Doug Shulman's introduction to Rushden & Diamonds.

Tuesday evening sees United travel to Northamptonshire for a local Derby with Rushden & Diamonds. Garry Hill's side lie in sixteenth place having won just one of their past six games. One of those defeats, though, came in last Thursday's Setanta Shield final at Aldershot, which saw Diamonds lose a penalty shoot-out. Therefore, Hill's charges will look for revenge against United in an effort to finish the season strongly.

Our near neighbours have fallen from grace a little over the past few years. It was just five years ago at the conclusion of the 2002/03 season that Brian Talbot's side clinched the Division Three Championship. However during the 2003/04 campaign, off-pitch financial shenanigans surfaced and key players were sold whilst Talbot himself departed for Oldham. The menacingly named Ernie Tippett took over, but eight losses in the last nine games saw the Division Three trapdoor open up.

Conference Trapdoor

Tippett left in January 2005 after dreadful results, with Barry Hunter steering Diamonds clear of relegation, and during the close-season Chairman Max Griggs stepped down, handing ownership to the Supporters Trust. Nonetheless, the 2005/06 season proved disastrous, with ten home defeats contributing to them finishing bottom and joining United in the Conference. Furthermore the Trust, although reducing operating costs, found it difficult to achieve sustainability without Griggs funding, so new backers took control.

Paul Hart succeeded Hunter in May 2006; his first job being the release of former U's John Turner and Rob Gier. Still on the books at Nene Park, though, were Dan Chillingworth along with our ex-loanees Neil McCafferty and Ben Sedgemore. Hart's re-shaped squad started the 2006/07 season satisfactorily, with striker Simeon Jackson catching the eye thanks to consecutive hat-tricks against Altrincham and Tamworth.

Strangely Sacked

However, the season fizzled out and, with heavy defeats inflicted by Woking and Northwich, Hart was dismissed. Former U's legend Liam Daish turned down the job, with Graham Westley arriving to seemingly reside over the squad for the rest of the campaign.

Westley steered the side to seven wins and three draws from thirteen games but was strangely sacked after three months at Nene Park, with current supremo Garry Hill (left) taking the throne.

Westley had successfully guided the club away from the relegation zone, but just one win in Hill's first five games left them back in trouble and a mere five points from the bottom four.

Thankfully though, the former Weymouth boss consolidated the squad, (whilst allowing Chillingworth to rejoin the U's) and, despite four consecutive losses in early April, five wins were secured from their remaining nine games to leave them in a finishing berth of twelfth.

This Season's Squad

Hill freshened the roll-call prior to the commencement of this season with twelve players released. The back-line must also have been a concern, as defenders Glenn Wilson and John Ashton signed for Grays, whilst Michael Bostwick opted for a stint at Ebbsfleet. Lastly Leo Fortune-West was considered surplus to requirements, so joined the U's for a short but productive spell in black and amber.

Their places were taken by goalkeeper and ex-U Paul Bastock from St Albans, along with defenders Dean Howell, Curtis Osano and Phil Gulliver who signed from Grays, Reading and Hereford respectively; all of whom have become mainstays in the starting line-up this season. Furthermore, the midfield was boosted by the return of prodigal son Andy Burgess from Oxford, as well as experience in the shape of Exeter's Jon Challinor and Martin Foster from Halifax. Up front, although light due to the departure of Fortune-West, Hill chose to stick with existing duo Simeon Jackson and Michael Rankine, who were supported by Lee Tomlin.

Poor Start

A narrow 1-0 home win over Farsley proved their only win in the opening five games but, with the away duck broken at York, a healthy nine-match unbeaten run ensued that elevated them into mid-table. Tellingly, though, the three wins accumulated in this time were all away from home, and goes some way to highlighting poor form in front of the faithful this term, who have witnessed just six League victories in total. Nevertheless, Jackson inevitably attracted attention thanks to scoring in five consecutive games during this spell.

