Dan Easlea

Dan Easlea

Born 3 September 1992 (Age 17 at debut)

Position: Midfielder

(Diamonds player #333)

Total appearances 1 – 1 goal

(1 Hillier Senior Cup)

Debut & Final game:

13 October 2009 (Away Daventry United)

The left sided midfielder from Bury St Edmunds joined Diamonds youth set up from the Ipswich Town Academy in April 2008 following a successful trial. Dan made his one and only appearance for the first team in the Hillier Cup game at Daventry United on 13 October 2009, scoring one of the goals in the 5-2 victory at Royal Oak Way.

He had a successful period with the Under 18 side, and went out on work experience to UCL side Northampton Spencer during November 2009 and Rushden & Higham United the following February in order to gain more experience of men’s football. He was released at the end of his scholarship in May 2010. On 24 January 2011, Dan signed for Southern League Premier side Cambridge City, but ended the season at Isthmian Division One North side Needham Market. He joined Eastern Counties Premier League side Diss Town in the summer of 2011. After that he returned to Cambridge before joining Soham Town Rangers for a brief spell in 2015, moving on to Brantham Athletic in October of that year.

Appearances

2009/2010 – squad number =

Sean Shields

Sean Shields

Born 20 January 1992 (Age 17 at debut)

Position: Forward

(Diamonds player #332)

Total appearances 2

(2 Hillier Senior Cup)

Debut:

13 October 2009 (Away Daventry United)

Final game:

17 November 2009 (Home Kettering Town)

Sean was spotted as a 16 year old played for Potters Bar Town of the Ryman League and had played for Cockfosters Town youth team prior to joining the Scholars. Prior to the 2009/2010 season, he was given a trial at Nene Park and was offered a scholarship with Diamonds youth set up as a 1st year apprentice. An immensely skilful player, he could play as a forward, or an attacking midfielder and impressed on his first appearance for the First Team at Daventry United in the Hillier Senior Cup.

He scored some 18 goals for the youth team before deciding to leave Diamonds, returning to Potters Bar Town in March 2010. He failed to get a regular place in their side, and after a brief trial at St.Albans City, signed a one year deal with the Conference South club on 19 October 2010 which was later extended. He remained with the Saints until 8 January 2013, making 92 appearances, before signing a 3½ year deal with Dagenham & Redbridge after a short trial with the League Two side. In May 2013, Sean was called up into the Northern Ireland Under-21 squad. Sean made 13 appearances for the Daggers in his first season, but he missed most of the following pre-season due to injury, and went on a two month loan deal back to St.Albans City on 22 August 2014 to gain some match fitness. He then moved to Ebbsfleet United in January 2015, and stayed with the Kent Club for over five years before joining Weymouth FC in 2020.

Appearances

2009/2010 – squad number n/a

Bobby Aisien

Bobby Aisien

Born 18 December 1988 (Age 20 at debut)

Position: Defender

(Diamonds player #331)

Total appearances 1

(1 Hillier Senior Cup)

Debut & Final game:

13 October 2009 (Away Daventry United)

The twenty-year-old central defender was signed for Rushden & Diamonds on 18 August 2009, shortly after the start of the 2009-10 season. Bobby had started his career with Peterborough United as a youth player, moving to Wingate & Finchley in 2007 after being released. Bobby was on trial at the Diamonds this summer, playing in the 2-2 draw against Corby Town and the Diamonds XI games against Raunds Town and Brentwood Town. He had also played for the Nigerian Under 19s side prior to his arrival at Nene Park.

