Sean Connelly

Sean Connelly

Born 26 June 1970 (Age 34 at debut)

Position: Defender

(Diamonds player #180)

Total appearances 46

(42 League, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 League Trophy)

Debut:

7 August 2004 (Home Kidderminster Harriers)

Final game:

30 April 2005 (Home Cambridge United)

Sheffield born Sean was studying for a degree in Physiotherapy and playing for local side Hallam when he was spotted by Stockport County, and he signed a contract in 1992 on the understanding that he was able to finish his degree course. He went on to stay at Edgeley Park for some nine years and make a total of 363 appearances. Towards the end of his time with the Hatters, he went on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers before signing on a free transfer in July 2001. First team opportunities were limited however, and in October 2002, he joined Tranmere Rovers. After 82 games for Tranmere, Sean became one of Ernie Tippett’s first signings, together with former team-mates Graham Allen and Alex Hay. Sean quickly established the right-back role as his own, and was one of the success stories of that season. It came as a surprise when he declined a new contract at the end of the 2004/2005 season, but he had been offered the job of physiotherapist with Cardiff City under Dave Jones, one of his former managers at Stockport., so he made the decision to retire from playing to take up the role. He continued that role for a period in Switzerland before taking up the physio role with Crystal Palace. in 2017 he became Medical Services Manager and Lead Physiotherapist for the Football Association of Wales.

Appearances

2004/2005 – squad number 2

Marcus Kelly

Leo Roget

Leo Roget

Born 1 August 1977 (Age 26 at debut)

Position: Defender

(Diamonds player #178)

Total appearances 19

(18 League, 1 Hillier Senior Cup)

First spell

Debut: 31 January 2004 (Home Oldham Athletic)

Final game: 8 May 2004 (Home Port Vale)

Second spell

Debut: 2 December 2008 (Home Long Buckby)

Final game: 26 December 2008 (Away Stevenage Borough)

Leo started out as a trainee with Southend United, and went on to make over 130 appearances during his six years at Roots Hall. In March 2001, he went on loan to Stockport County, before signing for them in the summer. After playing regularly during the first half of the season, in February 2002, he went out on loan to Reading until the end of the season. He was released in May and joined Brentford in August 2002 where he spent a season and a half.

On 30 January 2004, Leo joined Rushden & Diamonds until the end of the season, making some 17 appearances in central defence.

He was released in May 2004 and joined Oxford United where he spent two seasons. He went on to play a few games for St.Albans City at the start of the 2007/2008 season, ending it as Harlow Town. He had a trial at Gillingham in July 2008 but despite impressing, failed to secure a contract. He subsequently joined Braintree Town of the Conference South on 7 November 2008, but following managerial changes at that club he was released and was able to re-sign for the Diamonds on 27th November 2008 at the age of 31 on non contract terms. After his only start in the Blue Square Premier, for Diamonds against Stevenage Borough on Boxing Day 2008, he left the club on 1 January 2009. He took up a career in personal training, having studied during the latter part of his football career. He joined Isthmian League Division One North side Harlow Town in February 2010. Leo left the club in July 2011 and retired from football to concentrate on his career as a Personal Trainer, before taking up boxing. His first fight was on 7 December 2013 in a super middleweight contest in London. He retired from boxing the following year.

Appearances

2003/2004 – squad number 35

2008/2009 – squad number 16

Barry Quinn

Barry Quinn

Born 9 May 1979 (Age 24 at debut)

Position: Defender

(Diamonds player #177)

Total appearances 4

(4 League)

Debut:

10 January 2004 (Home Luton Town)

Final game:

7 February 2004 (Away Swindon Town)

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Barry started out as a trainee with Coventry City, signing professional forms in August 1996. Despite some eight years at Coventry, he barely made 100 appearances, although he also played 5 games for the Republic of Ireland side. He arrived at Nene Park on 9 January 2004 for a one month loan, making four starts for Diamonds.

He returned to Coventry, and went out on loan to Oxford United for the remainder of the season. He was released at the end of the season and joined Oxford United.on a permanent basis where he made some 200 appearances before his release in May 2009. On 30 July 2010, he signed for Southern League Premier side Brackley Town. After some eighteen months with the Saints, he went on loan to UCL Premier side Daventry United on 12 January 2012, making the move permanent before the end of the month. Unfortunately, the club folded at the end of the season and he is thought to have retired.

Appearances

2003/2004 – squad number 10

Magnus Okuonghae

Magnus Okuonghae

Born 16 February 1986 (Age 17 at debut)

Position: Defender

(Diamonds player #176)

Total appearances 27 – 1 goal

(22 League, 1 League Cup, 1 League Trophy, 3 Maunsell Cup)

Debut:

22 November 2003 (Home Colchester United)

Final game:

18 April 2006 (Away Shrewsbury Town)

Nigerian-born Magnus was one of the success stories of the Diamonds Youth Policy, after initially joining Diamonds under 16’s from Fulham. He graduated to play in League 2 for the Diamonds mostly in a centre-back role. Allocated the squad number 40 for the 2002/2003 season, he did not make his first appearance for Diamonds until the following season when he came on as a second half substitute against Colchester United. Although still playing in the Youth team squad, an injury to Graham Allen at the start of the 2005/2006 season saw him get another chance, and he went on to make 25 appearances before the end of the season.

