AFC Rushden & Diamonds v Barwell FC – Saturday 15th July

AFC Rushden & Diamonds will play their first game in the Pre-Season campaign on Saturday July 15^th, ahead of the 2017-18 campaign when they host Barwell FC in the Dale Roberts Memorial Cup (KO 3pm). This is the first of a number of pre-season games to be played at Hayden Road, Rushden prior to a final friendly at Hillgrounds, Kempston ahead of the new league season in the Southern League Division One East (EVO-STIK South, East).

This game has been designated as the annual Dale Roberts Memorial Cup game, and on the conclusion of the game, the winner will be presented with a trophy. If the scores are level after 90 minutes, a penalty shoot out will determine the winner. This is an extremely important event for AFC Rushden & Diamonds, where we will remember the passing of Dale Roberts. His presence will be marked by a minutes applause before the game, and his parents will present the trophy to the winners.

The Diamonds will wear their new third strip for this game – Grey shirts, yellow shorts and yellow socks. Admission prices will be £4 adults and £2 concessions for this game. Details of the full pre-season campaign are here, with the league season starting on 12^th August.

The game is being played at Hayden Rd, Rushden NN10 0HX – see here for a map of the ground and local area. The ground itself is best accessed from the west. Take the A6 Rushden and Higham bypass, and exit at the junction with Newton Road. Follow the road past the cemetery, and take the sharp right hand turn immediately after the Risdene Academy onto Hayden Road. The ground is approximately a quarter of a mile on the left.

The Diamonds faced Barwell FC in a memorable FA Cup tie two seasons ago, with the Diamonds forcing a replay with a dramatic late equaliser, and then faced the Canaries in front of a record home crowd for the club. Their club history is on their webpage page here.Their website is here, and twitter feed here. This will be their fourth game in an extensive pre-season campaign.

There is a bar and catering facility at Hayden Rd. The Diamonds Club Shop has been relocated to Hayden Rd and it is hoped it will be open before the game to allow fans to take advantage of the early bird season ticket offer, as well being able to renew their membership or purchase the new 3rd kit and other shop merchandise. Alternatively it will be open at other times as detailed here.

Parking in the immediate area of the ground is confined to on street parking within residential areas. Consequently, we would respectfully ask visitors to the ground to park considerately and ensure residents are not adversely affected, road ways are kept clear and not to park on grass verges. Ideally, we would suggest making use of the free parking in the town centre and then walking the short distance to the ground.

For local supporters within Rushden and Higham Ferrers the best approach is to either walk, cycle or catch a bus to the ground. If you decide to drive we ask that you car share where possible to reduce car parking requirements.

There are no public parking spaces at the ground other than 2 disabled spaces. Cycle parking is provided.

Walking directions from Rushden town centre to Hayden Road: The ground is only 10 minutes’ walk from St Mary’s Church, nearby car parks and bus stops in the centre of Rushden. We would recommend supporters make use of the town centre facilities and walk the short distance to the ground. Newton Road starts in the town centre near St Mary’s Church so all you have to do is walk up the hill with Lidl and Rushden Amateur Sports Club on your left. After you pass a small garage with a “Fina” totem pole turn left onto Cromwell Road and the ground will be in view.

Car parking In Rushden Town Centre: East Northamptonshire District Council car parks are detailed below. These are well located depending on which way you enter Rushden town centre. All are within walking distance of the ground and free to park. Please check specific time restrictions at each car park.

The car parks are mainly located along either Duke Street or Rectory Road, both roads form a one-way ring road around the town centre joined by Church Street and Newton Road adjacent to St Mary’s church.

On street car parking: For those spectators arriving early for the game there will be limited on street car parking available in and around Hayden Road. You are requested not to park on Birch Road, Maple Road and Short Stocks. Other roads, such as Hove Road and Cromwell Road may offer parking opportunities although we would remind you that these are residential areas and you should always park responsibly. Please do not park blocking drives or access routes. We would recommend you use the nearby town centre car parks. 

