EDITORIAL

Goalkeepers
Matt Finlay joined the club
from Cogenhoe United at
the end of January 2014. The
35-year-old goalkeeper joined
the Cooks in August 2013 after
playing in the Northern Premier
League Division One South to
help Stamford win promotion
to step 3 in the 2012-13
season, joining the Daniels
from Banbury United. He had
previously played for Woodford
United, helping the Reds win
the UCL Premier Division title
and then playing for them
in the Southern League. He
has also played for Raunds
Town, Bedford Town, Daventry
Town, Brackley Town, St Neots
Town, Wellingborough Town
and Oxford City. He made 13
appearances for the Diamonds
in 2013/14, but became a
mainstay of the side as they
won the League and Cup
double in 2014/15, appearing
46 times.
Defenders
Delroy Gordon is a 31-year-old
defender who joined the club
in July 2015. After starting his
career as a junior with Rushden
& Diamonds FC, Delroy has
played at the highest levels
of non-league football,
including spells in the Football
Conference for Kettering Town
and Nuneaton Town. After
starting the 2014-15 season
with Nuneaton he moved to
play for Leamington FC in the
Conference North. He has
also spent time at Corby Town,
Stamford, Oxford City, Banbury
United and Rugby Town.
THE OPPOSITION
PLAYER PROFILES
Liam Dolman is a 28-year-old
defender, who joined the club
from Daventry Town during
June 2014. Liam can either play
at centre back or full back and
was club captain at Daventry,
as well as being named
Supporters’ Player of the
Season in 2013/14. He is from
Northamptonshire, and started
his career with Northampton
Town, progressing from youth
level to the first team, making
his league debut at the end
of the 2006/07 season and
making over 50 appearances
in League and FA Cup games
for the Cobblers in the next
two seasons. He then had a
short spell playing Conference
Football for Kidderminster
Harriers in 2009/10 before
joining Banbury United. He
then moved to Daventry
Town where played at Step 4
level in the Southern League
Division One Central. He had
a successful first campaign
with the club, picking up the
Manager’s Player of the Season
award in 2014/15, as well as a
Player of the Month award for
February 2015 when he scored
6 goals from 4 games from his
centre-back role. His goal at
Long Buckby was also chosen
as goal of the season.
Ollie Wilkinson is a 27-year-old
defender who joined the club in
June 2015 from Bedford Town,
where he was club captain
during the 2014-15 season after
rejoining them from Daventry
Town, where he had played
alongside several members of
the Diamonds squad. He has
played at Step 3 level with both
Bedford and Corby Town. He
also played for Long Buckby
alongside Bunting during their
UCL title winning season in
2011-12. He had spent some
time with Rushden & Diamonds
during his teenage years.
Jack Ashton is a 25-year old
defender, who joined the
Diamonds on a dual registration
basis with Stamford AFC in
March 2014. He joined the
Daniels in 2013 from Banbury
United, with whom he had two
spells either side of playing
for Oxford City. He originally
joined Banbury from Cogenhoe
United, having previously had
a spell at Long Buckby. He
appeared in the final six games
of the season in 2013-14, and
won the April 2014 Player of
the Month award. He picked
up two further Player of the
Month Awards in 2014/15, and
also won the Fans Player of the
Season award as well as the
Players’ Player of the Season
trophy.
Sam Brown is a 23-year-old
defender who was a junior at
the Centre of Excellence at
Rushden & Diamonds FC. He
joined AFC Kempston Rovers
in 2009, aged 16, and helped
them to reach the UCL Premier
in 2010. Sam made 35(1)
appearances during 2012-13,
scoring two goals towards
the end of the season, and
winning the club Player of
the Month award in January
and April 2013. He also won
the Manager’s Player of the
Season award in 2012-13. He
made 48 appearances for the
Diamonds in 2013/14. In 2014/15
he reached his century of
appearances for the Diamonds.
Charlie Butt is a 20-year-old
right back / midfielder who
joined the club in October 2014.
Although most recently signed
with Corby Town, he started
out with the Peterborough
United Academy before moving
to Kings Lynn Town, and has
also had short spells at Lincoln
United and Wisbech Town.
After starting as a fringe player
he began to get more gametime
as the season progressed,
and went on to make 21
appearances in 2014/15.
