Match Report

Diamonds battled their way to a crucial first win of the campaign in an absorbing clash at Barwell.

Both sides traded early opportunities as Dean Snedker made the first of many fantastic stops to deny Tiago Nassunculo, and down the other end Jordan Hines hit a curling 25-yard effort that was well tipped away. The striker limped off, with Connor Furlong and Courtney Lashley also being taken off injured during the game, but the visitors coped well with the adversity and took the lead just after the half-hour mark. Miguel Ngwa robbed a defender on halfway before sprinting forward and coolly dispatching a low strike into the far corner.

The lead was extended only two minutes into the second half when Ngwa’s cross from the left found captain Nathan Hicks. His first-time attempt hit the upright, but he slammed home the rebound into the roof of the net. Eniola Agemoh-Davies fired a deflected effort narrowly wide before Snedker twice saved from Max Brogan, but he was powerless to prevent Brady Hickey’s 77^th minute header from finding the net. Sneder made another unbelievable stop from Brogan and Hickey somehow failed to convert a low ball in, but Diamonds held on for a vital three points.

Full match report to follow…

Preview

Andy Burgess speaks ahead of the away trip to Barwell.

Diamonds head to Leicestershire on Saturday (24th September, 3:00 pm kick-off) as they aim for their first league win of the campaign.

Admission prices are as follows:

Adults: £10

Concessions: £6

Under 16s: £3

Under 11s: Free

Our hosts

Barwell FC was created in 1992 with the merger of Hinckley and Barwell Athletic. Starting in the Midland Football Combination league, moving to the Midland Football Alliance League and then into the Northern Premier League Division One, they achieved Step 3 status in 2011 and moved into the Southern League structure. They reached the semi-finals of the FA Vase early in their existence and reached the First Round of the FA Cup in 2015 (beating Diamonds in a dramatic Fourth Round Qualifying game), before losing out to Welling United 2-0.

They play at the UK Flooring Direct Stadium (LE9 8FQ), and the Canaries are currently managed by Ian King. They finished 19^th in the league last season (W10 D11 L19 F57 A78).

To find out more about the club, visit their website here.

Last time out

Diamonds lost a midweek friendly at Step 4 side Stamford AFC 2-1. They trailed 2-0 at the break before Jenson Cooper pulled a goal back, but they were unable to find an equaliser.

In their last match Barwell were defeated in the FA Cup Second Round Qualifying at home to Kettering (1-4).

The season so far

Barwell currently sit 19^th in the Southern League Premier Central table after only winning one of their opening seven league games. They have won one (2-1 vs Ilkeston), drawn two (1-1 vs Alvechurch and 0-0 vs Kings Langley) and lost one (1-2 vs Hitchin) of their home matches so far.

Diamonds currently lie bottom of the league having drawn two and lost five of their matches so far.

Meetings between the clubs

The 2015 FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying tie saw a dramatic game in Diamonds’ early history. Barwell were the higher ranked side and Diamonds put in a tremendous performance in front of a large travelling crowd to fight back to a 2-2 draw thanks to Liam Dolman’s added time equaliser. An evenly fought replay at the Dog & Duck was finally won by Barwell with a 70^th minute Brady Hickey goal.

The clubs have clashed seven times in the Southern Premier Central, with Diamonds only losing once. Andy Peaks’ side did the double over Barwell in the 2019/20 season and there have been three draws, all 1-1 score lines, with Diamonds going down 0-1 at home in October 2021 and claiming a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture in February 2022.

Can’t make the game?

Our Radio Diamonds team will be providing live commentary as the action unfolds – tune in at mixlr.com/radiodiamondsafc. Listeners will be able to message with their comments and thoughts on 07394 309591.

We will also doing live updates on our Twitter account at twitter.com/AFCRD. Highlights and interviews will be available after the game at youtube.com/AFCRDTV.