MATCH PREVIEW: Rushall Olympic (H) | Southern League Premier Central

 



AFC Rushden & Diamonds return to Hayden Road on Tuesday (12th) as they face Rushall Olympic in the first of four consecutive home matches.

 

Andy Peaks is aware of the threats posed by their upcoming opponents and insists that Tuesday’s game will be a tough test for his side.

 

“Rushall are very good team,” said Peaks.

 

“I’ve watched them twice this year. I watched their first game of the season against Peterborough Sports and I thought they were very unlucky.”

 

“They’ll be big, strong and very good on set-pieces. That’ll be another big test for us.”

 

Hayden Road homecoming

 

Rushden are winless in three matches and have yet to keep a league clean sheet so far this season but Andy Peaks’ side produced a much improved and competitive performance as they took a point from Stourbridge over the weekend.

 

A rare opportunity has arisen whereby the Diamonds now enter four consecutive matches at Hayden Road - starting with Tuesday’s visit of Rushall.

 

Home games are widely regarded as an opportunity to assert authority over the visiting opposition and with Rushall making the 74-mile journey, coupled alongside the midweek dilemma of leaving work early, the size of task should not be underestimated for the Pics.

 

Having said that, Rushden will need to take initiative and capitalise on the scenario to ensure they make it a difficult evening for the Pics. Their direct style of play will keep the Rushall defence occupied and, if executed to plan, it could potentially overwhelm their visitors from Walsall.

 

Last five: WWLLD

 

How are Rushall Olympic getting on?

 

The Pics have regularly competed for the play-off places in recent years and Liam McDonald’s team have also made a strong start to this campaign.

 

The West Midlands side are currently 7th in the league table. The Pics have registered four wins, three draws and two defeats which accumulates to 15 points.

 

Daniel Glover will be the key threat to cast an eye on. The Rushall forward has scored 7 goals so far this season – ranking him amongst the league’s top scorers.

 

Last five: WDDWL

 

Previous Meetings

 

Rushden and Rushall have clashed on three occasions since AFC R&D won promotion to Step 3.

 

The Pics did the double over the Diamonds in the 2018/19 season (0-2 win at Hayden Road, 2-0 win at Dales Lane) with the singular meeting of the 2019/20 season ending in a 1-1 draw. Liam Dolman scored from a set-piece to put Diamonds ahead before Sam Whittall’s late first-half equaliser.

 

Where is the match taking place?

 

AFC Rushden & Diamonds return to Hayden Road to do battle with an early contender for the play-offs. The club have launched a special three-for-two ticket offer where if you buy two tickets for any of the upcoming home matches, you will get a third for free!

 

Andy Peaks was keen to highlight the initiative and encourage Diamonds supporters to take up the opportunity.

 

“Let’s support this offer and get behind the team,” said Peaks.

 

“We’ve got four home games now, no easy games at all but certainly four that we are looking to get some points out of”.

 

More information about the exclusive ticket deal is available on the official club website.

 

Hayden Road Sports Ground
Hayden Road
Rushden

Northamptonshire

NN10 0HX

 

How can I follow the match?

 

If you are unable to attend the match on Tuesday, I will be there alongside the Radio Diamonds team to bring you live commentary of the match. You can also find live updates on the club’s official Twitter feed (@AFCRD).

 

Stay tuned after the game for post-match interviews on AFCRDTV and a match report, to be written by Paul Judd.

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