Rushden & Diamonds F.C.

Rushden & Diamonds
Full name	Rushden & Diamonds Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Diamonds
Founded	1992
Ground	Nene Park; Irthlingborough; (Capacity: 6441)
Chairman	Keith Cousins
Manager	Justin Edinburgh
League	Conference National
2008–09	Conference National, 11th
Home colours	Away colours

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Rushden & Diamonds F.C. is a professional football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Formed by a merger of Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds in 1992, the club currently plays in the Conference National following a short spell in the Football League at the start of the 2000s. Nicknamed the Diamonds, the club plays at Nene Park.

[edit] History

[edit] Rushden Town

The club was founded in 1889 as Rushden F.C. In 1901 the club left the Midland League and joined the Northamptonshire League under the name Rushden Town. By 1990 the club had been promoted twice, to the Premier Division. Although the club finished its first season in the Premier Division in eighth place, they were relegated back to the Midland Division due to the poor condition of their Hayden Road ground. The future, with such a poor stadium, was limited.

[edit] Irthlingborough Diamonds

Irthlingborough Diamonds were founded in 1946. In the 80s the team experienced some success, even reaching the final of the FA Vase on two occasions (in '81 and '84). However, in the late-80s the club experienced severe financial difficulties, and the future looked bleak.

[edit] The merger

Rushden and Diamonds were formed on 21 April 1992 by a merger of Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds. The merger was the brainchild of Max Griggs, the owner of Dr. Martens. The new club took Rushden Town's place in the Midland Division of the Southern League, but played at Irthlingborough's Nene Park as Rushden's Hayden Road was not good enough for promotion (they had been demoted from the Premier Division the previous season due to the state of their ground).

[edit] The early years

Rushden and Diamonds won promotion to the Southern League Premier Division in 1993 and Football Conference in 1996, under the control of Roger Ashby. In the season following promotion to the Conference, Brian Talbot was appointed as the club's new manager. As a player, he had turned out for Arsenal in the early 1980s. His previous managerial spells with West Bromwich Albion where he was sacked following defeat by in the FA Cup by Woking and Aldershot were disappointing.

[edit] Football League

After three near-misses they finally won promotion to the Football League as Conference champions in 2001. In their first season they reached the Division Three playoff final but lost to Cheltenham Town. In 2003 their promotion challenge was successful, they pipped Hartlepool United to the Division Three championship on the last day of the season and won their third promotion/league title in eight seasons.

2003–04 was a difficult season for Rushden and Diamonds. The club's board and supporters were hopeful of another promotion challenge, and some promising results in the early part of the season suggested that this could be achieved. But a run of bad results during the winter saw the club slip down the table and in March 2004 Brian Talbot left the club after seven years as manager to take charge at Oldham Athletic. Barry Hunter, with no previous managerial experience, was appointed as the caretaker player-manager, but with the club needing to offload its top players to balance the books it continued to slide further down the second division table and they were relegated in 22nd place after losing their last game of the season.

Ernie Tippett was appointed temporary manager of the team for the last three games of the 2003–04 season, and confirmed as permanent manager for the start of the 2004–05 season. Despite bringing in a large number of new players, after a dismal run of results which saw the team the media predicted as promotion contenders fall to 22nd place in League 2, he was sacked. Barry Hunter became caretaker manager again, and although there were many applicants for the position, he was appointed full-time manager towards the end of the season. The club staved off relegation but released several players at the conclusion of the campaign.

[edit] Conference

In the summer of 2005, Max Griggs handed over the club and certain assets to a supporters' trust, along with an initial cash pledge. He gave £750,000 to the newly-founded supporters trust. "I feel very happy that I'm giving it to the right people", he said.^[1]

The 2005–06 season saw the club perform towards the lower end of the table as expected by the media. Manager Hunter rebuilt the squad in the January transfer window, and at the same time sold youth team products Andy Burgess, David Bell, and John Dempster. However, the club continued to struggle and on 29 April, Rushden were relegated to the Conference after a 2-0 defeat at Boston United, which resulted in manager Barry Hunter being told his contract would not be renewed at the end of the season.

2006-2007 season

Paul Hart took over as manager on 23 May and on 7 July signed former Gillingham defender Chris Hope on a 2-year deal. Other close-season signings have included Leo Fortune-West, Glenn Wilson, Paul Watson and Jon Ashton. However, following a poor run of results, Hart left by mutual consent in mid-October, with goalkeeping coach Tony Godden becoming caretaker manager.

During their final two seasons in the Football League, Rushden & Diamonds enjoyed a fierce rivalry with fellow Northamptonshire club Northampton Town. The Diamonds won one encounter and Northampton won the other three. Since relegation back to the non-league the club have renewed their old rivalry with near-neighbours Kettering Town.

