The unofficial AFC Rushden & Diamonds messageboard

With the switch of the Gateshead fixtures we now have 5 out of the next 6 games at home, and all 6 are potentially winnable games. Our results over this period will be crucial as we will then play 7 of our last 11 fixtures away, including trips to Wimbledon, Crawley, Wrexham, Darlington, Grimsby and Mansfield, and home matches against Luton, Wrexham and Kidderminster.

If we can get into a really challenging play-off position by the end of the 6 games it may give us the momentum to push on through the difficult run-in, but if we slip back over these next few games I can't see us being able to mount a challenge.

Last season at this time there were effectively 5 or 6 teams pushing for the final 2 play-off places but this season it seems that only 1 place is currently up for grabs, with the top 4 looking well clear, but there are around 8 teams capable of making it to the final play-off spot.

If we were to make a play-off place this year, with all that has happened this season both on and off the field, it would represent a much greater achievement than last year in my opinion.

rushdenman wrote:If we were to make a play-off place this year, with all that has happened this season both on and off the field, it would represent a much greater achievement than last year in my opinion.

I totally agree. Plus we would have done it without the best player in the league, and with (I believe) an even smaller playing budget than last season.

I have to stay up till 1am if I want to listen to any of the Saturday games....but
i might just do so for the next few weeks.

We've got a great opportunity here...Unbeaten in 5, with a 'winnable' next 7 or 8 matches. In doing so, a boost of confidence and table position heading into the 'pressure' games at the back end of the season...this in turn gives us a chance to upset the likes of Luton and the Dons who have a larger weight hanging on there shoulders as they battle with Crawley to nab the top spot and secure playoffs. We'll go into those games knowing how to win, and if we nick points from those games....we've got a real chance of playoffs.

This achievement would be huge. More fans will come for the playoffs and this little boost of publicity, will intern, give our new owners faith and positivity, who can then use the time to sort things on the marketing side over the summer. We can then have a real push next season with no 'big' players leaving and a young squad with experience starting to believe and playing better as a strong, settled team.


I am being overly positive. But i think things will get better from here folks...the eye of the storm has passed, so has the initial clean up....the re-building begins (this last bit has come from the fact that i'm living in one of the flood affected areas in Queensland)


COME ON YOU WHITES....or whatever we wear now.

I think the mood round the club has improved greatly the player's seem to have the heads up again, and i can see us finishing up there right in the thick of it, and having the next 5 outt 6 game's at home its an even better time to start gettin results on the board as they will have the fan's aslways behind them 100%.

An that starts at Gateshead this weekend, we have the playoffs once again in sight and i agree it will be a much better achievement then last season, Actually going up i think will be hard but we have the strength in depth at the mo to put up a good fight if we do get to the playoffs or even the final.