AFC Rushden & Diamonds can announce that we have reached an agreement today with Matthew Fossen to terminate his contract and he will leave the Club with immediate effect.
There was much excitement around the Club at the start of the season when Matty joined and many supporters have been wondering when we might see him back in a Diamonds shirt. Matty suffered a broken wrist whilst playing for the Club earlier this season and the injury proved to be worse than initially expected, resulting in nerve damage which with the exception of one appearance at Hednesford back in October, has kept him out of the squad since.
This was compounded when, whilst travelling to watch the team against St. Ives earlier this month, Matty was knocked off his bike by a car at high speed, an incident that left him requiring hospital care and ruling him out of the rest of the season.
Matty had this to say on his decision to leave the Club: “Unfortunately due to personal reasons beyond my control I am unable to complete the remainder of the season at AFC Rushden & Diamonds. Recent months have been difficult and frustrating for me and despite doing everything in my power to overcome these setbacks and assist the team, recent circumstances have meant this is no longer going to be possible. I wish the Club all the best moving forward and it has been a pleasure to be a part of such a special football club.”
Chairman Rob Usher was keen to praise and thank Matty for his contribution and willingness to negotiate with the Club when it became clear he wouldn’t be able to play for the Club again this season: “Matty could have just sat on his contract with the Club but to his credit, he was happy to negotiate with us with the Club’s best interests in mind. He wants the Club to succeed and he’s aware that whilst he can’t actively contribute towards that with his performances on the pitch on a Saturday afternoon, accepting a severance on reduced terms allows Chris Nunn greater flexibility with the playing budget and ultimately gives us a better chance of achieving our goals this season. That will be his contribution to the fight and we would like to place on record our thanks both for this and his service to the Club. Supporters will remember that Matty came to the EGM in November such was his commitment to the cause and we wish him well in both his recovery and his career.”