Rushden & Diamonds: Phoenix club set for FA Cup first round proper
Some 2,000 travelling fans will make their way to see the now eighth-tier Diamonds take on League One side Burton Albion on Saturday – a bittersweet reminder of days the supporters of the original club could have once taken for granted.
Usher, like many of those involved with the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands side, has followed both incarnations of the club – firstly as a fan, but also as a groundsman and turnstile operator before becoming chairman in 2022.
“My first game was an FA Cup tie against Shrewsbury Town in 1998. It was the year we ended up playing Leeds United in the third round.” he said.
“Rushden & Diamonds gave us some great times. Winning leagues, the Duane Darby’s, the Onandi Lowe’s of our past. But I tell everyone I’ve never traded for what we have with AFC Rushden & Diamonds.
“This is a community, this is an army of people who turn up and give their time and their money, their care, their devotion… not because they want the club to exist, but because they want the club to thrive. That’s why it’s so special”.
