AFC Rushden & Diamonds (H)

[Del]

Saturday 01 October 2022 .. kick-off 1500hrs

We extend a warm welcome to first-time visitors and/or away fans, here's what you need to know about the Race Stadium

https://www.hednesfordtownfc.com/stadium

We hope you enjoy your visit to the Race Stadium and we wish you safe journeys to and from the ground.

Local weather forecasts can be found here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2653883

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weat ... /gcqe9zm6y

[PitmanKeith]

I know it's only October 1st but the result of this game could be more than pivotal to the outcome of our season, that first win needs to be found pdq.
My mind wanders back to last season though when we were 2-0 up in this fixture with 2 minutes left and contrived to let ourselves be beaten 2-3.

[Caroljohnson]

Oh yes I remember it well. One of our supporters who always leaves with 5 minutes to go because of traffic rang me at 9pm having heard and wanted to know if it was true. History must NOT repeat itself

[Del]

PITMEN 5 - 0 AFC RUSHDEN & DIAMONDS

League Table: https://southern-football-league.co.uk/ ... 22/2023/P/

Full Times
Bedford 2v4 Stourbridge
Hednesford 5v0 AFC Rushden & Diamonds
Kings Langley 2v5 Bromsgrove
Redditch 4v2 Royston
Stratford 0v5 Rushall
Tamworth 4v1 Barwell

[njp]

What a performance! I have not walked away from a Hednesford game with a smile like this on my face for a long time! Great performances all round and even Bennett looked well up for it which was great to see.

[C D S]

Brilliant stuff. Well done to Yogi and Toothy for all their hard work that paid off in spades this afternoon

I don’t know if the management team had the 3-5-2 formation in mind for today’s game or whether it was borne out of necessity with having no full-backs available but it was very effective - Lowe at the centre, organising Ison to his right at Portman to his left. A proper old-school, no-nonsense debut from Lowe - a superb display. Never put a foot (or a head) wrong all afternoon.

I’m happy to be proved wrong by Bennett after Tuesday night - a brilliant opener, just highlighting what you can do if you just shoot when the play opens up in front of you. Cuff and Lita - again - were the two main protagonists going forward in the first half, a constant menace to a dodgy-looking Rushden defence and very ably supported by Nesbitt

It had been a workmanlike, unspectacular but competent performance in the first half but you felt at the break that we had to grab the second goal to feel comfortable. I don’t think anyone expected what was to follow after the break however as Nesbitt took his goal early really well, even if it felt like it took forever to crawl over the line! From then on we never looked in any real danger, keeping the ball well and playing a quick, direct counter-attacking brand of football that saw Livingstone come into the game more and more. Lita - having missed a sitter earlier in the half - struck the quickest hat-trick I’ve ever seen from a Hednesford player with some typically swashbuckling running and shooting on sight.

Rushden looked like a side desperately short of confidence going forwards and indecisive at the back. I know we’re not in much of a position to gloat in comparison, but twelve goals conceded in two matches will be a worry to them.

Plenty of man of the match candidates; Ison was back on song today, as was Parker. Lita and Cuff I’ve already mentioned, but it had to be Lowe. To be fair, it was a good all-round team performance.

Expecting a tight and attritional derby game next week but much more confident about it after today.

[C D S]

Rushden's manager departs after today's defeat:

[PitmanKeith]

Whilst a win is a win no matter what the circumstances this was against probably the most inept side I've ever seen at this level. Scoring five is a great confidence booster in current times but I can't allow myself to get carried away. Until Lita popped up with a four minute hat trick we had still struggled to take advantage of a rag tag outfit despite having numerous opportunities to fill our boots.
Still some good individual performances though Lowe looks like the centre half we've been looking for the real deal. Parker looks so much better playing in the advanced midfield role, Leroy ran his socks of as usual and a good solid game from Ison playing alongside the calming influence of Lowe. Brooks, first time I've seen him,
looks a calm and decisive keeper also.
We are still very much a work in progress and we need to gain confidence and consistency from this first win. This was our first 5 goal margin league win since 18th Feb 2017 when we beat Skelmersdale 5-0 at KP in the NPL and boy how we needed it.
However I certainly can't go along with our plethora of Facebook friends who thought the performance was a league winning one, we are still a long long way from that level, but Steve and Neil are instilling the right attitude in the side you can plainly see that and we just need to build and get better at the things we do against better opposition.

[TMVP]

Highlights

[Lee K]

As Keith says we cannot get too excited by this win as Rushden were absolutely woeful and their defending for the last three goals was awful. Things are starting to look better though no doubt the confidence of the players should improve after yesterday and the way they took the game to Coalville last weekend.
The biggest difference for me was in Parker. I don’t think he’d had a good game yet this season but yesterday he was a lot better and seemed more comfortable and was more effective playing further forward in midfield. We know he’s a quality footballer that was being held back by KMR, now we might see how good he really can be and it was nice to a bit more of what Bennett is capable of but has hardly shown.
Lowe was excellent and is exactly what we need at the back - someone to organise everyone around him similar to what Cameron was doing - something that Bailey and Riley don’t seem able to do when they are playing. You don’t need pace or youth when you can read the game as well as Lowe can.
My first view of Nesbitt as the home games against Bromsgrove and Redditch are the only two league games I’ve missed so far and he looks neat and tidy and makes some intelligent runs. Playing two up front is exactly what we need and Leroy is a goal machine at this level if he gets chances.
I am hoping that we treat the FA Trophy properly and put a full strength team out to play Rushall next week and with quite a few games in October by the end of it we’ll know whether we are promotion challengers or just play-off contenders.

[TMVP]

Steve Burr post-match

[PitmanKeith]

we’ll know whether we are promotion challengers or just play-off contenders.

Have you looked at the league table?

I'll settle for comfortable mid table this season and kick on next.

[TMVP]

Keith Lowe post-match