Diamonds are forever - phoenix club seek FA Cup upset

Published6 November 2026, 08:13 GMT

The notion of your football club ceasing to exist is unthinkable for many fans, but for supporters of Rushden & Diamonds it became a sad reality in 2011.

The Northamptonshire-based side, backed by the late Max Griggs, rocketed through non-league in the 1990s and in 2003 reached the third tier of English football before financial issues after he stepped away ultimately saw them fold.

A community lost its focal point, and within years their Nene Park stadium had been razed to the ground.

"It was heartbreaking - we knew we'd been robbed." reflected Rob Usher, the chairman of phoenix side AFC Rushden & Diamonds, who will make their FA Cup first-round debut this weekend.

"I think it was that anger that probably fuelled the fans saying 'no, we don't accept it. We're not gone, we're not done and we want our club back."

'This is community'

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".

Diamonds, who now play their home games at Hayden Road, started their journey to the first round proper with a 5-0 win at Kimberley Miners Welfare in the extra preliminary round on 8 August.

They have also beaten Long Eaton United, Desborough Town, Peterborough Sports, Braintree Town and Morecambe to reach this stage.

Along with Stafford Rangers, who host Grimsby Town on Sunday, they are the only side left in the competition to have played from the earliest round and have so far earned £23,194 from the FA's prize fund.

The winners of the tie at Burton's Pirelli Stadium will collect £47,750, with the losers taking £15,800.

Sharp's return sealed by an emoji

Joining AFC Rushden & Diamonds' attempt to make more history will be Billy Sharp, the Championship's all-time record goalscorer, who has reversed his recent decision to retire.

The 40-year-old, best known for his spells with Sheffield United and Doncaster Rovers, scored his first nine professional goals while on loan from the Blades to the original Diamonds in 2005.

"They [Rushden & Diamonds] made me as a player," said Sharp, who will be targeting a landmark 300th goal while filling in for forward James Clifton who is serving a suspension for accumulated yellow cards.

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"I've stayed in contact with the club over last few years, I should've been here for a legends game and I couldn't make it. But I always look out for their results.

"Elliot [Sandy, the club's manager] asked me if I'd consider playing, I said let's see what happens v Morecambe. Within 20 minutes of the result he text me an eyes emoji.

"I just smiled and said give me a day or two. It just seemed right. The opportunity to score another goal, to play another game in the FA Cup. It's special. This club means a lot to me, it gave me my chance when I was a young kid. Hopefully we can cause a shock, if we get through to the next round James [Clifton] can get his chance."

Defender Sam Brown, who grew up watching Rushden & Diamonds on the terraces at Nene Park, remembers chanting Sharp's name and expects it to feel "weird" to now play alongside him.

Brown was involved in the phoenix club's inaugural season and has made 350 appearances across two spells.

"It's been a rollercoaster," he said. "It's a big journey and I'm glad to have been a part of it.

"The club is owned by the fans so it needs all the fans to pull together to be able to grow. They turn up every Saturday no matter where we are and it's nice to have a chance for them to enjoy a different kind of environment on Saturday."

While the travelling supporters will hope to see an upset against Burton, for many, the experience of bringing their community together for such an occasion will provide the most lasting memories.

Diamonds say they have put on six coaches "at cost price" to help transport fans to the game in east Staffordshire.

Many are part owners and volunteers, including husband and wife Teresa and David Hales who help look after the club's kit.

"It's brilliant, absolutely brilliant." said Teresa. "For a little club like us it's absolutely amazing. I'm just so proud of everybody. Players, volunteers, everybody.

"There have been times over the years where I've sat with my head in my hands thinking, 'oh God, what's going to happen next?' But we're on the way up. We're really on the way up."

So, can the Diamonds do it?

"It would be the shock of shocks," said club chairman Usher. "I've seen this squad this year pull off unbelievable things when the odds are against us, so I don't count us out.

"I've seen this club come back from death quite literally in 2011 and once again four years ago [when the phoenix club faced financial troubles].

"Diamonds are never done. Diamonds are forever."

What happened to the original Rushden & Diamonds?

Rushden & Diamonds were formed in 1992 following the merger of Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds.

The merger was the brainchild of Max Griggs, the owner of Northamptonshire-based Dr. Martens, with the aim of getting the single, larger club into the Football League.

The club reached the Conference, now known as the National League, in 1996 and realised Griggs' dream of EFL football in 2001 under the management of Brian Talbot.

In 2003, Diamonds were promoted as champions to Division Two, now known as League One, but Griggs' retirement as chairman signalled the beginning of their ultimate demise.

By 2006 they had been relegated back to non-league and mounting financial pressures saw them kicked out the Conference in 2011 before ultimately folding.

Rivals Kettering Town moved into the club's Nene Park stadium at Irthlingborough for a brief and ill-fated period between 2011 and 2012, before the ground was demolished in 2017.

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