Bugbrooke St Michaels v AFC Rushden & Diamonds
Saturday 9th March 2013 – 3pm
ChromaSport & Trophies United Counties League Division One
Birds Close, Gayton Road, Bugbrooke, Northants NN7 3RW
AFC Rushden & Diamonds play their fourth consecutive ChromaSport & Trophies United Counties League Division One Saturday away game, when they travel to Bugbrooke to face Bugbrooke St Michaels on Saturday afternoon at Birds Close. The Badgers are one of the teams challenging for promotion, although their backlog of games means they are a few points adrift of the top four in the league.
Some Diamonds fans may have visited Birds Close to watch the U18 side, and will now get a chance to see the ground during daylight hours.
The club has a small Car Park, and also has the use of the nearby Community Centre Car Park (see below). They ask all supporters to be respectful of the village community, and avoid obstructing drives or pathways. Admission is £5 with £3 for Concessions. There is a fully Licenced Club House, with Hot Food and drinks available at the ground. There is limited Disabled parking, but the ground has Disabled accessibility and facilities.
Details of any issues with respect to the weather / pitch conditions etc will be here or on Twitter (@AFCRD). Those who may not have internet access in the build-up to a game may want to make note of the club contact phone number as detailed here.
Our Opponents
Bugbrooke St Michaels are based in the village of Bugbrooke, to the south-west of Northampton. Their club website is here. The club was founded in 1929, joining the UCL in 1985. In 2003 the club became a Community Charter Standard Club.
The Badgers are managed by Paul Field, who took over the reins in the summer, bringing in the bulk of the current squad during the close season. They play in yellow shirts and blue shorts.
The Badgers have had an impressive season to date, and were still unbeaten in the league when they visited the Dog & Duck in October, with that game ending 1-1 courtesy of a late equalizer from Ben Morgan – report here.
Birds Close, Bugbrooke
For directions for the 20 mile trip from the Dog and Duck to Birds Close (NN7 3RW) see here. As you approach from the Gayton / Rothersthorpe direction you will pass the ground on your right just as you reach the village. There will be overflow Car Parking at the Bugbrooke Community Centre which is in Camp Close, the turning on the left just before reaching Birds Close. Alternatively if you reach the village itself from the M1 J16 / Nether Heyford / Kislingbury direction, carry on the main road through the village towards Gayton (Camp Hill) – the ground entrance is immediately past the last house on the left.
For those wishing to us public transport, the route would be via Northampton Bus Station, taking the Stagecoach D3 to Bugbrooke from there – timetable here. See the Traveline website for door-to-door trip planning.
Other Info
Individual player profiles for the squad are available here, with a summary list of player and management profiles here. Summary stats for the season to date are here, including match data, appearance / goalscoring details as well as a form guide and attendances summary. The current league table is here.
There are details on how to become a member of AFC R&D here, as well as information on Multiple Game Tickets and related prices 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.
