By Nathan Jackson
June 26 2010

Rushden and Diamonds' Nene Park is a very strange little ground. The biggest stand is behind the goal, the side stands are only 10 rows high and it feels more like you're in a sports centre rather than a football stadium. However, the stadium itself is actually quite reasonable, that despite City's generally poor record there.

Who watched wrestling during the 80's/early-mid 90's? Who remember's Ted Dibease? Who remember's his theme tune? If you do then that song perfectly fits the Diamonds at the time they went into the Football League. They were the only club in the lower leagues that can challenge Hull to the title of "Brought their way up". At the time of writting, they've been promoted 5 times in 17 years and have a very nice little ground in Irthlingborough to show for it. I wouldn't even recommend you try and get the train to this as the nearest station is over 6 miles from the ground.

Going to Irthlingborough is a relatively easy trip where you go through the countryside before you come across this small, but fairly nice ground. However, there is very little outside of the ground so you only really have the ground to go into. One you set foot in the away end, you're looking at a rather nice ground but it doesn't have the football feel to it. This is proven by that during the 2002/3 season, they won the title and they didn't pitch invade when they won the title, the only team I've ever seen in finished in the top 7 and not pitch invade, even Swansea who avoided relegation on the last day of this season pitch invaded.

Anyway, the away end is fairly nice and the largest stand at the ground, however, if your following is similar to City's then you're forced into allocated seating which brings me to another point, all the usual followers had purchased all the tickets at the same time so were next to each other. Everytime we got a corner, everyone in front of us stood up so we did as well but then someone behind us started moaning that they couldn't see so we said they should stand up then, they got into moaning about that they paid for that seat and they shouldn't have to stand up to see the game, it got into a massive argument and I'll leave it at that. Funnily enough, this same person who was stood behind us on the terrace at Boston and complained that he couldn't see because everyone was stood up.

Anyway, the away end produces a fine view of the playing action and is shared with home fans unless you take a rather large away following in which case you get the full stand. The stands to our left and right are pretty much identical, they aren't particully big and have metal poles at the front rather than advertising boards. The final stand is behind the far goal and is a terrace. The best addition to this ground is a scoreboard that everyone (unless you stand in a stupid position) can see, even away fans.

My major complaint about Rushden's ground is the fact that the football feel is a very definitive 0. There are no other grounds in the world that make you feel like you're sat in a council run leisure centre, everything just feels like you've just walked into the main hall of a local sports centre and this feeling is horrible and even when the match is going on, you don't feel as though you're in a football ground.

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Overall, the trip to Irthlingborough was a fairly enjoyable one but the lack of atmosphere just shows how young this club is, with very little tradition and therefore quite little to chant out, I would however recommend this as a day out to anyone.

Rushden and Diamonds' Nene Park

Discussion started by theimps.ka (IP Logged), 26/06/2010 00:26

theimps.ka
26/06/2010 00:26

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