He left the club in May 2006 after contract talks stalled, and initially joined Aldershot Town, before moving to St. Albans City and Crawley Town in January 2007. The following season, he joined Dagenham & Redbridge before a brief loan spell with Weymouth. He rejected a three year extension to his contract with the Daggers in May 2009, and agreed a two year deal with League One side Colchester United on 1 July 2009 (ironically, the side he made his debut against for the Diamonds). He quickly became a fans favourite and after a year’s extension to his contract, Magnus signed a further three year deal with the U’s in the summer of 2012. A serious knee injury ended his time with Colchester in 2015, and he struggled to regain fitness during spells at Luton Town in 2016, Dagenham & Redbridge (2016-17) and Maidstone (2017). He signed for Dulwich Hamlet ahead of the 2018-19 season before moving to Welling United and then retiring from the game prior to the 2019-20 season. His Wikipedia page is here.

Appearances

2003/2004 – squad number 24

2004/2005 – squad number 24

2005/2006 – squad number 24

Eric Manangu

Eric Manangu

Born 9 September 1985 (Age 18 at debut)

Position: Forward

(Diamonds player #175)

Total appearances 2

(1 League, 1 Maunsell Cup)

Debut:

22 November 2003 (Home Colchester United)

Final game:

14 September 2004 (Home Northampton Town)

Born in the Kinsasha, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eric joined Diamonds youth set up after starting out in the Youth Academy at Chelsea. His quickness and finishing saw him make good progress and after several games watching from the bench, he was given a debut in November 2003. He had a loan spell with Stamford to gain work experience, but was eventually released by Diamonds in May 2005 after just one other substitute appearance. After a trial at Dagenham and Redbridge, he joined Enfield and went on to play for Brimsdown Rovers scoring regularly. In February 2008, he signed for Dorchester Town of the Blue Square South, but was released at the end of the season. He has since been involved with coaching.

Appearances

2003/2004 – squad number 25

2004/2005 – squad number 25

Trevor Benjamin

Trevor Benjamin

Born 8 February 1979 (Age 24 at debut)

Position: Forward

(Diamonds player #174)

Total appearances 6 – 1 goal

(6 League)

Debut:

15 November 2003 (Away Hartlepool United)

Final game:

3 January 2004 (Away QPR)

Born in Kettering Hospital, Trevor grew up in Wellingborough, and was the younger brother of another former Diamond, Richard Bailey. After playing representative games as a youngster for the Northants FA, he was signed up by Cambridge United in 195. He went on to play 146 games, scoring 46 goals before a big money move to Leicester City in 2000 for £1.3m which saw him as a replacement for Emile Heskey. He made one appearance for the England Under-21 side in May 2001, before electing to play at full International level for Jamaica, and went on to gain 2 caps. In over four years with the Foxes however, he found himself on the bench more often than not, and he went on numerous loan deals in order to play first team football. He played for Crystal Palace, Norwich City, West Bromwich Albion and Gillingham, before Brian Talbot brought him to Nene Park on 12 November 2003 initially for one month, but later extended by a further month.

After just 6 appearances, and a single goal at Port Vale, Trevor returned to Leicester, making further loans to Brighton & Hove Albion and Northampton Town He made a permanent move to the Cobblers in January 2005, but he stay was short lived and he joined Coventry City after just a few weeks. In the summer of 2006, he was released and joined Peterborough United on a three year deal. He played over 50 games for the Posh, and made several loan moves during his stay including Watford, Swindon Town, Boston United and Walsall. On 1 August 2007, Trevor joined Hereford United for a single season. The 2008/2009 season saw him play for Gainsborough Trinity, Northwich Victoria, Hednesford Town, Wellingborough Town and Kidsgrove Athletic. His nomadic existence continued during 2009/2010. He started at Tamworth, before continuing with Harrogate Town, Woking, Bedlington Terriers, Wroxham and Morpeth Town. On 20 September 2010, he took over as player/manager at Northern League Second Division side Morpeth Town, but left to join Northern Alliance Premier side Seaton Delaval Amateurs on 2 March 2012. During the summer of 2012, he was offered the post of assistant manager with the club. He has since retired from the game.

