AFC Rushden & Diamonds 8 Northampton Sileby Rangers 1

AFC Rushden & Diamonds recorded their biggest home league win as they defeated Northampton Sileby Rangers 8-1 at the Dog & Duck and made it 15 goals in two games this week.

They totally dominated and took the lead on 8 minutes. Elliot Lamb-Johnson was brought down in the area and Jason Turner converted from the spot. Sileby briefly levelled on 15 through Dominic Okano bundling in after Matt Finlay part blocked Hussein Mohammed’s shot. But Diamonds then scored 5 goals in a twenty minute spell starting with Tom Lorraine’s superb header from a great cross by Elliot Lamb-Johnson on 21. Turner then converted another Lamb-Johnson cross from 5 yards on 23, Lamb-Johnson netted his first for the club from Fazel Koriya’s lay off on 33, Koriya himself tapped home from 2 yards after Lamb-Johnson free kick on 39 and Turner completed his hat-trick on 41 sweeping home from the edge of the box after another great through-ball. Leading 6-1 at half-time Diamonds added two more in the second half both fantastic strikes. First Adam Confue drove in a half-volley from the edge of the box on 56 after great work by Jack Ashton down the left, and the best goal of the game came from the boot of Liam Dolman on 79 a screamer from 25 yards high into the top corner in front of a delighted Peter de Banke Terrace.

Manager Andy Peaks reverted very close to the team that played Boston on the previous Saturday with just one change in defence with Jack Ashton moving to left back in place of Sam Brown and Arron Parkinson coming in at centre half alongside Liam Dolman. Lamb-Johnson retained his right wing berth at the expense of Matt Gearing, with Tom Lorraine starting up front alongside mid-week hat-trick hero Jason Turner. Ex Diamonds Jake Gillingwater and Elliott Dent were in the Sileby side.

Diamonds started brightly with Elliott Lamb-Johnson having probably his best game for the club finding and using space down the right hand-side to great effect. He came close on 6 minutes having a close range shot blocked after bursting onto a Confue through ball in the box, and played a pivotal role in the opening goal on 8 minutes. He ran at full-back Emmanuel Bella again, turning him both ways before bursting past him into the box  drawing a lunging challenge which was rewarded with a penalty. Jason Turner stepped up and coolly slotted home into the bottom left corner.

While Diamonds held the balance of play Sileby had pace and trickery in their front three and with Elliot Dent in midfield showed promise when getting into the final third. And they equalised on 15 when a quick break found Hussein Mohammed in space, his shot was part blocked by Matt Finlay but span high into the air falling just under the bar where Dominic Okanu bundled over the line.

They stayed level for just 6 minutes as Diamonds scored the first of 5 goals in a magical 20 minute spell. On 21 minutes Elliott Lamb-Johnson’s superb driven cross found Tom Lorraine 15 yards out with an angled header into the far corner of the net. Just two minutes later on 23 Elliot Lamb-Johnson fed Adam Confue down the right-hand side and his cross to the near post was fired home by Jason Turner.

On 33 it was Elliott Lamb-Johnson’s turn to finish for his first goal for the club. He fed Jason Turner down the right whose first cross was blocked back to him, his second found Fazel Koriya on the far post for a point blank header that was blocked by keeper David Allan, but he collected the rebound and pulled the ball back to Elliott Lamb-Johnson to fire home from 8 yards.

It was Fazel Koriya’s turn next on 39 tapping home from 2 yards for his 9^th of the season after an Elliott Lamb-Johnson free kick was part blocked on the line and he was on hand to tap home. Jason Turner completed the goal blitz 2 minutes later on 41 for his hat-trick seizing onto another ball through the Sileby back-four beating the keeper to it and sweeping it past him into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. That made back to back hat-tricks for Turner a first for an AFC Rushden & Diamonds player and took him level with Koriya on 9 for the season.

Half-time: AFC Rushden & Diamonds 6 Northampton Sileby Rangers 1

It was an understandably more low-key second-half in the warm October sunshine although Sileby started with real energy and purpose with no sense of damage limitation. Good pressing across the pitch on 46 minutes won them the ball and Okanu had a good effort from 25 yards just over the bar.

Diamonds kept passing and moving the ball and Jack Ashton was prominent as an attacking threat getting clear on 50 minutes feeding Tom Lorraine who danced past a couple of defenders and shot firmly from the edge of the box just over the bar.

They had a goal disallowed on 53 as the impressive Adam Confue burst into the left hand side of the penalty area and crossed for Fazel Koriya to tap home but the flag was up for offside.

Adam Confue got a deserved goal in superb fashion on 56. After more good work by Jack Ashton down the left his cross was only cleared to the edge of the box where Confue struck a powerful rising half-volley into the roof of the net past the rooted David Allan in the Sileby goal.

Brad Harris was unfortunate to receive his first yellow card of the season on 56 after an innocuous tackle, Referee Paul Cooper indicating it was for repeated offences, always a tough judgement when no individual challenge was worthy of punishment.

Sileby had chances in the middle period of the half, Okanu getting clear down the left and having his shot blocked by Finlay in the Diamonds goal, and Will Muzvimbiri put a free header from 5 yards just wide of the near post.

We then had a series of substitutions with Russ Dunkley replacing Jason Turner who received a fantastic send-off by the Diamonds faithful, who were no less enthusiastic for Elliott Lamb-Johnson when he was replaced by Matt Gearing. Greg Ling then came on for Fazel Koriya.

Joe Merrill had an impressive afternoon and his cheeky back heel fed Matt Gearing who surged towards the edge of the box and hit a curling shot that looked in all the way, but was brilliantly pushed out by the overworked David Allan in the Sileby goal.

The final goal of the game on 79 was the best and most spectacular of the afternoon. Great work by Ling and Dunkley won a corner. It was cleared only as far as Liam Dolman 25 yards out and he hit an absolute rocket into the top corner, one of the best strikes we’ve seen at the Dog & Duck.

Full-time: AFC Rushden & Diamonds 8 Northampton Sileby Rangers 1

It was Diamonds highest tally at the Dog & Duck in the league, matching the 8 scored in the FA Cup replay against Cockfosters, and it made 15 goals in a week after the 7-1 KO Cup win at Burton Park Wanderers on Tuesday night. The goals that general play have threatened this season have started to come, and manager Andy Peaks will be pleased with the more composed form of Elliott Lamb-Johnson, the finishing of Jason Turner, Fazel Koriya and Tom Lorraine, and the strong look of the back four although the first clean sheet of the season remains elusive.

Diamonds take on old foes Oadby Town in their next game at the Dog & Duck next Saturday.

Attendance:  447

Man of the Match chosen by our sponsors Hevey Building Supplies:  Adam Confue

Match Report by Paul Judd

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Match Gallery courtesy of Malcolm Swinden Photography (click on the link to access the Diamonds Photo Gallery for more images from this game and ecommerce options). Copyright Mal Swinden ©2014