In July 2006 Helen Thompson became chairman of Rushden and Diamonds FC. In November 2006, the club was taken over by former Peterborough United vice-chairman Keith Cousins. In December 2006, former Farnborough Town and Stevenage Borough manager Graham Westley was appointed as Rushden & Diamonds manager, with the aim of getting the club out of the relegation battle and build towards promotion back into the football league. After a seven-game unbeaten run, which featured five wins and two draws, Graham Westley was relieved of his duties on 24 February 2007 for unknown reasons. Two days later it was announced that former Weymouth manager Garry Hill would be Westley's replacement.

Hill's first match, on Saturday 3 March, was a 3-0 win over Exeter City. After this game, the club hit an average run of form, eventually finishing 12th in the table.

2007-2008 season

The club started 2007–08 with mixed fortunes. The Diamonds drew 1-1 away at Woking on the first day, courtesy of a goal from Curtis Woodhouse. A Wayne Hatswell header ensured victory over Farsley Celtic in the second match, however Diamonds lost 1-0 at home to Ebbsfleet United. Diamonds however then hit a poor run of form, with only 2 league wins in their next 13 games. With the team looking very disjointed, manager Garry Hill was widely expected to sign a new striker in the August Transfer Window but did not. This was eventually solved with the signing of Craig McAllister from Grays Athletic on loan who made an immediate impact as Rushden beat Oxford United 5-0. McAllister however, chose to sign for Oxford instead of making the move permanent in January 2008.

The Diamonds enjoyed early success in their 2007–08 FA Cup campaign. A 5-0 win over Solihull Moors was followed by a 3-1 win over Macclesfield Town. After this feat, the fans and players approached their 2nd round draw against Bristol Rovers as winnable. However, despite an early goal from Marcus Kelly, a 45-yard yard goal that was deemed "goal of the day" by Match of the Day, the Diamonds lost the game 5-1, in poor conditions. A disappointing result it was, however, in the two games which followed the Diamonds scored 6 goals. The Diamonds went into the Christmas break in 17th place. 12 points behind a play-off place, and 26 points behind league leaders Aldershot. After the Christmas break Rushden began to improve and had an unbeaten run from 29 January to 12 March including wins versus Ebbsfleet, Farsley, Altrincham and Woking but that run was ended with a 2-1 loss versus Histon. They recently became runners up of the Setanta Shield losing out to Aldershot after a thrilling 3-3 draw resulted in a penalty shoot-out and also got knocked out of the FA Trophy in the Quarter-Finals. Diamonds eventually finished the season in 16th place.

2008-2009 season

After a season of relative disapointment, Gary Hill set about restructuring the Rushden squad, during the summer Hill brought in a plethora of new faces; including former Lincoln City shot stopper Alan Marriot and former Cambridge Stawlwart Rob Wolleaston. Hill also brought to the club Dean McDonald, Lee Phillips, Sagi Burton and Jamie McGuiness. Rushden also managed to persuade Gareth Jelleyman to drop down from the league as well as signing 3 time Golden Boot winner Daryl Clare from Blue Square Premier rivals Burton Albion.

Early in the season former academy player Jon Challinor was sold to Cambridge United for an undisclosed fee, after a relatively successful start to the season, Gary Hill then brought in 'bad boy' Leon Knight. Knight took the vacant number 7 shirt, with Daryl Clare out injured from pre-season, the signing of Knight was a major coup. Unfortunatly, Rushden hit a bad patch after Knight's arrival, this led to 8 players being transfer listed.

In early December, Knight, once a Chelsea youth team player, was sacked for breach of the Club's code of conduct. Chairman Keith Cousins retained the option to keep Knight's registration rendering him unemployed from Football, unless another club pays a transfer fee to the Diamonds. Results have begun to pick up, with Rushden into the next round of the FA trophy and Hillier Cup, Club captain Andy Burgess and winger Lee Tomlin were taken off the transfer list, with talks set to begin on a new contract for Burgess.

After nearly two years managing the club, the 3-0 defeat to Burton Albion and a long winless stretch, Garry Hill resigned on Tuesday 10 February 2009 with Justin Edinburgh taking over as caretaker manager. It was announced later that day that goalkeeping Coach and former caretaker manager, Tony Godden left the club by mutual consent. Edinburgh's first match in charge was a 9-0 victory over Weymouth F.C. after their opponents fielded their youth team after their first team left, after not being paid.

Following Hill's resignation the free management position was applied for by over 50 people, including ex-West Ham player Julian Dicks, as well as Rushden legends Duane Darby, Paul Hall and Paul Underwood. Justin Edinburgh, caretaker manager, was given the job until the end of the season.

Edinburgh had expressed his desire to continue as full-time Rushden boss, despite only being given the job on a temporary basis. Within the space of a few games, Edinburgh breathed new life in the club as for the first time in years, the team began to play with an air of self confidence and without fear. As well as a successful start to his RDFC managing career, (earning ten points from a possible fifteen in his first five games), the standard of play and the overall entertainment value rose dramatically, with several players rediscovering performances that some had not put in in years.

The season ended with a 3-1 win over already-relegated Woking FC. The result ensured their final position as 11th, their highest finish in a league table since the Division 3 title was won in 2003.