In mid-September 2009 he went out on loan to Kings Lynn, managed by former Diamond Carl Heggs in order to gain experience and first team football. Whilst still on that loan he made his debut appearance in Diamonds first team colours in the Hillier Cup game against Daventry United on 13 October 2009. He then returned to play for the Linnets in their FA Trophy game at Marine, alongside Heggs and another former Diamond – Owen Story. He then moved to Kings Lynn on a permanent basis at the end of October 2009, but found himself without a club after the Northern Premier League side were wound up in November 2009. He signed for Conference North side Alfreton Town on 11 December 2009, before moving on to Billericay Town in March 2010. In August, Bobby signed for Conference South sideDover Athletic, but moved to fellow Conference South side Boreham Wood in December. He was released in February 2011. In August 2011, Bobby re-signed for Wingate & Finchley following their promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division. After suffering an injury, he went on  a one month loan to Isthmian Division One North side Cheshunt on 1 October 2013 in order to regain fitness, returning to Wingate and Finchley in early November. Just after the start of the following season, Bobby returned once again to Isthmian Division One North side Cheshunt on 14 August 2014. He left the game to focus on his career as a Personal Trainer.

Appearances

2009/2010 – squad number 23

Matt Evans

Matt Evans

Born 21 March 1992 (Age 17 at debut)

Position: Defender

(Diamonds player #330)

Total appearances 1

(1 Hillier Senior Cup)

Debut & Final game:

13 October 2009 (Away Daventry United)

Coming from Sandy in Bedfordshire, Matt came through the Diamonds Centre of Excellence from the age of 13. Playing at right back, he had an excellent season with the Under 18’s in 2008 / 2009 putting in performances of a consistently high standard throughout the campaign. He was also able to play wide or central midfield. He made his one and only appearance for the first team in the Hillier Senior Cup game against Daventry United on 13 October 2009. He went out on work experience to Raunds Town in September 2009, and Spalding United during November in order to gain experience of men’s football.

He was released at the end of his scholarship in May 2010 and joined Northern Premier League Division One South side Spalding United. On 3 February 2011, Matt transferred to NPL rivals Stamford, and remained with the Daniels until the end of the season. On 17 June 2011, he joined UCL Premier side Deeping Rangers, but left at the end of February 2012 to take up a career in the Army. He appeared in many representative games for the Army, and was their player of the season in 2017. In 2018 he joined Hartley Wintney FC.

Appearances

2009/2010 – squad number =

Nathan Abbey

Nathan Abbey

Born 11 July 1978 (Age 31 at debut)

Position: Goalkeeper

(Diamonds player #329)

Total appearances 13

(10 League, 3 FA Cup)

Debut:

19 September 2009 (Home Mansfield Town)

Final game:

28 November 2009 (Away Brighton & Hove Albion)

Goalkeeper Nathan Abbey was signed by Diamonds on 18 September 2009 at the age of 31. He had been out of contract having been released by MK Dons in May 2009.

He started his career with Luton Town where he made over 50 appearances for the Hatters, before joining Chesterfield in August 2001. He won their ‘Player of the Year’ the following season, but failed to agree on an extended contract and joining for Northampton Town at the start of the following season. He played only eight games for the Cobblers however and was released in May 2003. He joined several clubs on non contract terms including Stevenage Borough, St.Albans, Luton Town, Macclesfield Town, Hayes, Ipswich Town and Burnley but failed to make an impression with any of them. In July 2004, he joined Boston United where he became their first choice keeper going out on loan to Leyton Orient in December 2005. before returning to be released to join Bristol City for the remainder of the season. In July 2006, Nathan joined Torquay United, before moving to Brentford in December. Before the start of the 2007/2008 season, he signed for MK Dons where he spent two season, before being released.

He made his Diamonds debut on 19th September 2009, keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 win against Mansfield Town. He went on to play 14 games – keeping a clean sheet on 5 occasions.

After appearing 14 times in a Diamonds shirt, including 11 games in the Blue Square Premier, he left the club in December 2009 when his contract was not renewed. He joined Kettering Town on 15 January 2010 on a non contract basis. He remained with the Poppies for the following season, but was dismissed in November 2010 due to gross misconduct. On 13 July 2012, Nathan was appointed Assistant Manager at Southern League Premier side Arlesey Town, teaming up with his brother – manager Zema Abbey, and competing again for the No.1 jersey. Following his brothers appointment as Joint manager at Southern Premier side St.Neots Town, Nathan followed on 8 November 2013, taking up the Assistant Manager role. He was dismissed from the role with his brother on 28 September 2014 before returning to a similar role at Arlesey Town in 2015. After several seasons at Arlesey he became Assistant Manager with Bedford Town in 2018. He was promoted to joint-manager ahead of the 2019/20 season, but after having sole charge for a while he stepped down from that role at the start of 2020. He was associated with the other Bedford club – Bedford FC early in 2022.

