The unofficial AFC Rushden & Diamonds messageboard

I hope you've all enjoyed watching the FA Cup Final, because there's an even more important cup game this bank holiday monday!
The annual Sixfields Disability festival is this bank holiday monday, and will feature teams from all over the country competing for the chance to lift the trophy, and AFC Rushden & Diamonds have entered a team.
For the last two years, we've won the title at the end of the day, and I'd love it if we could get a few of the Diamonds faithful to come down and watch some of the games - it's from 10:30 until 5 (if we're lucky!) and I know it's a long day and a long drive, but it really does mean the world to these players to see people wearing the shirt and cheering them on, so come on down!

Copied and pasted from the community page on facebook. It's a very good standard of football, and it would really make the day for the players if they had a few people coming down at cheering on the Diamonds. Admittance is free, and you certainly get plenty to watch! I know it's a big ask for people to come down to support a team they might not even know exists, but for some of these kids football is their entire life, and days like the Sixfields festival are the events they look forward to all year.

Even if we just get a few people down, it'll make these players feel like superstars, so if you can spare the day, please do try and make it down!

Thanks very much,

James Beil

I went along yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Diamonds played in The Championship group as they were the holders from last year and reached the semi final where they were beaten 2-0 by a very good MK team. I did not stay for the final so don't know who won between MK and NTFC.
In the group matches Diamonds won 2 lost 2, which was enough to progress to semi's. The wins were 1-0 against Aston Villa and 5-0 against Inter?

For me the Diamonds star player was goalkeeper Jordan (the lad who displays the winning raffle tickets at D & D), he pulled off some really spectacular saves...even one from his own defender and he even managed to get on the scoresheet.

I saw three games and all were very competitive, a little bit too much on a couple of occasions.!!

There were 20 teams competing in various groups travelling from as far afield as Fleetwood, Kings Lynn and Brentford.
Teams included players aged from 12 to 60+, male and female and an extremely wide field of disabilities, and all I am sure enjoyed the day having the opportunity to play at Sixfields.

NTFC deserve credit for organising such an excellent event and congratulations to James Bell for managing the squad. Sometimes tactician other times motivator and peace maker.

My only disappointment was that so few spectators attended, as the event was only advertised a couple of days beforehand. Next Year lets put out some publicity sooner and maybe we will have a few more to cheer the team to victory again.