Andrew Sambrook

Andrew Sambrook

Born 13 July 1979 (Age 22 at debut)

Position: Defender/Midfielder

(Diamonds player #150)

Total appearances 74

(69 League, 2 FA Cup, 3 League Trophy)

Debut:

15 September 2001 (Away Leyton Orient)

Final game:

26 December 2004 (Home Oxford United)

Andrew began his career at Gillingham where he won a youth cap for England. He won a scholarship at the Hartwick College, New York and moved across the Atlantic to play College soccer in America. After three years studying, he returned to the UK and to Gillingham, but was invited to Nene Park for a trial. He signed for Rushden & Diamonds on 12 June 2001, and spent four seasons as a utility player making 74 appearances, mainly in defence.

Andrew was released in May 2005, and joined Grays Athletic, where he stayed for three seasons and although he was offered an extension to his contract, opted to sign for Fisher Athletic in July 2008. On 10 November 2008, Andrew left the struggling side, and signed for Thurrock, also in the Conference South. His stay was short lived and he joined AFC Wimbledon in January 2009 for the remainder of the season. On 21 May 2009, he signed for another Conference South side, Welling United. In July 2011, Andrew suffered a serious ankle injury on 30 July 2011 prior to the 2011/2012 season, which kept him sidelined for much of the season. He made a total of 75 League appearances for the Wings during his three years with the club, but due to continuing ankle problems, he announced his retirement from the game in July 2012.

Appearances

2001/2002 – squad number 22

2002/2003 – squad number 20

2003/2004 – squad number 15

2004/2005 – squad number 15

Barry Hunter

Barry Hunter

Born 18 November 1968 (Age 32 at debut)

Position: Defender

(Diamonds player #149)

Total appearances 121 – 7 goals

(112 League, 5 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 2 Maunsell Cup)

Debut:

15 September 2001 (Away Leyton Orient)

Final game:

8 April 2006 (Away Bristol Rovers)

Barry was born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland and was the son of the Coleraine goalkeeping legend Victor Hunter, who made 471 appearances for the club. His father had gained full International honours for Northern Ireland but with Pat Jennings in his heyday, he had little chance to impress at that level. With his father having spells as manager of the first team and the youth squad, Barry’s height made him ideal as a centre half, and he rose up through their youth team. After several years with Coleraine, he joined Crusaders before signing for Wrexham on 20 August 1993 for £50,000. He went on to make 120 appearances for Wrexham, scoring 6 times and spending three years at the Racecourse Ground. In July 1996 he transferred to Reading for £400,000 and again went on to make 100 appearances for them. In February 1999, he had a loan spell with Southend United and arrived at Nene Park on 12 September 2001 on a one month loan deal. His debut did not go according to plan however, with Diamonds suffering a 2-1 defeat away to Leyton Orient, but he accepted a permanent deal on 16 October 2001 and became a key part of the side that made it through to the play-off final in 2002. He was also part of the side that won the Division 3 title, and hence promotion to Division 2 the following season. As a player, Hunter made some 121 appearances for Rushden & Diamonds and also contributed 6 goals in this period. He was named Players “Player of the Year” in 2003 and followed this up by winning the Supporters “Player of the Season” in 2004.

His success as a player led to him being named caretaker manager on 10 March 2004 after the sudden departure of Brian Talbot. After only managing one win in eight attempts, he relinquished his role on 22 April 2004 as Ernie Tippett was drafted in to manage the club full time. Tippett’s reign was less than successful however and he took over again on 16 January 2005 when Tippett departed the club. Although initially in a caretaker role, he was appointed as manager on 24 March 2005. The following season, Barry took a back seat to playing concentrating more on the management role. However, the following season saw Diamonds relegated from the Football League into the Conference and on 5 May 2006, the club announced that his contract would not be renewed. Although his managerial reign was not an overwhelming success, Diamonds fans will have fond memories of the strong defender whose determination on the pitch helped Diamonds achieve their highest league status to date.