The run was broken by United with a 1-0 win at the Abbey in October [report] and was followed by a home loss to Forest Green, but 5-0 victories over Oxford and Solihull in the FA Trophy restored optimism. Disappointingly, though, just one further League win was served up before Xmas, leaving Hill's men in sixteenth place.

Waving Goodbye

The January transfer window saw influential captain Wayne Hatswell headhunted by Jimmy Quinn, whilst Jackson's eighteen goals were enough for Gillingham to swoop. Just one League win during the month saw Hill shored up the defence with the capture of Oxford defender Michael Corcoran, along with ex-United striker Charles Ademeno who joined temporarily from Southend.

A fixture backlog ensued in February as progress was made in both the FA Trophy and Setanta Shield, with a solitary League win at home to Altrincham keeping them far enough away from the bottom four. Encouragingly, the win kick-started a run of four straight League successes, including an impressive 3-0 romp at Ebbsfleet, lifting Diamonds into the top half of the table for the first time this season. Unfortunately FA Trophy hopes were dashed by York and form from thereon in has begun to undulate, culminating in the aforementioned six-game run which has produced a solitary victory in the Setanta Shield Semi-Final against Halifax.

Jimmy Quinn should be very mindful of their unpredictable form on Tuesday evening, but will be optimistic that he can further dent the confidence of a side winning just two home League matches since Boxing Day.

Previous Meetings

Entertainment between United and Rushden has never been in short supply, with the nine modern-day encounters producing twenty-six goals to date. The U's have emerged victorious on five occasions, with Northamptonshire's finest grabbing glory in the remaining four games.

United actually met Tuesday's hosts in their former guise of Rushden Town prior to the 1992 merger with Irthlingborough Diamonds. Goalscoring must be in the pre-match genetic make-up between us; the net bulging twenty-three times in four United Counties League clashes at the turn of the 1940s. A 6-1 home win was recorded by Rushden in November 1949, although, the U's gained revenge in the return thanks to a 3-1 victory. The 1950/51 season saw a 2-2 draw at Rushden, but The U's ran riot with a 7-1 win at The Abbey in February 1951.

With Rushden embracing their current moniker we met for a Nationwide Division Three game at The Abbey in August 2002. Brian Talbot's side arrived unbeaten but, the rampant U's tore them apart; goals from Dave Kitson, Omer Riza and a Tom Youngs brace ensuring a 4-1 victory [report]. Diamonds' consolation came through soon-to-be United midfielder Shane Wardley. There was also an LDV Vans Trophy First Round clash on 22 October; the U's running out worthy 4-0 victors at the Abbey.

Nevertheless, Talbot's side galloped to the Championship that season, duly turning the tables on United by mirroring the 4-1 Abbey scoreline. Stuart Gray, David Bell and Paul hall put Diamond's 3-0 up at Nene Park, before Paul Wanless' penalty made it 3-1, leaving Paul Hall to complete the rout.

2004/05 saw Rushden back in the renamed Coca-Cola League Two. John Turner (above) bagged a hat-trick for Herve Renard's U's in the November Abbey clash, with Drewe Broughton scoring for Diamonds. When we met in the penultimate seasonal game, United's Conference relegation and subsequent Administration had been confirmed. However, you would never have guessed judging by the vociferous support of 1,360 travelling fans buoying The U's to a 1-0 win [report].

2006/07 saw Graham Westley bring his side, (including Dan Chillingworth) to Cambridgeshire for a Boxing Day clash; the visitors walking off with a 1-0 victory thanks to Marcus Kelly's goal. The struggling U's also lost 3-1 at Nene Park two weeks later; Simeon Jackson, Chris Beardsley and Michael Rankine rubber-stamping victory for the home side.

Finally, United grabbed a 1-0 home League victory on 9th October of the current season courtesy of Scott Rendell's late winner, (the Diamonds side captained by Wayne Hatswell), whilst a 1-0 Setanta Shield win for the visitors, at the same venue in December, was sealed by Tom Shaw's first half-strike.

Doug Shulman

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