Diamonds are quickly back in action at Hayden Road this Tuesday (28th) as they take on Royston Town in the Southern League Premier Central, 7.45PM kick-off.
AFC Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden come into the contest on the back of four unbeaten games, with three of those victories. The latest success was in their last match on Saturday when they produced a brilliant turnaround to defeat Hitchin 2-1 courtesy of a last-minute towering header from Alex Collard. The game also featured recent signing Ravi Shamsi register his first goal for the club, and contributed to Diamonds moving up to 11th in the early league standings.
Royston Town
The visitors are based in Hertfordshire, and play their home games at Garden Walk. They are managed by Steve Castle, and their nickname is The Crows.
Royston were first formed in 1875, and have played in the Southern League Premier Central since they won the Division One Central title in 2016/17. For their full history, click here.
They currently sit 9th in the table, one point above Diamonds after playing the same amount of games. The Crows are unbeaten in their last three league matches, winning their last two on the road. To find out more about our opponents, head to their website.
Previous meetings
The two sides have met six times before, with Royston winning three and drawing two of those encounters.
However, Diamonds won the most important match between the teams when they defeated the Hertfordshire side in the Division One Central Play-Off Semi-Final 2-1 at Garden Walk in April 2016. The memorable and dramatic clash will never be forgotten, with Jack Bowen and Liam Dolman seemingly putting the game out of reach of the ten-man Royston only for the hosts to get one back. Despite seven minutes of additional time though, the heroic Rushden held on to claim the victory.
The three matches at this level have resulted in one Royston win (2-1 at Garden Walk in 2018/19), and two draws at Hayden Road (0-0 in 2018/19 and 1-1 in 2019/20).
Ticket information
You can buy your ticket in advance by visiting https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/afcrd or you can pay by card on the turnstile. Cash entry payments will not be permitted. Admission prices are as follows:
Adult: £11
Concession: £8
Under 16: £8
Under 8: FREE
Under 16 Members: FREE
Catering
There will be a burger van at the match offering food and drinks.
How can I follow the match?
If you are unable to attend Tuesday’s game, the Radio Diamonds team will be on hand to bring you live commentary from the match. You can also find live updates on the official club Twitter feed @AFCRD.
Be sure to watch the post-match interviews and highlights on AFCRDTV after the game and have a read of the match report.
Match preview: Ollie Mortimer
