AFC Rushden & Diamonds have endured a nomadic existence since they were formed in 2011 but that’s all been part of the thrill of the ride, according to manager Andy Peaks.
The phoenix club formed following the demise of former League Two outfit Rushden & Diamonds and Peaks’ side spent the 2015-16 season in the Southern League Division One Central, were transferred to the Northern Premier League Division One South the following year and this term, are back where they started, albeit in the renamed Division One East.
Their boss reached the Buildbase FA Trophy semi-finals as a player with the Diamonds in their original guise in 1994-95 – a 2-1 aggregate loss to eventual champions Woking.
Now he is gearing up to pit his side against Kidsgrove Athletic in the 2017-18 preliminary round.
“We’ve had a few changes but some quite successful times as well,” said former defender Peaks, whose troops reached the play-offs in both of the leagues they have played in over the last two seasons.
“I think that we’re literally sitting on the middle of the line – depending on what teams go up and down each year, we could go in either league.
“It’s been quite nice, to be honest. If you get stuck in the same league for a few years, you can play the same teams all the time.
“The old club was bankrolled by a multi-millionaire in Max Griggs, so there was no end to the budget and we climbed quite high, quite quickly.
“By the time it crashed, I was doing coaching with the kids teams but it was a whammy, really.
“We had a couple of years of non-existence and then we became a phoenix club set up by the fans.
“It’s run completely differently now. The club is now run by the supporters and they’ll never let it go to the state it was before.
“As long as they’ve got a football club, they’re happy because they had two years with no club to follow.
“I’m very respectful of the way that people run it and obviously, it’s a club that we’ve all got a lot of time for.”
The Diamonds faced off against Kidsgrove in the Northern Premier League last season, so Peaks is well-versed in what to expect at Hayden Road this Saturday.
He added: “They beat us at our place and we won up there against the run of play. They’ve got some strong players.
“That’s the benefit of these games – you pit your wits against teams from other leagues and you’ve got to be at your best to get through them.
“I’ve got a taste of getting to the semi-finals of the Trophy as a player but my aim is a manager is emulating that and trying to get to a final.”
Buildbase FA Trophy history
In their second Trophy campaign last term, the Diamonds reached second round qualifying, where they were beaten 2-0 by Lincoln United in a replay.
Staffordshire side Kidsgrove made it to third round qualifying in 2005-06, where they were knocked out by Warrington Town.
Did you know?
The Diamonds currently groundshare at Hayden Road with United Counties League outfit Rushden & Higham United, having previously shared with Wellingborough Town at their Dog & Duck home.
The prize
The winners of preliminary round will progress into first round qualifying, where they will travel to Newcastle Town or Soham Town Rangers netting £3,000 in prize money.
