Diamond whites

Rushden & Diamonds v Darlington

Coca-Cola League Two

Saturday August 6th 2005, 3pm

Rushden dropped like a stone last season after relegation and but for the awfulness of Cambridge and Kidderminster, may have gone further.

They never seemed to recover from the loss of Brian Talbot, while off the field there was also uncertainty. At least the Griggs family have now left the club as something of a legacy to the fans, handing it over to the supporters' trust.

Ernie Tippett was faced with a difficult job to shore Rushden up and has made a steady start by keeping the defence tight. Local lad David Bell, 20,in midfield is one of the youngsters at the club - along with Andy Burgess - who is expected to make an impact. The Diamonds scored five in their last outing, so we seem to be catching them when their tails are up.

Man to watch Gareth Seddon Diamonds' main goal-getter

Full match previews on the D@rlo Uncovered website.

Prices have been pegged for 2005/2006: Cash admissions £15, £10 concessions and £4 Under 12s, free to under 8s, £10 disabled plus free to carers. Fans are seated behind the goal in the left hand side of the AirWair stand via turnstiles R, S & T. Around 2,400 seats and there are also 24 disabled spaces here. You can also buy family tickets from the ticket office at the ground, available for various combinations of family groups and for the away end, but only if bought from the office, not at the turnstiles.

Rushden & Diamonds FC: Nene Park, Irthlingborough, NN9 5QF, Northants Tel: (01933) 652 000 History: Formed in 1992 from a merger between local non-league sides Rushden Town (dating from 1889) and Irthlingborough Diamonds (founded 1946). They were brought for life together in the Southern League Midland by businessman Max Griggs, who had made his fortune with Dr Marten's footwear. Diamonds' ground Nene Park was rebuilt over the next six years, with state of the art training facilities. Won promotion to Conference in 1996 and in 1999 to draw 0-0 with Leeds in the FA Cup, while still in the Conference. Finally secured promotion to the League under Brian Talbot. Lost in play-off final in 2002 to Cheltenham in Cardiff, but won promotion following season. Relegated again and struggled near the foot of League Two. Record Attendance: 6,431 v Leeds Utd, FA Cup, 4 Jan 1999 Capacity: 6,441 Last Season: 22nd Honours: Div 3 champions 2002/2003. Conference champions 2000/2001. Record victory: 7-0, v Redditch Utd (H) 7 May 1994 Defeat: 1-7 v Cardiff City LDV Vans Trophy, Oct 2001 Nickname: Diamonds. Colours: White and Blue. Manager: Barry Hunter. Chairman: Stephen Griggs Players in: Jamie Young (Reading - loan), Danny Chillingworth (Cambridge), Greg Pearson (West Ham), Andy Woodman, Neil McCafferty (Charlton) Players out: Stuart Gray (Oxford), Billy Turley (Oxford), Craig Dove (Chester), Andrew Sambrook, Robert Duffy, Sean Connelly, Adrian Littlejohn, Alex Hay and Lee Worgan Famous fans/players/connections: Can't think of any... Click for Streetmap of ground

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The ground is in the town of Irthlingborough, 3.5 miles from Wellingborough and three miles from Rushden. Nene Park is on the A6 bypass from the A45. Leave the M1 at Junction 19, where the M6 starts, and follow the A14 eastwards, past Naseby and around Kettering until you reach the junction with the A6 (sign for Kettering/Rushden/Bedford). Follow the A6 for Rushden and Bedford, around Burton Latimer and Finedon, and join Irthlingborough by-pass, still signposted towards Rushden and Bedford. At a roundabout on the by-pass you will see a sign on the left for "Nene Park". There is stadium parking costing £2 a car - but get there early, and if you're parked near the far end it takes ages to get out after the final whistle. We were there for a good 45 minutes.

Nearest station to Nene Park is Wellingborough, four miles away. The local buses from Wellingborough only run hourly so it is probably best to get a cab from the station and order one for the way back at the same time.