Appearances

2009/2010 – squad number 31

Paul Terry

Paul Terry

Born 4 March 1979 (Age 30 at debut)

Position: Midfielder

(Diamonds player #328)

Total appearances 37 – 2 goals

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

Debut:

5 September 2009 (Away AFC Barrow)

Final game:

3 May 2010 (Away Oxford United)

Paul is the elder brother of Chelsea & England International centre back John Terry. He started his career with the youth set-ups at Charlton and Millwall, before manager Garry Hill brought him to Dagenham & Redbridge, helping them to the Ryman Premier title in the 1999/2000 season, and securing a place in the Conference. In four years, he made over 130 appearances for them, and earned a call up to the England ‘C’ squad. On 21 August 2003, he signed for Yeovil Town as they began life in the Football League. In four years, he made over 150 appearances for the Glovers, helping them to secure promotion to League One in May 2005. A cruciate knee ligament injury early in the 2006/2007 season saw Paul undergo surgery and spend a year on the side-lines. He was released by Yeovil in the summer of 2007, and joined Leyton Orient, where he spent a further two seasons. At the start of the 2009 / 2010 season, Paul found himself without a club, and joined Grays Athletic on a monthly contract. Diamonds manager Justin Edinburgh brought the central midfielder to Nene Park on 31 August 2009, on a deal until the end of the season. He made his Diamonds debut on 5 September 2009 in the 6-1 victory at Barrow and scored his first goal for the club against Salisbury City on 21 November 2009.

At the end of the 2009 / 2010 season, he was unable to agree terms on a new contract with the club and was released. On 30 July 2010, he joined Darlington for their first season in the Conference following relegation from the Football League, but was released at the end of the season. In August 2011, he joined Conference South side Thurrock for the season, before retiring from the game in May 2012. He had taken up a role with former Diamonds Chairman’s company Elite Management in 2011, an agency looking after professional football players, including brother John Terry.

Appearances

2009/2010 – squad number 24

Mark Byrne

Mark Byrne

Born 9 November 1988 (Age 20 at debut)

Position: Midfielder

(Diamonds player #327)

Total appearances 47 – 7 goals

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

Debut:

18 August 2009 (Home Hayes & Yeading)

Final game:

3 May 2010 (Away Oxford United)

The tenacious midfielder joined Diamonds on a half season loan deal from Nottingham Forest on 20 July 2009, but the loan was later extended until the end of the season. He had featured prominently for Forest’s reserve team after graduating from their academy and earned his first team debut under manager Billy Davies in April 2008. While with Forest, Mark had a loan spell at Conference side Burton Albion towards the end of the 2008-09 season during their promotion campaign.

Mark made his Diamonds debut on 18 August 2009 as a substitute in the 2-1 victory over Hayes & Yeading United, and then scored his debut goal for the club four days later against Forest Green Rovers. After a successful season at Nene Park, during which he helped the club reach the end of season play-offs, he was rewarded with the Players’ “Player of the season” award.

He returned to his parent club at the end of the loan period in May 2010, where his contract was renewed. Despite efforts to secure another loan deal at Nene Park, on 14 July 2010, he signed a half-season loan deal with League Two side Barnet, but had to return to Nottingham Forest in November due to injury. After recovery however, he returned back to Barnet on 2 March 2011 on loan until the end of the season. On 17 June 2011, Mark signed a two year permanent deal with Barnet. He was released at the end of his contract on 13 May 2014, and was on trial with former manager Justin Edinburgh at League Two side Newport County for pre-season, signing a half season contract on 14 July 2014. He stayed with Newport until the summer of 2016, when he rejoined Justin Edinburgh at Gillingham. He left Priestfield in 2020 to return to Irish football, firstly for Shelbourne and then for Bray Wanderers. In February 2022 he joined his former club Crumlin United. His Wikipedia entry is here.