Driving directions to Rushden town centre: Depending on your direction there are several ways into Rushden:

• From Northampton and Wellingborough on the A45 come off at A5001 signposted towards Rushden town centre. Keep on the road until you reach the 5^th roundabout which is in the centre of Rushden. Take the first exit onto Duck Street where you will find several carparks. If you want to go straight to the ground from this route take the second exit onto Church Street and then Newton road. Continue up the hill and turn left onto Cromwell Road.
• From Kettering, Burton Latimer, Irthlingborough on the A6 and Huntingdon and Cambridge on the A45 from A6/A45 (Chowns Mill Roundabout) take the A6 Higham Ferrers / Rushden bypass towards Bedford.  At the 3rd roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto Newton Road towards Rushden town Centre. Approximately ¾ mile towards the town centre, immediately after the Rushden Academy school turn right into Cromwell Road this then leads into Hayden Road. The ground is 100 meters on the left. To go to the town centre, remain on Newton Road for ¼ mile. As you enter the town centre St Mary’s Church will be on your left and follow the one- way system in the right-hand lane until you come to a roundabout. Take the 2^nd exit onto Duck Street for car parking.
• From Bedford on the A6 take Rushden bypass towards Kettering and at the 1st roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Newton Road. Then turn right immediately after the school into Cromwell Road if you are going to the ground or carry on along Newton Road for the town centre and easier parking.

Bus Services: Rushden town centre is serviced by both express and local services and the main bus stops in Skinners Hill/ High Streel are around a short 10-minute walk to the ground. Follow the walking instructions above. The primary bus services are:

• X46/ X47: Northampton, Wellingborough, Rushden, Higham Ferrers and Raunds. Operated by Stagecoach. Half hourly service at peak times – details here.
• 49: Rushden Lakes, Rushden to Kettering via Irthlingborough and Finedon. Operated by Stagecoach. Hourly service operating until 7pm – details here.
• 50: Rushden Lakes, Rushden to Bedford. Operated by Stagecoach. Hourly service operating until 7pm – details here – interlinking with Service 49 to Kettering – details here.
• 26:  Rushden to Harrold; limited service with last bus leaving Skinners hill at 5pm. Operated by Grant Palmer – details here.

Rail services:

• Wellingborough: half hourly East Midlands Trains services to London and Sheffield/ Nottingham. Bus connections via X46/47 from Wellingborough town centre. Taxis are available on the station forecourt or can be booked.
• Bedford: frequent Thameslink and East Midlands Trains services although it is difficult to get public transport directly from the station to Hayden Road other than taxi, as the station is 10 minutes walk from Bedford Bus Station.

Taxi services: There are numerous taxi companies available either in the Rushden or Wellingborough area. Selected provides are show below.

• Rushden/ Higham Ferrers: Brian’s Taxis  01933 411313,  Alco Taxis 01933 412222, Rushden Taxis 01933 411410, Gpstaxis 01933 355055.
• Wellingborough/ Finedon/ Irthlingborough: Lee Cabs 01933 442444, Nucabs 01933 226565, Baldrys 01933 223909.

Travel planning advice: A number of websites can give detailed travel planning advice to assist you in your journey including: AA route planner (for car journey planning), Cyclestreets (for cycle journey planning); Google maps (for public transport and car journey planning), National Rail enquiries (for train journey planning), Ordnance Survey (maps), RAC route planner (for car journey planning), Traveline (for public transport), walkit.com (for planning walks).

Other Info

There is a Diamonds Match Diary here, and the club twitter feed will provide the latest information before, during and after the match using the link https://twitter.com/AFCRD or by following @AFCRD. See below for details of all the social media options for following the Diamonds, as well as details on Radio Diamonds.

Player and Match Sponsorship options are detailed in the Commercial Section of this website as detailed here

The latest fixture news is here. You can find a directory of all of the EVO-STIK South, East Clubs, with links to web pages, twitter feeds etc here, where you will also find a set of links to other useful resources.

There are a range of social media options available to help follow the Diamonds, with the well used and liked twitter feed to the fore, as well as a Facebook page and Club Instagram Page (follow afcrd), and a Snapchat service, accessible on mobile platforms such as an iOS or Android Phone, so you can follow the live matchday story by finding afcrd on Snapchat.

Radio Diamonds will broadcast commentary on games once the League Season starts – details here.

Don’t forget you can get a regular Diamonds news bulletin delivered to your inbox, including details of all the forthcoming fixtures by signing up to the Club Newsletter – you will see a sign-up box on the right-hand side of the site homepage – just under the Gold Bond Logo.

For details of the history of AFC Rushden & Diamonds see here.

There are details on how to become a member of AFC R&D here, as well as news on Season Tickets, Multiple Game Tickets and related prices here.

The club depends upon volunteer support from its fanbase. If you would like to join the group who help either on matchdays or behind the scenes see here.

People accessing the website via Tablet or Mobile who want to access some of the nested menus on the website may find the “Quick Links” tab useful – found just under the “Auto Windscreens” logo on the homepage.