Rushden & Diamonds F.C. were a Football Conference club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England.
The merger
Rushden & 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). The first match was at home to Bilston Town in front of 315 fans and finished 2–2.
The early years (1992–1996)
The club's first few seasons were remarkable for the success the team enjoyed. In the first campaign as a new club under the stewardship of Roger Ashby (1992/93), the Diamonds finished 3rd in the Southern League Midland Division. The following season, before which a new 1,000 all-seater North Stand was opened, the club won the league, securing promotion to the Southern League Premier Division on the final day, after a nervy 3–2 win over Merthyr Tydfil ahead of 4,664. This promotion coincided with another big improvement at Nene Park, with the Diamond Centre and dressing rooms completing the South Stand development, while the construction of the 1,800 capacity Peter De Banke Terrace was also well under way.Ten of Diamonds by Tony Jones, p43
The 1994/95 campaign was dominated by a superb run in the FA Trophy, as the club managed to reach the semi-Final stage and a two-legged tie against Woking. Diamonds won the home leg 1–0, but suffered a 2–0 defeat at Kingfield days later to succumb 2–1 on aggregate. Again, it only took two years for the Diamonds to again be promoted as champions, by the small margin of two points over Halesowen Town in 1996. The team had gained promotion to the Football Conference after just four years as a club. With only the east end of the ground undeveloped, the stunning 2,372 seat AirWair Stand was completed, opening in December 1996 to augment the stadium's capacity to 6,572.
The struggle to reach the Football League
Upon promotion to the Football Conference for the 1996/97 season, Brian Talbot replaced Roger Ashby as First Team Coach in the March of that campaign with the club bottom of the table. Talbot had a dramatic effect and managed to steer the club to mid-table safety. He was eventually appointed club manager on a permanent basis before the 1999/00 campaign. The team spent five seasons in total attempting to reach the Football League, finishing 12th in 1996/97, and then 4th, 4th, 2nd behind champions Kidderminster Harriers, and 1st. The stadium development also continued at a frantic pace. In the summer of 1998 executive boxes were added to the back of the North Stand, with new offices and club shop to boot. That same June work began on a roof over the Airwair Stand which was in full use by November.
The Diamonds had big success in the FA Cup within this period. In 1998/99, Forest Green, Leatherhead and Football League side Shrewsbury Town were all dispatched to set up a 2nd Round away clash with Doncaster Rovers. Both teams fought out a cagey goalless draw at Belle Vue to set up a replay at Nene Park, in which the home side triumphed 4–2 against 10-man Donny to progress. The reward was a dream tie at home to Leeds United. A record attendance of 6,431 witnessed a 0–0 draw as Rushden held their illustrious Premier League opponents to secure a replay in Yorkshire. Around 3,000 Diamonds fans made the trip up the M1 in a crowd of over 39,000 at Elland Road. Carl Heggs put Rushden into an 11th-minute lead. However, class told in the end and United eventually ran out 3–1 winners to halt Diamonds' superb Cup run.
The following season the club yet again made it to the 3rd Round, receiving another plum draw, this time away to Sheffield United. Rushden put in a spirited display and a Jon Brady goal was enough to hold the Division One side to a 1–1 draw at Bramall Lane. In the replay the home side held their own against The Blades with the score 0–0 after 90 minutes. United went ahead in extra-time but Diamonds immediately levelled to force the dreaded penalties. At 5–5 in sudden death Brady had his kick saved, and Marcus Bent converted from the spot for United to knock the Conference side out.
The championship-winning season in 2000/01 was Rushden's 8th top-six finish in their nine-year history. The club spent some serious money in pre-season in order to bolster their strike force, as they hoped to clinch the elusive Conference title at last. The huge sum of nearly £300,000 was spent on new players, including Duane Darby, a £100,000 purchase from Notts County and Justin Jackson from Morecambe, for whom £180,000 was paid. Jackson's fee was an unprecedented amount of money paid between two non-league clubs. The brand new Dr. Martens Sports and Exhibition Centre was opened in early summer, containing gymnasium, management offices and recreational facilities amongst other offerings. With promotion being an absolute must, a great start soon tailed off and Diamonds trailed Yeovil Town at Christmas time by a huge margin. However, despite some fans calling for Brian Talbot's head, Max Griggs' faith would be rewarded. A run of just one defeat from the remaining 23 matches saw the deficit clawed back. The club eventually finished six points ahead of their title rivals, securing promotion into Football League Division Three with a 2–1 win at Chester City.
