Manor Fields, Bletchley MK2 2HX
Pre-Season Friendly – The James Victory Cup
Kick-Off 7:45pm
Thursday 25th July 2013
Buckingham Town v AFC Rushden & Diamonds XI
An AFC Rushden & Diamonds XI travel to Bletchley to face Buckingham Town on Thursday evening. The two teams will compete for the The James Victory Cup. This cup was presented to the Robins in 1946 by Mrs James to mark the end of World War Two, and is competed for during pre-season between the Robins and an invited opponent. The cup is solid silver. This game will also be a chance to see a mix of players, some of whom may form the nucleus of the planned Diamonds U21 side.
Our Opponents
According to their website, Buckingham Town was formed in 1883 and is thus one of the oldest clubs in the UCL. The Robins initially played in local leagues before joining the Hellenic and then the South Midlands League in the 1950’s. They joined the United Counties League in 1974, winning the league title in 1984 and 1985, before joining the Southern League, where they won the Southern Division title in 1991, before dropping back into the UCL, where Morrell Maison took them to the runner’s up spot in 2004. Their club website is here, and their Twitter feed here.
After a difficult start to last season, which included a 9-0 loss to the Diamonds at Manor Fields (report here), Neil Griffiths was brought in as manager, and he helped them to a successful end to the season which saw them finish in 15th position in UCL Division 1. Griffiths brought the Robins to the Dog & Duck in February, where despite a much improved performance they lost 3-0 – report here. They play in red.
Directions
For directions for the 24 mile trip from the Dog and Duck to Manor Fields (MK2 2HX) see here. The ground is owned and operated by the Milton Keynes Irish Centre. To get there from the roundabout on the A5 dual carriageway to the south of Milton Keynes, take the exit signposted to Fenny Stratford & Bletchley. After 500 yards, turn left off the main road at the sign for Manor Fields which is opposite Dobbies Garden Centre – turning into a narrow road leading to the sports fields. Cross the small bridge and follow the road until you see the Irish Centre in front of you, facing the car park with the ground to the right of that, behind a fence. There is further parking near the adjacent cricket field – and parking is free.
Other Info
Details of the full pre-season campaign are here. A summary of the players who are already signed on for the 2013-14 season is here. Individual player profiles for the 2013-14 Diamonds squad are available here, with a summary list of player and management profiles to follow once the season proper begins.
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 player and match stats from last season are here.
A full directory of UCL clubs, including links to websites, ground details etc, along with club links including Twitter details and some general UCL links is here.