Midfielders
Richard Bunting is a 34-yearold
midfielder who joined the
club from Kings Lynn Town
in November 2013. He had
captained the Linnets to the
Northern Premier League
Division One South title in the
2012-13 season. In the previous
season he was captain for
Long Buckby when they won
the United Counties Premier
League title. He played for
Cogenhoe United, Raunds
Town and Brackley earlier
in his career. He made 14(4)
appearances for the Diamonds
in 2013/14 with his goal at
Newport Pagnell picking up the
goal of the season award. He
became club captain in 2014/15
helping the Diamonds pick up
the League and Cup double in
the UCL.
Andy Hall is a 29-year-old
midfielder who joined the club
from Stamford AFC in October
2015. Andy is best known as a
winger, but can also play in a
more central role, and he has
had recent success with both
Stamford and Kettering Town,
helping both clubs achieve
promotion from Step 4 to Step
3. As well as two spells with
both of those clubs he has also
featured for Corby Town, Kings
Lynn Town, Hinckley United and
Nuneaton after starting out as a
junior with Coventry City.
Dan Quigley is a 25-year-old
midfielder who joined the club
in June 2015 from Kings Lynn
Town where he played for them
at Step 3 level, having played
alongside Richard Bunting to
help the Linnets win promotion
from Step 4. He played for Long
Buckby during their UCL title
winning season in 2011-12.
Brad Harris is a 25-year old
midfielder who joined the
club from Desborough Town
in December 2012. He can
play in central midfield or at
centre-back. He started his
career at Rugby Town, and
played at Daventry Town and
Long Buckby before joining
Northampton Spencer where
he played under Diamonds
Manager Andy Peaks. After
joining the Diamonds he
made 19(3) appearances in
the remainder of the 2012-
13 season. He made 33(9)
appearances for the Diamonds
in 2013/14, picking up the
Player of the Month award
in March 2014. In 2014/15
he reached his century of
appearances for the Diamonds,
scoring some memorable goals
which helped him earn two
further Player of the Month
awards.
Claudiu Hoban is a Romanianborn
23 year-old midfield
player (also known as Claudio),
who often plays wide-left, but
he can also play centrally or on
the right. He joined the club in
August 2015, and previously
had two spells with Corby
Town, including at the end of
the 2014-15 season. He was a
junior with Leicester City, and
after an injury problem led to
him being released he went
to Rugby Town and then on
to Daventry Town and Histon.
During this period he was a
finalist in the Samsung “Win
A Pro Contract” competition.
Since then he has been with
Sutton United and Tamworth
before a spell with Kettering
Town and then rejoining the
Steelmen.
Elliott Lamb-Johnson joined the
club from Cogenhoe United at
the end of May 2014, Now aged
20, he can play on either wing,
as well as in a more central
role. He made 28 appearances
for Cogenhoe in the UCL,
scoring 5 goals and scooping
the “Young Player of the Year”
prize at the end of season
awards. He played in 34 games
for the Diamonds in 2014/15,
scoring 6 goals and picking up
16 assists.
Joe Ackroyd was a member
of the Diamonds U18 and U21
setups when he made his
first-team debut in the UCL KO
Cup quarter final in May 2015.
having recently turned 17. He
had graduated through two
junior levels of the AFC R&D
Academy before joining the
AFC R&D / MAA setup. He is a
versatile player who has played
as sweeper for the U21 side,
and in midfield for the U18 side.
Still aged 17 he then appeared
for the first team as a substitute
in their FA Cup Third Qualifying
Round victory in October 2015.
Strikers
Steve Spriggs joined the club
in early August 2015 from
Kings Lynn. The 27 year-old
winger / striker had a number
of spells at The Walks, playing
at Step 3 level for them in the
2014-15 season, and he was
the all-time top scorer for the
reformed club, scoring 80
times in 216 appearances. He
started his senior career with
Ely City, after being with the
Cambridge United Academy,
before making his debut for
Kings Lynn in 2007. Between
his various spells at The Walks
he has had significant spells
with Mildenhall Town, Wroxham
(where he appeared for them at
Wembley in the FA Vase final)
and AFC Sudbury.
Scott Joseph is a 27-year-old
striker who has had two spells
with the club. He originally
joined from AFC Kempston
Rovers at the end of March
2014, and scored 5 goals for
the club in the remainder of
that season before moving
back to Kempston. He rejoined
the Diamonds in October
2014. He scored 14 goals in 25
appearances during the 2014-
15 season, picking up the final
Player of the Month award for
that season.
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