He initially returned to Northern Ireland with Portadown in the summer of 2006, but returned to the mainland in October that year to assist his former Reading teammate Ady Williams as manager at Swindon Town. The appointment of Paul Sturrock during November however saw him leave after less than a fortnight. He went on to take a UEFA Coaching license, but also started scouting initially for Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City and Manchester City. He resumed playing briefly in April 2009, when he played a few games for his local side Hellenic League Division One East side Henley Town. During June 2012, Barry was reported to have agreed a deal to scout for new Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers. He has remained at Anfield and became their chief scout, a role he still holds in 2018/19.

Appearances

2001/2002 – squad number 35

2002/2003 – squad number 4

2003/2004 – squad number 6

2004/2005 – squad number 12

2005/2006 – squad number 18

Warren Patmore

Warren Patmore

Born 14 August 1971 (Age 29 at debut)

Position: Forward

(Diamonds player #148)

Total appearances 6 – 1 goal

(4 League, 2 League Cup)

Debut:

11 August 2001 (Away York City)

Final game:

11 September 2001 (Away Crewe Alexandra)

Warren was noted playing for local side Northwood when his prolific goalscoring came to the notice of several League clubs. At the age of 20, he signed for Cambridge United, but failed to gain a regular place in the side, going out to Bashley on loan during the 1992/93 season. He moved to Millwall, but again struggled going out on loan to Irish side Cobh Rangers, before joining Northampton Town in 1993. Although he made over 20 appearances for the Cobblers, he spent more loan spells in Ireland, this time with Dundalk and Ards. In the summer of 1995, he moved to Yeovil Town where his six seasons with the Glovers saw him become a household name amongst non-League supporters. He scored some 109 goals in 225 games and with keen business interests in the area, he was never keen on returning back to the professional game. However, an offer from Brian Talbot saw him sign in June 2001 as Diamonds prepared for the first season in the Football League. He gained a place in Diamonds history, when he scored the first League goal in the opening day win at York City, but it was to be his only goal for the club. He struggled with full time football and the training regime that came with it, and failed to last the 90 minutes in each of his opening five appearances. In his final game against Crewe in the League Cup, he did in fact play the full 120 minutes, but it was to be his final game, and he left by mutual consent at the end of September 2001.

He joined part time Woking before joining Margate in the summer of 2003, before returning briefly to play for Northwood, where his career had started. In 2006, he returned to the West Country to join Devon League side Morchard Bishop as player-manager and gained two promotions in three seasons with the club.

He went on the manage at Toolstation Western League Side Wellington, before stepping down on 9 May 2010. In June however, he took over the reigns at Carlsberg South West Peninsula League club Witheridge, where he made an occasional appearance, but moved to become manager at SWPL Division One East side Crediton United on 21 March 2011. He took them to 4th place during the 2011/2012 season, but on 25 September 2012, Warren resigned his post as manager due to increasing work commitments in London. He is now works in Estate Agency in Hertfordshire.

Appearances

2001/2002 – squad number 19

Bertrand Bossu

Bertrand Bossu

Born 14 October 1980 (Age 20 at debut)

Position: Goalkeeper

(Diamonds player #147)

Total appearances 1

(1 Hillier Senior Cup)

Debut & Final game:

19 April 2001 (Home Kettering Town)

Born in Calais, France, Bertrand played as a schoolboy with Calais RUFC, moving to RC Lens when he was 16. Being third/fourth choice keeper, he had little opportunity during his three years at Lens, and after a trial with Barnet, moved to England in March 2000. He made his debut as a substitute in the play-off semi-final defeat at Peterborough in May 2000. The following season, he went on loan to Hayes in December 2000 but broke a finger and returned to Barnet before being given another loan spell with Diamonds in March 2001 as cover for Billy Turley. He made just one appearance – in the Hillier Senior Cup Final defeat against Kettering Town.

