Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. The club was formed by a merger of Southern Football League side Rushden Town and United Counties league side Irthlingborough Diamonds in 1992. Rushden & Diamonds played in the Conference National following a short spell in the Football League at the start of the 2000s. The club were expelled from the Conference National on 11 June 2011. Their unstable financial position meant they could not guarantee to complete all their fixtures in the then upcoming 2011–12 season, and resulted in their dissolution in 2011. [1]
Key to league record
| Key to cup records
|
Year | League | Lvl | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Position | Leading league scorer | FA Cup | League Cup | FA Trophy | Average home attendance [2] [lower-alpha 1] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Goals | Res | Rec | Res | Rec | Res | Rec | |||||||||||||
1992–93 | Southern Football League Midland Division | 7 | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 85 | 41 | 44 | 85 | 3rd of 22 | Andy Kirkup Dale Watkins Glen Donegal | 12 | QR2 | 2-0-1 | - | - | - | - | |
1993–94 | Southern Football League Midland Division | 7 | 42 | 29 | 11 | 2 | 109 | 37 | 72 | 98 | 1st of 22 Promoted | Mike Nuttell | 29 | QR4 | 4-1-1 | - | - | QR2 | 0-0-1 | |
1994–95 | Southern Football League Premier Division | 6 | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 99 | 65 | 34 | 68 | 5th of 22 | Dale Watkins | 25 | QR1 | 0-0-1 | - | - | SF | 8-2-1 | |
1995–96 | Southern Football League Premier Division | 6 | 42 | 29 | 7 | 6 | 99 | 41 | 58 | 94 | 1st of 22 Promoted | Darren Collins | 30 | R1 | 4-1-1 | - | - | R1 | 0-0-1 | |
1996–97 | Football Conference | 5 | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 61 | 63 | -2 | 53 | 12th of 22 | Carl Alford | 13 | R1 | 4-1-1 | - | - | R1 | 0-0-1 | 2,514 |
1997–98 | Football Conference | 5 | 42 | 23 | 5 | 14 | 79 | 57 | 22 | 74 | 4th of 22 | Darren Collins | 29 | QR4 | 0-1-1 | - | - | R2 | 1-0-1 | 2,552 |
1998–99 | Football Conference | 5 | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 71 | 42 | 29 | 72 | 4th of 22 | Darren Collins | 17 | R3 | 4-3-1 | - | - | R4 | 2-1-1 | 2,996 |
1999–2000 | Football Conference | 5 | 42 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 71 | 42 | 29 | 76 | 2nd of 22 | Darren Collins Michael McElhatton | 11 | R3 | 3-3-0 | - | - | QF | 4-2-1 | 3,299 |
2000–01 | Football Conference | 5 | 42 | 25 | 11 | 6 | 78 | 36 | 42 | 86 | 1st of 22 Promoted | Duane Darby | 24 | R1 | 1-0-1 | - | - | R5 | 2-0-1 | 3,876 |
2001–02 | Football League Third Division | 4 | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 69 | 53 | 16 | 73 | 6th of 24 Lost in playoff final | Onandi Lowe | 19 | R2 | 1-0-1 | R2 | 1-0-1 | - | - | 4,404 |
2002–03 | Football League Third Division | 4 | 46 | 24 | 15 | 7 | 73 | 47 | 26 | 87 | 1st of 24 Promoted | Paul Hall | 16 | R2 | 1-1-1 | R2 | 0-1-1 | - | - | 4,330 |
2003–04 | Football League Second Division | 3 | 46 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 60 | 74 | −14 | 48 | 22nd of 24 Relegated | Onandi Lowe | 15 | R1 | 0-0-1 | R1 | 0-0-1 | - | - | 4,457 |
2004–05 | Football League Two [lower-alpha 2] | 4 | 46 | 10 | 14 | 22 | 42 | 63 | −21 | 44 | 22nd of 24 | Billy Sharp | 9 | R2 | 1-0-1 | R1 | 0-0-1 | - | - | 3,321 |
2005–06 | Football League Two | 4 | 46 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 44 | 76 | -32 | 45 | 24th of 24 Relegated | Drewe Broughton | 10 | R2 | 0-2-1 | R1 | 0-0-1 | - | - | 3,162 |
2006–07 | Conference Premier | 5 | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 58 | 54 | 4 | 62 | 12th of 24 | Simeon Jackson | 19 | R2 | 2-0-1 | - | - | R3 | 2-0-1 | 2,045 |
2007–08 | Conference Premier | 5 | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 55 | 55 | 0 | 59 | 16th of 24 | Simeon Jackson | 16 | R2 | 2-0-1 | - | - | QF | 3-0-1 | 1,586 |
2008–09 | Conference Premier | 5 | 46 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 61 | 50 | +11 | 63 | 11th of 24 | Sam Smith Rob Wolleaston Lee Tomlin | 8 | QR4 | 0-0-1 | - | - | R2 | 0-2-1 | 1,509 |
2009–10 | Conference Premier | 5 | 44 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 77 | 39 | +38 | 79 | 4th of 23 Lost playoff semifinal | Lee Tomlin | 14 | R2 | 2-0-1 | - | - | R2 | 1-0-1 | 1,678 |
2010–11 | Conference Premier | 5 | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 65 | 62 | +3 | 57 [lower-alpha 3] | 13th of 24 | Aaron O'Connor | 14 | R1 | 1-0-1 | - | - | R1 | 0-1-1 | 1,255 |
Rushden is a market town and civil parish in the North Northamptonshire unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England.
