Burgess keen to see Diamonds build on ‘fantastic feeling’

The AFC Rushden & Diamonds players celebrate one of their goals in Saturday's 2-1 success at Barwell. Picture by Hawkins Images

Andy Burgess knows AFC Rushden & Diamonds now have to build on their first win of the Southern League Premier Central season.

Goals from Miguel Ngwa and Nathan Hicks earned Diamonds a much-needed 2-1 success at Barwell on Saturday with the victory seeing them move off the bottom of the table.

They will now look to follow that up in a tough test against Coalville Town at Hayden Road tonight (Tuesday).

Coalville are fancied to be among the contenders for automatic promotion this season and fought back from 2-0 down to beat Hednesford Town 3-2 at the weekend.

And while Burgess knows a “difficult” game lies ahead for his team, he is keen to see his Diamonds side “grow” after that morale-boosting first success of the campaign.

“To say the win was needed is obviously an understatement but it was a fantastic feeling,” the Diamonds manager said.

“But we know it’s not the be all and end all. We have to build on it. It’s a start.

“Coalville will be a tough team. They came back from 2-0 down to win at the weekend.

“They have some really good players for this level so it will be a really difficult one.

“But we have to be looking forward to it now.

“We have got our first win and we have to make sure we grow from it and take all the good things that happened at the weekend into the next game.”

Diamonds, meanwhile, will welcome former manager Andy Peaks and league rivals Tamworth back to Hayden Road a week on Saturday (October 8) after the two teams were paired together in yesterday’s draw for the third qualifying round of the FA Trophy.