A happy ending but no title

Andy Peaks was delighted to see AFC Rushden & Diamonds finish their season on a winning note - even if it wasn’t quite enough to clinch the title.

Top scorer Ben Farrell’s first-half penalty was enough to secure a fifth win in a row for Diamonds in front of a bumper crowd of 978 at Hayden Road on Saturday.

However, it was Beaconsfield Town who clinched the crown in the Evo-Stik South League East as they also claimed a 1-0 success at Marlow to finish a point clear of Peaks’ men at the summit.

The main aim for Diamonds had been to seal one of the two automatic promotion places, something that was achieved thanks to the 7-1 demolition of Aylesbury FC last Tuesday.

And even though they were denied the title, Peaks was pleased his team ended a fine campaign on a high.

“At the end of the day, we achieved what we set out at to do at the start of the season and that was to gain promotion,” the Diamonds boss said. “We wanted to finish things on a good note and for me, it was paramount that we won that last game.

Read more at: Jon Dunham - Northants Telegraph