Football League
2001/02
After three near-misses Diamonds finally fulfilled their aim, and won promotion to the Football League as Conference champions in 2001. The first ever Football League match for Rushden & Diamonds ended in a 1–0 victory away to York City. Although the team achieved a 3–2 win at Burnley in the League Cup, they struggled to adapt to their new surroundings and went seven games without a victory. This was put right with a home success versus Cheltenham Town to kick start the campaign, subsequently leading to a 10-match unbeaten run which included four wins. In the LDV Vans Trophy a demolition job by Cardiff City resulted in a 7–1 thumping for Diamonds at Ninian Park, whilst a loss at Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup 2nd Round put paid to any potential run. The club hit a mixed run of form on the approach to and during the Christmas period, though the signing of Onandi Lowe, a Jamaican international striker, proved to be a decisive acquisition. 2002 began with much improvement, as five wins from seven matches indicated a possible push for promotion. A 2–1 defeat to Hull City at Boothferry Park in early February was followed up by three draws and two wins, whilst Luton Town inflicted Rushden's first league defeat at Nene Park since September 2001 on 9 March.
Diamonds found themselves in a great position for a top-seven finish and four emphatic wins in a row put them on the cusp of a Play-Off place. A draw at Scunthorpe United and a defeat at home to Kidderminster Harriers however meant a win was needed on the final day to assure qualification for the play-offs. This was duly delivered with a 4–2 victory away to Halifax Town, as the club finished in sixth spot to set up a Play-Off Semi-Final against Rochdale. In the first leg at Nene Park the away side twice took the lead, but both times Rushden equalised as the match finished 2–2. In a mouth-watering second leg at Spotland, an unfortunate own goal by Tarkan Mustafa on 63 minutes put the hosts on the front foot. But Diamonds immediately responded through Onandi Lowe, and with quarter of an hour to go Paul Hall went through on goal, rounded the keeper, and tucked home for a 2–1 lead (4–3 on aggregate). Rushden held on to secure a famous victory and progress to the Play-Off Final at the Millennium Stadium to play Cheltenham. Over 24,000 saw Martin Devaney put the Robins ahead, quickly cancelled out by a Paul Hall wonder goal. It wasn't to be though as two further goals secured the win for Cheltenham to end Diamonds' promotion hopes after a strong season.
2002/03
After going close the previous campaign, promotion was very high on the agenda as Diamonds looked to go one better in 2002/03. The new term began well with four wins, two draws and a defeat, whilst progress to the League Cup 2nd Round was made as Millwall were beaten at Nene Park 5–3 on penalties AET. Just 10 points were gained in the next eight league games, as the club hit an average run of form. Within this period Rushden suffered their heaviest ever defeat, with an 8–0 loss at the hands of Coventry City in the League Cup, as nine-man Diamonds were annihilated at Highfield Road. The LDV Vans Trophy was exited at the first hurdle with a 4–0 defeat away to Cambridge United. The club responded in style though with six straight league wins to get the promotion push well back on track. In the FA Cup 1st Round a 2–2 draw away to Kidderminster Harriers forced a replay, in which Diamonds won 2–1 to set up a trip to Exeter City in the next stage. A disappointing performance resulted in a 3–1 loss at St James Park, but one which meant they could now 'concentrate on the league'.
Although Rushden finished the year in the top-six, their form slightly tailed off over Christmas and in January, with Oxford United completing a league double over the team as eight games yielded only 12 points. In February and early March Diamonds won two, drew two and lost two and were sitting in an automatic promotion place. The club went on a barnstorming run with victories against Hull, Bury, Exeter City, Bristol Rovers and Lincoln City, alongside draws with Boston United and Rochdale. Diamonds had therefore completely caught up with leaders Hartlepool United who had been choking. Rushden & Diamonds secured their promotion to Division Two at Carlisle United, with a 2–1 win at Brunton Park, a result which sent them top of the league. As their title rivals were held to a draw by Rochdale, a 3–0 win at home to Macclesfield Town meant a success at Leyton Orient would secure top spot. 1,240 Diamonds fans travelled to Brisbane Road in expectancy; however a 0–0 draw ensured a title showdown at Nene Park against Hartlepool on the final day. In front of a plus 6,200 crowd, and needing just a point, the home side went ahead in the first half through Paul Hall. As the game approached its conclusion a late Chris Westwood equaliser made for a nerve-racking finish. But Diamonds managed to hold on for the draw and thus seal the Division Three title in dramatic fashion by two points. The club had incredibly gone from the Southern League Midland Division to Division Two, the third tier of English football, in just 11 years.
2003/04
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.
2004/05