Nuneaton Borough kick off in the Nationwide Conference league on Saturday after an absence of twelve years and club chairman Phil Clayton could not be more delighted.

Borough welcome Hayes to their Manor Park Ground on the opening day of the season and Clayton says:

"It is a great day for the football club and a great day for the town."

Nuneaton were relegated from the Conference in the 1980s and won their way back by lifting the Dr Marten’s Premier League championship last season. Under Brendan Phillips’ management they scorched away with the league winning by a huge margin of points.

The Conference is equivalent to the fourth division of the Nationwide Football League and Borough, who are seeking to build a new stadium in Nuneaton, know that if they rise to the top they can become a Football League side for the first time.

"This is a very exciting time for everyone connected with the club," said Clayton. "We are looking forward to the challenge ahead and it is a great feeling to be in the Conference again.

"I am sure Brendan has put together a squad more than capable of holding its own this coming season.

"Since he became our manager four years ago our results and achievements have been impressive and I am more than hopeful we can continue out climb up the football ladder.

"The board’s objective is to secure Football League status inside the next three years. The foundations have been set and I can assure all our supporters that we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to achieve this aim.

"It has been a long wait to return to the Conference but we shall be looking to go into the new millennium will all guns blazing.

"We may not win the championship but I expect us to give a good account of ourselves and hopefully we shall be up among the pacesetters. A top six place in our first season back would be magnificent," said an optimistic Clayton.