Irthlingborough is a town on the River Nene in North Northamptonshire, England. It had a population of 8,900 at the 2011 census and was the smallest town in England to have had a Football League team, Rushden & Diamonds F.C., prior to the promotion of Forest Green Rovers to the EFL in May 2017. The parish church, St Peter, has a lantern tower, unusual for Northamptonshire churches, which was built to guide travellers across the Nene valley in foggy weather. It also has doors at the four cardinal points and has eight misericords in the chancel.
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Nicknamed "The Diamonds", the club played at Nene Park. The club's main rivals were county neighbours Kettering Town.
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. While all of the clubs in the top four divisions of English football are professional, the National League has a mixture of professional and semi-professional clubs. The National League is the lowest division in the English football pyramid organised on a nationwide basis, and the lowest where professional clubs are represented. Formerly the Conference National, the league was renamed the National League from the 2015–16 season.
Garry Hill is an English football manager who was last the manager of National League club Ebbsfleet United. He previously managed Woking, Heybridge Swifts, St Albans City, Dagenham & Redbridge, Hornchurch, Weymouth and Rushden & Diamonds.
Nene Park was a sports stadium situated at Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England, along the bank of the River Nene, which could accommodate 6,441 spectators, with 4,641 seated and 1,800 standing. It formerly hosted football matches but at its time of demolition it was unused. The car park could hold 800 vehicles. From 1992 until the club's demise in 2011, it was the home ground of Rushden & Diamonds, having from 1969 been the home of predecessor Irthlingborough Diamonds. It became Kettering Town's home for 18 months, but the club left the venue in November 2012 to play at Corby, due to the costs of running the ground. Demolition of the ground began in late February 2017 and lasted approximately two and a half months.
Justin Charles Edinburgh was an English professional football manager and player who played as a left back.
Rushden Town F.C. was a football club from Rushden, England. Founded in 1889, the club merged with Irthlingborough Diamonds to form Rushden & Diamonds in 1992. Nicknamed "the Russians", the club played at Hayden Road.
Irthlingborough Diamonds was a football club from Irthlingborough, England. Founded in 1946, in 1992 the club merged with Rushden Town to form Rushden & Diamonds, which played at Irthlingborough's Nene Park until financial troubles caused it to enter administration in July 2011.
Rushden & Higham United F.C. is a football club based in Rushden, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of the Spartan South Midlands League Division One.
Christopher Jonathan Hope is an English former footballer. Hope made over 500 appearances in the Football League for Scunthorpe United and Gillingham between 1993 and 2006.
Michael Lee Rankine is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played in the Football League for Scunthorpe United, AFC Bournemouth, Aldershot Town and York City.
Justin James Miller is a South African former footballer who played as a central defender in England.
Mark Byrne is an Irish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Crumlin United.
The 2009–10 Football Conference season was the sixth season with the Football Conference consisting of three divisions, and the thirty-first season overall. The Conference covers the top two levels of Non-League football in England. The Conference Premier is the fifth highest level of the overall pyramid, whilst the Conference North and Conference South exist at the sixth level. The top team and the winner of the play-off of the National division were promoted to Football League Two. The bottom four were scheduled to be relegated to the North or South divisions, but in the event two teams were expelled and only the bottom two clubs were relegated with them. The champions of the North and South divisions were promoted to the National division, alongside the play-off winners from each division. The bottom three in each of the North and South divisions were relegated to the premier divisions of the Northern Premier League, Isthmian League or Southern League. For sponsorship reasons, the Conference Premier was frequently referred to as the Blue Square Premier.
Rushden & Diamonds F.C. were a Football Conference club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England.
The 2010–11 Football Conference season was the seventh season with the Conference consisting of three divisions and the thirty-second season overall. The Conference covers the top two levels of Non-League football in England. The Conference Premier is the fifth highest level of the overall pyramid, whilst the Conference North and Conference South exist at the sixth level. The top team and the winner of the play-off of the National division were promoted to Football League Two, while the bottom four were relegated to the North or South divisions. The champions of the North and South divisions were promoted to the National division, alongside the play-off winners from each division. The bottom three in each of the North and South divisions were relegated to the premier divisions of the Northern Premier League, Isthmian League or Southern League.
The 1991–92 Southern Football League season was the 89th in the history of the league, an English football competition.
The 1992–93 Southern Football League season was the 90th in the history of the league, an English football competition.
A.F.C. Rushden & Diamonds is an English football club based in Rushden in Northamptonshire. They played their opening season at Kiln Park, the home of Raunds Town, in 2011–12 and subsequently shared the Dog & Duck ground with Wellingborough Town from July 2012 to the summer of 2017. A groundshare agreement with Rushden & Higham United was agreed for the 2017–18 season. The club was formed by supporters in July 2011, after Rushden & Diamonds, a former Football League club, was expelled from the Football Conference and liquidated.