[edit] Local rivalries

Rushden's main rival are nearby Kettering Town. The clubs have played twelve competitive games together, all coming in the Conference National, with Kettering winning just once. After a seven year gap, Rushden and Kettering met once again during the 2008–09 season. The two teams drew the first game 1–1 at Rockingham Road, and the Diamonds won the return fixture at Nene Park 1–0. During a friendly match between the match in 2005 two flares were thrown onto the pitch.^[2]

Other local rivals include Northampton Town, Peterborough United and Luton Town. These rivalries, however, are less intense, due to the clubs not playing in the same division any more. The mild rivalry with Luton will return in the 2009–10 football season, as the Hatters were relegated from Football League Two into the Conference in April 2009.

[edit] Managers

Tenure	Manager	Notes	Win ratio
1992-1997	Roger Ashby		56%
1997-2004	Brian Talbot		48%
2004	Barry Hunter	Caretaker	-
2004-2005	Ernie Tippett		17%
2005	Barry Hunter	Caretaker	-

Tenure	Manager	Notes	Win ratio
2005 -2006	Barry Hunter		24%
2006	Paul Hart		25%
2006	Tony Godden	Caretaker	44%
2006 -2007	G.Westley		62%
2007 -2009	Garry Hill		33%

Tenure	Manager	Notes	Win ration
2009-present	Justin Edinburgh		38% (as of 14/04/09)

[edit] Players

As of 30 June 2009.

[edit] Current squad

No.	Position	Player
2	DF	Curtis Osano
3	DF	Kurt Robinson
4	MF	Nick McNamara
6	DF	Simon Downer
12	MF	Neil Cousins
15	FW	Lee Tomlin
17	MF	Rob Wolleaston
19	GK	Dale Roberts
20	MF	Jamie McGuinness
21	MF	Jake Beecroft
24	DF	Michael Corcoran
25	FW	Sam Smith

No.	Position	Player
26	GK	Joe Day
27	MF	Lewis Hilliard
28	DF	George Cox
29	DF	Aynsley McDonald
30	FW	Nabil Sharif
31	MF	Lewis Halford
32	MF	Adam Sharpe
—	FW	Craig Farrell
—	FW	Aaron O'Connor
—	MF	Matt Pattison
—	MF	Max Porter
—	DF	Jamie Stuart

[edit] Management

Chairman: Keith Cousins
Strategic Director: Helen Thompson
Manager: Justin Edinburgh
Assistant Manager: Michael Stone
Goalkeeping Coach: Kevin Shoemake
Physio Simon Parsell.

[edit] Most appearances

Only 8 players have made over 200 appearances for the club:

#	Player	Career	Appearances
1	Garry Butterworth	1994-2002	371
2	Andy Burgess	1999-2006 & 2007-2009	333
3	Paul Underwood	1997-2004	301
4	Darren Collins	1994-2000	286
5	Billy Turley	1999-2004	253
6	Tim Wooding	1997-2000	247
7	Jim Rodwell	1996-2002	207
8	Andy Peaks	1992-1997	205

[edit] Most goals

#	Player	Career	Appearances	Goals	Goals per game ratio
1	Darren Collins	1994-2000	286	152	0.6
2	Dale Watkins	1993-1996	162	98	0.6
3	Mickey Nuttel	1993-1996	115	63	0.6
4	Onandi Lowe	2001-2004	97	52	0.5
5	Duane Darby	2000-2003	130	51	0.4
6	Andy Kirkup	1992-1996	166	48	0.3
7	Adie Mann	1992-1995	130	44	0.3
8	Simeon Jackson	2004-2008	104	43	0.4
8	Kevin Wilkin	1995-1997	95	43	0.5
10	Michael Rankine	2006-2009	144	40	0.3

[edit] Notable former players

Below are a list of players who have either endeared themselves to Diamonds fans to such an extent that they are still remembered fondly today (see Duane Darby) or have, after leaving the Diamonds, gone on to greater things (see Caleb Folan)

[edit] Honours

[edit] League

Football League Division Three 2002-2003

Football League Division Three Playoff Finalists (Runners-up) 2001-2002

Football Conference Champions 2000-2001

Southern League Premier Division Champions 1995-1996

Southern League Division One Midlands Champions 1993-1994

[edit] Cups

Conference League Cup Runners up 2008

NFA Hillier Cup Winners Winners (4): 1994, 1999, 2007, 2008

NFA Maunsell Cup Winners(4): 1995, 2000, 2006, 2008

Conference Shield Winners Winners(1): 2001

Southern League Championship Cup Winners(1): 1997

[edit] External links

Rushden & Diamonds F.C. on BBC Sport: Club News – Recent results – Upcoming fixtures – Club stats

[edit] References

[0] ttp://www.bbc.co.uk/northamptonshire/content/articles/2005/06/03/griggs_hands_over_diamonds_feature.shtml

[1] ttp://www.thediamondsfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10784~688210,00.html

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