All Wellingborough: Jaycabs 01933 229229 Nucabs 01933 226565 Station Taxis 01933 678826 Yellow Cabs 01933 441666 Darlington FC Supporters Club Coach time 9.30am £15.50. Contact: 01325 243911. See Darlington Supporters' Club for more details.

Trains times (Suggested): Darlington 07.51-Sheffield (09.15) 09.27-arr Wellingborough 1100; or 08.57-Sheffield (10.20) 10.27-Leicester (11.28) 11.35 arr Wellinborough 12.06, 3hrs 13mins; Return 18.32-Sheffield (20.08), 20.21 arr Darlington 22.03 Duration: 3hrs 31 mins. Fares: £47.50 APEX or £62.70 saver day return. Birmingham New Street via Leicester. 09:24 (Leicester 10.13) 10.30 arr Wellingborough 1100, rtn 17.51 (Leicester 18.24) 18.52 arr 19.45 OR 18.32 (Leicester 19.04) 19.09 arr 20.09. Saver return £23.90. To get to Wellingborough from London is easy - straight from St Pancras - takes about 50 mins (stops at Luton and Bedford before Wellingborough). Trains run every 30 mins.

A good DAFTS suggestion for those, especially from the south, stopping over is to spend the Friday night in Bedford, a short train or car journey away.

Wellingborough has a tourist information office (Tel: 01933-276412), with accommodation lists from B&Bs to Travel Inn hotels on-line. The local area's big tourist attraction is Althorp House, home of the Spencers and Princess Diana's grave.

It involves a little travelling - there are two bars at the ground, then about four pubs in the nearest village Irthlingborough, about five-10 minutes walk away, with better pubs and choice of fast-food in Wellingborough four miles away. Nearby pub Oliver Twist Irthlingborough High St A mile walk uphill from the ground (or a mile downhill after a few ales, take your pick...) The pick of the local pubs, food served 1200-1400, with a couple of guest ales on. Friendly. Also does B&B for abour £25. DAFTS recommended Click for streetmap There are three others in the same area as The Oliver Twist, with The Bull the closest and popular with away fans.

At the ground Strikers bar Starting as a trial for this match, the bar at the club is open to visiting fans. Happy hour from 12.30pm with Fosters, Eagle and Bombadier at £2 per pint. AirWair stand bar Concourse bar in the away stand - good as these places go. There's also decent food at the ground in the refreshment area. Sky TV on the concourse.

Real ale pubs Victoriana Bar, Rushden Historical Transport Society Museum (3 miles) Found in Station Approach, off the A6 in Rushden, this has a well-stocked real ale bar, part of the local transport museum. They're aiming to get a rail link extended so put a few pounds behind the bar and help them on their way! Click for streetmap

Village pubs Vivian Arms, 153 Knox Rd, Wellingborough (4m) A CAMRA-listed backstreet gem serving Charles Wells and guest beers. To reach the pub from the station, turn left to the end of the approach then right up Midland Rd, then right again into Eldon Rd and first left Knox Road. Takes about six minutes. DAFTS recommended. Click for streetmap The Golden Lion, 19 Sheep St, Wellingborough (pictured above, 4m) Other pubs in the High Street include The Kingfisher and The Star Inn.. Click for streetmap Green Dragon, Higham Ferrers nr Higham market square. Off the A6 past Nene Park. Functional, not the prettiest pub, but a few Greene King ales and a small restaurant. Also does B&B for about £30.

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Rail timetables Virgin Trains GNER National Express Online map
Hotels/B&Bs Evening Telegraph

Surfing there...

The official website has all the basic information, while there is also a Rivals site DiamondsWeb, which is a little bereft of detailed insider knowledge, so we relied on a fairly useful rough guide on the official site. Better still though is another independent site rdfc.Net which is well designed and has an excellent guide to getting to the ground, local pubs and other facilities.

Next away match: Grimsby Town, Saturday 20th August

  No responsibility is taken for accuracy, if in doubt check before travelling.

© DAFTS 2005