Down at the Diamonds

  It is a quick turnaround for AFC Rushden & Diamonds - very much in the spirit of Saturday’s second half performance - as they face Royston Town on Tuesday (28th) to close out the month of September.   The Diamonds make their second Hayden Road outing in a matter of days as they look to build on their recent upturn of form in the Southern League Premier Central.   Andy Peaks is aware of the threat that Royston will pose but believes the form of his own team will carry them into the game in good stead.   “It’ll be a slightly different challenge to what today [Saturday] was”, said Peaks.   “Royston will be a big test. They’re a good team, they’ve been good over the last few years, we know loads of their players and we expect a really good challenge”.   “It’s one we’ll be ready for and one that we can embrace. Taking seven points out of the last nine is a good run of form. We’ve picked up quite nicely, we’ve added to the squad and the boys are gelling oka...

AFC Rushden & Diamonds secured their third league win of the season in dramatic style as they came from behind to snatch all three points and break Hitchin hearts. After a difficult start to the season, Andy Peaks' side have picked up seven points from their last three matches and look to have generated some momentum. The visitors took the lead in the first half, courtesy of an Alex Brown penalty but Ravi Shamsi and a late Alex Collard header in the second period helped Diamonds complete the turnaround and take the points. Andy Peaks has great respect for fellow manager Mark Burke whose Canaries side dominated the possession in the first half and the Diamonds boss revealed that part of his game plan was geared around nullifying their play. However, he also felt his side could have performed to a better standard. "They always play good football - we knew that", Peaks admitted. "They have lots of possession and our game plan was to try and get the ball back off the...

  AFC Rushden & Diamonds turn their attention back to league action this Saturday (25th) as they take on Hitchin Town in a bid to climb the Southern League Premier Central table. The Diamonds return to Hayden Road after almost a month on the road and Andy Peaks will be looking for his side to replicate their good away form in front of their own supporters. "I've had Hitchin watched a few times, to be honest, so I know quite a lot about them", said Peaks. "I think the team will change from time to time, they had a couple of departures and some others coming in. They play a good brand of football, we'll train tomorrow night, after tonight [Wednesday] with a game plan ready for Saturday but I'm expecting it to be a tough game". An opportunity to break into the top half? There can be no doubt that Rushden, on paper, were handed a tricky start to the campaign and so it proved with three defeats in their opening four league matches and an FA Cup exit. Howe...

AFC Rushden & Diamonds booked their place in the next round of the NFA Hillier Cup with victory over Northampton ON Chenecks. Andy Peaks tailored his team to suit returning players but felt the performance improved as the game went on in Diamonds' 3-0 win at The Old Northamptonians Sports Ground. He made nine changes to the side which drew at Needham Market and saw his team take a 21st minute lead through Tom Lorraine's left-footed strike. The Diamonds boss was full of praise for his veteran striker who was back fit having recovered from a hamstring injury. "It was the perfect game for him to come in and have an hour, that was always the plan and I thought he took his goal really really well", said Peaks. "We know what Shanks [Lorraine] brings to the team so that was a massive plus to get him minutes. I thought he was quite bright especially in the first half". Despite going in with the lead at the break, the Diamonds manager was not overly content with ...

    NFA Hillier Cup football returns as Diamonds head to Chenecks. Following the league draw with Needham Market, attention now turns to more local matters for AFC Rushden & Diamonds as they travel across the county to face Northampton ON Chenecks. The NFA Hillier Cup was canned last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the potential strains on an already packed schedule, but the competition returns this year as local clubs come together to battle for silverware. Andy Peaks’ side enter the Hillier Cup at the First-Round stage but speaking to Jon Dunham for the  Northamptonshire Telegraph , the Diamonds manager revealed that he will “mix things up a bit” as the Hillier Cup “isn’t really a priority”.   Are the Diamonds starting to hit some form?   There can be no doubt that four points from the last two matches is a satisfactory return – especially when you consider the amount of travelling with both games coming away from home. After Tuesday’s match, Alex...

Hi everybody. My name is Joseph McCormack and welcome to Down at the Diamonds - my new blog! I am a sports broadcaster at AFC Rushden & Diamonds where I undertake a range of different roles: Radio Diamonds  - I am a regular commentator for Radio Diamonds. We broadcast live radio commentary of the matches and provide play-by-play updates for supporters who are unable to attend the game. AFCRDTV  - After the matches, I interview players and manager Andy Peaks for the official club YouTube channel. We discuss the key events of the match as well as relevant off-field topics. Rushin & Rantin Podcast  - I am a presenter on the official club podcast. Alongside the rest of the team, we discuss the latest club news and invite exclusive guests for interviews and analysis. Editorials  - I occasionally write articles for the official club website. These consist of previews which provide information about the upcoming match and reports to summarise the match recently play...