After his return to Barnet, he was released and joined Hayes in August 2001 for two seasons during which time he scored a last minute goal at St.Albans. Without a club again during the summer of 2003, he joined Gillingham in September, but made just a handful of appearances. He went on loan to Torquay United (August 2004), but suffered a knee injury forcing his return. He had recovered by October when he went on loan to Oldham Athletic. In August 2005, Bertrand joined Darlington, going out on loan to Accrington Stanley at the beginning of the season. In September 2006, he joined Walsall but was again the second choice keeper with little opportunity in the first team. After being released in May 2008, he went north of the border for a trial with Scottish Premier side Aberdeen and after impressing, joined them on a permanent basis in May 2008. He was released in August 2009, and after trials with several clubs, signed a two month contract with Crewe Alexandra of League Two on 28 October 2009, but left after just six days due to personal reasons. After a short break from football, Bertrand signed for Isthmian Division One North side Harlow Town in August 2011. He returned to France in 2013 to play for Calais and the Gravelines in 2015.

Appearances

2000/2001

Stuart Gray

Stuart Gray

Born 18 December 1973 (Age 27 at debut)

Position: Midfielder

(Diamonds player #146)

Total appearances 145 – 15 goals

(131 League, 6 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 3 League Trophy)

Debut:

7 April 2001 (Home Morecambe)

Final game:

7 May 2005 (Away Macclesfield Town)

The son of Scottish International Eddie Gray, Stuart joined Celtic at an early age, playing for Giffnock North on work experience in the 1991/1992 season. He signed senior forms for Celtic on 7 July 1992 with a two year contract, but injury restricted his first season and he made his debut in a 1-0 win against Aberdeen on 1 May 1993. He won 7 Scotland U-21 caps during his stay. In 1994, he went on loan to AFC Bournemouth, before remaining with Celtic on a monthly deal. He suffered a couple of injured during the following two seasons and in October 1997, went to Morton on a three month loan to gain first team football. On his return, he could only get into the reserves, and he left Celtic on 26 March 1998 after 30 appearances, scoring just once and joined Reading for a £100,000 transfer fee. It was on 23 March 2001, that Stuart arrived at Nene Park as Diamonds pushed to get into the Football League.

He showed his worth to the club in the following two seasons, as he was a first team regular in Division 3 filling the left midfield role as the club reached the playoffs and then the Division 3 title although injuries meant he missed part of the season. He remained with the club as they played in Division 2, and then in their first season back in League 2, before leaving the club in May 2005.

On 27 May 2005, he joined Oxford United but remained there for just the single season making 11 appearances before suffering a broken leg. He joined NPL Premier side Guiseley AFC, but suffered the same fate, breaking his leg again in an FA Cup tie at North Ferriby on 3 October 2006. He retired from playing as a result, and became coach / manager of the Guiseley reserve side, moving on to be the Assistant Manager of the Youth Academy side, a post he still held into the 2018-19 season.

Appearances

2000/2001

2001/2002 – squad number 18

2002/2003 – squad number 12

2003/2004 – squad number 12

2004/2005 – squad number 8

John Dempster

John Dempster

Born 1 April 1983 (Age 17 at debut)

Position: Defender

(Diamonds player #144)

Total appearances 83 – 4 goals

(66 League, 5 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 4 League Trophy, 1 Championship Shield, 1 Hillier Senior Cup, 2 Maunsell Cup)

Debut:

21 February 2001 (Away Corby Town)

Final game:

26 December 2005 (Away Leyton Orient)

Defender John Dempster is one of the success stories of the Diamonds Youth policy, earning a contract on 1 July 2001. He graduated to the first team during the first season in the Football League, and established a regular place in the side at the start of the following season – scoring a memorable debut goal at Bournemouth. His dismissal in the League Cup defeat at Coventry was the precursor to a period where he struggled to adjust to League Football and his opportunities for the remainder of the season were limited.

With the club in Division 2 for season 2003-04 Dempster was still capable of earning his place in a side at that level until the start of 2004, after which most of his appearances were from the bench.