Appearances

2009/2010 – squad number 20

Max Porter

Max Porter

Born 29 June 1987 (Age 22 at debut)

Position: Midfielder

(Diamonds player #325)

Total appearances 96 – 8 goals

(88 League, 5 FA Cup, 3 FA Trophy))

Debut:

8 August 2009 (Home Salisbury City)

Final game:

30 April 2011 (Away Darlington)

Max started his career with Southend United’s youth team, and joined Conference side Cambridge United in November 2005. He made his debut the following month, and played some nine games for them that season. He was released in the summer however, and joined Bishop Stortford for the 2006/2007 season. In July 2007, he signed for League Two side Barnet and played some 66 games for the Bees over the following two years. Max signed for Diamonds on 27 May 2009 on a one year deal.

He made his Diamonds debut on 8 August 2009 as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat by Salisbury City at Nene Park and scored his first goal on 6 March 2010 to give the Diamonds a 1-0 victory at Tamworth. He then went on to score in both of the following two games. During his first season at Nene Park, he was almost an “ever-present” in the Diamonds side with 45 appearances in the Conference, 50 overall in all Competitions, and scored four goals.

Max played many of those at central midfield, but also deputised as a wing back when required. His efforts saw him also getting call ups to the England C side where he has faced the Republic of Ireland U23, The East of Scotland League XI, and Poland U23, scoring the decisive goal against Ireland, and he was also on the scoresheet against the East of Scotland. After a successful first season with the club, he signed to remain at Nene Park for the 2010/2011 season and won further England C caps, and captained the side in their victory in Estonia that sealed qualification from the Group Stage of the International Challenge Trophy. He went on to captain the England C team as they reached the final of the International Challenge Tournament before leaving the club at the end of the Season, moving to AFC Wimbledon on 2 June 2011 following their promotion to the Football League. Max was expected to leave during January 2012, but an ankle injury meant he was unable to secure a deal elsewhere. Following his recovery, he went on an end of season loan to Newport County on 1 March 2012, joining his former boss Justin Edinburgh. On returning to Wimbledon in May 2012, he was released and signed a one-year deal with Newport County on 29 June 2012. A persistent groin injury kept him sidelined in January 2013, missing the remainder of the season, but he agreed a further one year deal with the club in April 2013, and again for the following season. Max suffered a further groin injury on 8 July 2014 during a pre-season game, keeping him out for another six weeks.

He left Newport after helping them win promotion to League 2, moving to Bromley in May 2015, staying there for just over a season before joining Chelmsford City. He left there shortly after the start of the 2019/20 season to take on a coaching role at Arsenal, where he has taken on a Team Manager role for various Youth Teams. His Wikipedia page is here.

Appearances

2009/2010 – squad number 4

2010/2011 – squad number 4

Craig Farrell

Craig Farrell

Born 5 December 1982 (Age 26 at debut)

Position: Forward

(Diamonds player #324)

Total appearances 78 – 15 goals

(70 League, 4 FA Cup, 4 FA Trophy)

Debut:

8 August 2009 (Home Salisbury City)

Final game:

30 April 2011 (Away Darlington)

Middlesborough born, Craig spent the early part of his career as a junior with the Middlesborough Youth set-up, before earning a scholarship with Leeds United after trialling as a 15 year old. He also played for England at Under 16 level. He earned his first contract in August 2002, and went out on loan to Carlisle United in November 2002 to gain some first team experience. In his one month loan, he scored 3 goals in 7 games, and he joined Carlisle on a permanent basis in November after a £50,000 transfer fee was agreed (subject to appearances) on a three year deal. The striker was released in May 2005 however, and joined Conference side Exeter City in August 2005. on a one year deal. The following season, he joined York City, and spent some four years with the Minstermen. In January 2009, he joined Oxford United on loan, until the end of the season, and was released in the summer. It was expected that he would join Oxford in the summer of 2009, but a deal was struck with Diamonds which saw Michael Rankine move to York City, with Craig joining Diamonds plus a £10,000 transfer fee. He made his Diamonds debut on 8 August 2009 as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat by Salisbury City at Nene Park. He scored his first goal for the Diamonds ten days later in the 2-1 victory over Hayes & Yeading United.