Appearances

2003/2004 – squad number 10

Jamie Ashdown

Jamie Ashdown

Born 30 November 1980 (Age 22 at debut)

Position: Goalkeeper

(Diamonds player #173)

Total appearances 19

(19 League)

Debut:

15 November 2003 (Away Hartlepool United)

Final game:

12 March 2004 (Away Bristol City)

Born in Reading, Jamie joined the Reading Youth set up at an early age and signed a professional contract with the club in February 1998. He made his debut for the Royals in February 2000, in a 5-0 win over Oldham Athletic, but with limited opportunities to play in the first team, he went out on several loan deals to provide experience of first team football. In March 2001, he went to Gravesend & Northfleet on a one month deal, followed by AFC Bournemouth in August 2002. Jamie arrived at Nene Park on 13 November 2003 following an injury to Billy Turley. Although initially on a one month deal, this was later extended until the end of the season however, he was recalled by Reading on 15 March 2004 due to injuries to their own keeper.

Jamie Ashdown made a major impression at Diamonds during his 19 games, earning him several ‘Player of the month’ awards during his stay. During the summer of 2004, he declined an extended contract with Reading, and joined Portsmouth although managerial changes saw him as second choice keeper. He went on loan to Norwich City in October 2006, but was sent off in his second game for the Canaries, and returned to Portsmouth. He made a total of 124 appearances for Pompey, but following continued financial problems at the south coast club, Jamie signed a two-year deal with Championship side Leeds United on 24 July 2012. He made just 8 appearances during his stay at Elland Road, before leaving in the summer of 2014. He signed a short term (half season) contract with League One side Crawley Town on 29 August 2014. In February 2015 he joined Oxford United, his final club before hanging up his gloves. His Wikipedia page is here.

Appearances

2003/2004 – squad number 36

Paul Evans

Paul Evans

Born 28 December 1973 (Age 29 at debut)

Position: Goalkeeper

(Diamonds player #172)

Total appearances 5

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

Debut:

15 October 2003 (Away Oxford United)

Final game:

8 November 2003 (Away Swansea City)

Born in Newcastle, South Africa, Paul started out with South African side Wits University, making some 140 appearances in three years. He joined Leeds United in 1995 but found it impossible to break into the first team. After loans to Crystal Palace and Bradford City, he spent some time back in South Africa with Jomo Cosmos. In 2002, he returned to the UK with Huddersfield Town, before joining Sheffield Wednesday. An injury to Kevin Pressman provided him with the opportunity to make his debut, although he was limited to just 7 games for the Owls. Paul joined Diamonds on non-contract terms in 2003 as cover for Billy Turley. When Turley picked up an injury in the game at Blackpool, Paul arrived on a one month loan deal from Wednesday on 13 October 2003. He was drafted into the first team for two league games as well as a cup game – the loan deal eventually extended for another month. Paul himself picked up a shoulder injury, meaning Jamie Ashdown was brought in on loan, and Evans’ services were no longer required.

He went on to join Bath City in 2003, where he remained for five seasons. He suffered a knee injury which kept him out for several months in December 2008 before deciding to hang up his boots and retire from the game. His last game was on 25 April 2009 at Thurrock, where he was harshly red carded for bringing down Tehokounte Malik in the final minutes. He moved with his family to Perth, Western Australia.

Appearances

2003/2004 – squad number 35

Paul Kitson

Paul Kitson

Born 9 January 1971 (Age 32 at debut)

Position: Forward

(Diamonds player #171)

Total appearances 30 – 5 goals

(28 League, 2 League Trophy)

Debut:

27 September 2003 (Home Stockport County)

Final game:

8 May 2004 (Home Port Vale)

Starting his career as a trainee with Leicester City, Paul was a prolific striker and scored some 60 goals for the youth team / reserves. He received his first professional contract with Leicester, and played some 63 games for the Foxes and scoring on 11 occasions. He made several appearances for the England U21’s, scoring 3 goals in 7 caps. In March 1992, he moved to Derby County for a £1.3m fee, which included Phil Gee and Ian Ormondroyd moving in the opposite direction. In two and a half years at the Baseball Ground, he scored 49 goals from 132 appearances. In September 1994, Newcastle United made a £2¼m bid for his services, which was eventually accepted. In his 2½ seasons at St.James’ Park, he was behind Andy Cole, Peter Beardsley, Les Ferdinand and Alan Shearer in the pecking order, and only made 36 appearances in the Premier before joining West Ham United for £2.3m in February 1997. He went on to make 63 appearances for the Hammers, and was loaned out to Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace during the latter part of his stay. In August 2002, he joined Brighton & Hove Albion, but injury limited the number of games. After a just over a year with the South Coast side, Brian Talbot brought him to Nene Park on 26 September 2003 as cover for Onandi Lowe, who had picked up a groin injury. The initial deal was on non-contract terms, but he was awarded with a formal deal after impressing in his initial stint, including a goal in the memorable victory at Blackpool, and a double in the game against Wrexham at Nene Park.

He stayed with the club for the remainder of the 2003 / 2004 season, being released in May 2004 when Diamonds dropped out of Division 2, although he did return to the club for a stint as a striker coach on 4 January 2006 until the end of the season. The stay with the Diamonds was in the twilight of his career and after leaving Diamonds he had a very brief spell with Aldershot Town before retiring.

Appearances

2003/2004 – squad number 20