Rushden & Diamonds 4 Southport 0

Match Report courtesy of Unofficial Rushden & Diamonds Website (1997-2001)

28th August 2000 – Nene Park (Attendance: 3574)

Diamonds Scorers: Burgess, Darby, Brady, Jackson.

Webmasters MoM: Brady;

Match Report by Steffan

Diamonds continued their impressive start to the season with a 4-0 win over a much fancied Southport side at Nene Park and the goals continued to come from familiar sources with Darby, Jackson, and Burgess registering on the scoresheet yet again.

The game started scrappily, lacking tempo and with neither side asserting themselves. It was in fact Southport who had the brighter opening and threatened first when Turley had to rush out and smother an attack from Southport striker Simon Parkes after Jackson had lost the ball in midfield after slipping. But no more than 12 minutes had passed before the Diamonds broke the deadlock with probably their first attack. Tarkan Mustafa broke down the right hand side, cut the ball inside to Jon Brady who picked out Darby in the penalty box and his header was powerfully directed into the top corner. 10 minutes later it was Jackson who made sure his strike partner didn’t move to far ahead in the goalscoring chart by grabbing the second, coolly slotting home after pressuring a Southport defender into a weakened headed back pass to keeper Dickinson. Diamonds continued to threaten the Southport goal and Jackson came very close on a couple of occasions, volleying inches wide after a Darby flick-on and at at full stretch from a Brady cross just unable to get real purchase on the ball.

Second half Southport again started the better and it was only good goalkeeping from Billy Turley and brave defence from all of the back four which prevented a number of dangerous Southport cross shots from reaching their targets. After the first 10 minutes though Southports attacking prowess seemed to peter out and it was Diamonds who stepped up a gear with Jackson again coming close with just the keeper to beat and Captain Ray Warburton powerfully heading inches wide from a Jon Brady corner.

Diamond pressure finally told though on 61 minutes when Jon Brady’s cross was met by Andy Burgess after a penetrating run from Mustafa on the right. The teenage winger cheekily flicked the ball with the outside of his left boot past the despairing dive of keeper Dickinson. The game was won but there was time for Brady to add his name to the score sheet, clinically despatching the ball into the top corner after being put in acres of space by man-of-the-match Jackson. Darby left with 10 minutes to go to a standing ovation replaced by Sigere who took up the mantle left by Darby and threatened the Southport goal further.

Another impressive attacking display from the Diamonds, played in front of a crowd of over 3,500.

Team: Turley, Mustafa, Underwood [Setchell], Carey, Rodwell, Warburton, Butterworth, Brady, Jackson, Darby [Sigere], Burgess.