After a successful first season for the club, when he scored 13 goals in all competitions, the option to extend his contract for the 2010/2011 was taken up by the club. He went on to make a total of 78 appearances, scoring 15 goals. He was released in May 2011, and joined newly promoted Conference side AFC Telford on 27 June 2011. On 4 January 2012, he went on loan to Conference North side Hinckley United, before signing a permanent deal on 9 February 2012 to keep him with the Knitters until the end of the season. He left the club however at the end of the 2011/2012 season to relocate nearer his roots, and joined NPL Premier side Blyth Spartans on 9 June 2012. Due to continued work commitments, Craig had difficulty attending training sessions with the Spartans, and on 16 November 2012, he joined rival NPL Premier side Whitby Town – closer to his home town. He retired from the game due to injury in 2015.

Appearances

2009/2010 – squad number 9

2010/2011 – squad number 9

Cliff Akurang

Cliff Akurang

Born 27 February 1981 (Age 28 at debut)

Position: Forward

(Diamonds player #323)

Total appearances 37 – 8 goals

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

Debut:

8 August 2009 (Home Salisbury City)

Final game:

3 May 2010 (Away Oxford United)

Cliff had spells with the youth teams at Chelsea and Luton Town before starting out as an 18 years old striker with Chesham United. In the summer of 2000, he joined Hitchin Town before moving to Thurrock the following season. In some 104 appearances, he scored 38 times in a three year spell, but a move to Heybridge Swifts in 2005 saw him come to the notice of several League clubs after scoring 24 goals in 16 games. A loan spell to Dagenham & Redbridge followed in November 2005, with a permanent move in the summer. After helping Dagenham to the Conference title, he returned to Thurrock on loan in January 2007, before joining Histon in May.

Cliff joined Barnet in January 2008, scoring 10 times in 45 appearances, although he finished the final two months of the season on loan at Weymouth. Diamonds manager Justin Edinburgh brought Cliff in on a season long loan on 31 July 2009. He made his debut in the opening day defeat by Salisbury City at Nene Park, and scored his first goal for the club against Eastbourne Borough the following Saturday. Although making 37 appearances for the club, he only made 16 starts. The eight goals he scored were all from his opening 18 games. He returned to Barnet at the end of the season, but was released, joining Conference South side Thurrock on 9 July 2010. Cliff then moved to fellow Conference South side Maidenhead United on 3 November 2010, but remained there less than four months before joining Braintree Town on 28 February 2011. He left at the end of the season, and joined fellow Conference South side Chelmsford City on 1 July 2011. After a single season with the Clarets, Cliff left to join Conference North side Bishop’s Stortford on 17 August 2012, but after two appearances, he failed to agree terms and returned to Chelmsford City just two weeks later. After initially agreeing similar terms back with Chelmsford, he made a dramatic late switch to join Conference South side Boreham Wood on 30 August 2012. On 31 March 2013, Cliff joined Isthmian Premier side Canvey Island, maintaining his dual registration until the end of the season. On 17 July 2013, Cliff rejoined Conference South side Bishop’s Stortford on a one year deal. After a single season, Cliff joined Isthmian Premier side Leiston on 16 June 2014 in a player/coach role. During mid-September 2014, he was released by Leiston by mutual agreement after 3 goals in 9 games, and joined Conference South side Hayes and Yeading United on 15 September 2014. He made a single appearance there, with few more at Maldon & Tiptree before joining Canvey Island in 2016. He then moved to newly-formed Coggeshall United ahead of the 2017-18 season, firstly as player-manager before effectively hanging up his boots to become chairman-manager there.

His Wikipedia page is here.

Appearances

2009/2010 – squad number 25