Following Brian Talbot’s departure, Ernie Tippett decided to use John in midfield following the team’s relegation to League 2, but Barry Hunter quickly restored him to a defensive role following Tippett’s departure. He started the 2005-06 season as a regular in defence, but was sold to Oxford United on 12 January 2006, in a deal which included Andy Burgess. His stay at the Kassam Stadium lasted one year, and on 1 February 2007, he moved to Kettering Town. He captained the side to the Conference North title in 2008, but after 177 appearances and 22 goals in four years with the Poppies, John signed for fellow Conference side Crawley Town for an undisclosed fee on 6 January 2011. After their promotion to the Football League, John failed to gain a regular place, and went on a one month loan to Kettering Town on 22 September 2011, making a further 5 appearances before being sent off in his last game for them on 18 October. After his return to Crawley, he went on a three month loan deal to Mansfield Town on 22 November 2011 during which he scored 3 times in 12 appearances, before returning to the Red Devils. He made four more appearances for Crawley at the end of the season, scoring twice in a total of 20 games.in all before leaving in the summer. On 14 July 2012, John signed a contract to join Conference side Mansfield Town. After making a further three appearances for the Stags, he went on an emergency one month loan deal to Tamworth on 8 September 2012, before returning to the Stags. After retiring from the playing side of the game in summer 2015 he became the Mansfield Town Academy Manager. In May 2019 he became first team manager of Mansfield Town, but after seven months in charge he left the role in December 2019. At the start of 2020 he joined Coventry City as their Lead Professional Development Phase Coach.

Appearances

2000/2001

2001/2002 – squad number 26

2002/2003 – squad number 24

2003/2004 – squad number 14

2004/2005 – squad number 14

2005/2006 – squad number 14

Roy Essandoh

Roy Essandoh

Born 17 February 1976 (Age 24 at debut)

Position: Forward

(Diamonds player #143)

Total appearances 4 – 1 goal

(2 League, 1 FA Trophy, 1 Hillier Senior Cup)

Debut:

27 January 2001 (Away Stevenage Borough)

Final game:

21 February 2001 (Away Corby Town)

Born in Belfast, Roy moved with his family to Ghana at an early age, returning back to Northern Ireland some eight years later, He moved to Scotland at the age of 16, and played youth football for Cumbernauld United, before joining Motherwell in 2004 at the age of 18. After three years, he moved to East Fife, before having a spell with Finnish club VPS Vaasa in 1999. After his return to the UK at the end of 2000, he had a brief trial at Nene Park, and was signed on non-contract terms by Brian Talbot. He did not make a league start for the club, but did score one of the goals in the 6-0 defeat of Marine in the FA Trophy.

After leaving the Diamonds he joined Wycombe Wanderers, again on non-contract terms and scored a memorable FA Cup Quarter final goal against Leicester City. After leaving Wycombe, he had spells with Barnet, Cambridge City, Bishop’s Stortford, Billericay Town, Grays Athletic and Bishop’s Stortford (again). During his time with the Bishops, he went on loan to Gravesend & Northfleet in early 2004, before joining them for the following season. A brief stint at Kettering Town in 2005 saw him make three appearances for the Poppies, before rejoining Bishop’s Stortford once more. He remained a popular figure with the Conference South club, but left to join UCL Premier side St.Neots Town on 29 August 2010. On 31 March 2011, he joined Conference South side Braintree Town in their final push for promotion. After failing to gain a contract for their first season in the Conference, Roy joined Isthmian Premier side Bury Town on 18 August 2011, but left by mutual consent during mid-October after just seven appearances (5 of which were as a substitute). He has now retired from the game and works as a personal trainer in Cambridge.

Appearances

2000/2001

Robert Duffy

Robert Duffy

Born 2 December 1982 (Age 18 at debut)

Position: Forward

(Diamonds player #142)

Total appearances 40 – 5 goals

(29 League, 4 FA Cup, 1 FA Trophy, 2 League Cup, 1 League Trophy, 2 Hillier Senior Cup, 1 Maunsell Cup)

Debut:

19 December 2000 (Away Kingstonian)

Final game:

3 January 2005 (Home Swansea City)

Robert joined the youth set up from Charlton Athletic at the age of 16 and soon established himself as an important member of the Under 18 squad. He made his senior debut just after his 18th birthday in the Nationwide Trophy defeat at Kingstonian. Although he was signed for the first team, his chances were limited to mainly substitute appearances, although he played for the Welsh under-21 side during his stay. In August 2003, he fractured his kneecap during a training ground accident which kept him sidelined for four months. He went on loan to Stamford in January 2005 after struggling to regain form but was eventually released on 9 May 2005.

