look to have a similar sort of season to us. They made a reasonable start and they have struggled of late putting them in the position they are in now. It will be a tough battle on Saturday and it will be important that the players give their all and put away the chances when they come along."

Mangoes relieved some of the pressure on themselves on Saturday by recording a 2-0 victory over a doomed Cheshunt side that seem resigned to relegation. This victory, however, was Mangotsfield's first for fourteen games having preceded Saturday's game with thirteen without a win. The Bristol-based side will also be looking to rectify their failing away form which has seen them go seven without a win on their travels - the last win coming in December at Bedford Town.

Rugby and Mangotsfield have already met this season at Cossham Street, the score was goalless in a particularly dour affair, but with what is at stake on Saturday, the same scenario is unlikely to be repeated.

Valley's overall record against Mangoes is fairly mixed since the first meeting between the sides at the turn of the millennium. In the corresponding fixture last season, Mangotsfield recorded a 2-0 win which is best remembered for Mangoes goalkeeper Steve Book getting on the scoresheet in bizarre fashion with a simple long clearance which bounced over Rugby custodian Faz Afandiyev's head and into the net.

Rod will be without midfielder David Staff who was forced off in the second half of the Hemel game with a hamstring injury but Rugby could welcome back Scott Musgrove into the middle of the park. The 20-year-old has missed the last three games with a leg injury. If Musgrove is unavailable, it could mean a first start for Coventry City midfielder Kieran Fitzharris who put in a promising performance coming off the bench against Hemel last weekend. Fitzharris is currently with Rugby on a work experience basis from Coventry.

Rod has also aquired the services of ex-Coventry City full back Rob Oddy on a loan deal from Nuneaton Borough.

Rugby Town Squad From: Richard Anstiss, Rob Oddy, Aaron Stringfellow, Stephan Morley, Craig Herbert, Delroy Gordon, Ashley Blake, Richard Scott, Neil King, Tom Breward, Kieran Fitzharris, Mark Edge, David Staff, David Kolodynski, David Stone, Dave Pearson.