After an unsuccessful trial at Peterborough. he joined Cambridge United at the beginning of the 2005/06 season on a monthly basis, before joining Kettering Town in October, but was released again in December 2005. He joined Gainsborough Trinity on 5 January 2006, before having short spell with Stevenage Borough. He was signed by Jim Smith at Oxford United at the start of the 2006/2007 season after impressing during a short trial and went on to score an impressive 25 goals in 60 appearances during his two year stay at the Kassam Stadium. After a change of management, Rob was placed on the transfer list in January 2008, and went on loan to Wrexham later that month before being released in the summer. On 24 July 2008, he signed for Newport County of the Conference South, but then moved to Mansfield Town in January 2009. In some 57 appearances, he scored 23 goals, but found himself out of favour midway through the 2010/2011 season. On 28 January 2011, Rob joined Conference side Grimsby Town on an 18 month contract. He left at the end of the 2011/2012 season, joining fellow Conference side Lincoln City on 21 May 2012. In just his third game for the Imps, he was stretchered off in the game at Newport County on 18 August with a dislocated ankle injury, which kept him out for the remainder of the season. On 9 April 2013, Rob was released by mutual consent, and signed for newly promoted NPL Premier side King’s Lynn Town on 15 August 2013 despite being several weeks away from full fitness. He finally returned to action on 7 September 2013 after a year out, scoring the winner for the Linnets as a second half substitute within 30 seconds of his debut. He left by mutual consent on 3 March 2014, before signing for NPL Premier side Ilkeston some ten days later. He spent the 2015/16 season with Nuneaton Town before joining Basford United prior to the 2016/17 season, but sustained a serious injury on his debut. He took on a player-coach role ahead of returning to action.

Appearances

2000/2001

2001/2002 – squad number 25

2002/2003 – squad number 21

2003/2004 – squad number 16

2004/2005 – squad number 16

David Bell

David Bell

Born 21 January 1984 (Age 16 at debut)

Position: Midfielder

(Diamonds player #141)

Total appearances 144 – 10 goals

(123 League, 8 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 5 League Trophy, 1 Hillier Senior Cup, 2 Maunsell Cup)

Debut:

19 December 2000 (Away Kingstonian)

Final game:

28 December 2005 (Home Cheltenham Town)

David was born in Kettering and was a product of the youth system at Rushden & Diamonds. He signed professional forms in July 2000, and made his debut in the Nationwide Trophy tie at Kingstonian in December 2000, coming on as a second half substitute. The following season, he made his League debut at Home Park, Plymouth. After turning 18, he won a regularplace in the team, making 123 Football League appearances. He played for the Republic of Ireland at Under 19 and Under 21 level and had trials at Middlesbrough.

David joined Luton Town on 12.January 2006 on a 3½ year contract after agreement was reached over a £100,000 transfer fee and won the clubs “Player of the year” title in the 2006/07 season. He went onloan to Leicester City on 27 March 2008 with the prospect of joined them on a permanent basis during the summer, but their subsequent relegation resulted in the move falling through. With Luton in financial difficulties, a fee was agreed and he signed for Norwich City on 23 July 2008 for an undisclosed sum. An ankle injury delayed his debut for the Canaries, and his first appearance for his new club came in October 2008 against Derby County. After just 20 appearances however, he joined Coventry City on 30 January 2009 for an undisclosed fee. The contract will keep him at the Ricoh Arena until the summer of 2012.  After 3 and a half years with the Sky Blues, scoring 6 goals in 98 appearances, David was released by mutual consent, and joined League One side Notts County on 19 July 2013. He made a total of 13 appearances for the Magpies, before being dropped from the side in November 2013. He was released by mutual consent on 24 January 2014, to concentrate on obtaining his coaching badges, and joined forces with several of his former Diamonds team-mates by signing for NPL Premier side King’s Lynn Town on the same day. He then went on to play at Corby Town in 2016 before taking on a management role there in 2017. After leaving Corby he began playing for Irchester United during the 2018-19 season. His Wikipedia page is here.

Appearances

2000/2001

2001/2002 – squad number 28