Special day for family of AFC Rushden & Diamonds fan as club pays tribute at first game of the season

Kit Dzeryn’s beloved AFC Rushden & Diamonds gave her family a truly special day as they paid tribute to her as the new season kicked off.

Rushden woman Kit (Kirsten) Dzeryn MBE was a huge fan of the club but after being diagnosed with incurable stage 4 metastatic breast cancer five-and-a-half years ago, she died in Gloucester on May 8 this year aged just 38.

The club celebrated her life and her support for the team at the opening game of the new season on Saturday (August 12) at Hayden Road.

Kit’s dad John Green told the Northants Telegraph: “It really was a special day for Phil, myself and the other members of the family who could make it to the game.

"The directors and other volunteers at the club went out of their way to accommodate us and to remember Kit in the way we hoped she would have wanted.

"We also raised £311.25 from the supporters in a bucket collection for Make Seconds Count.”

While the weather on the day wasn’t great, it certainly made it a memorable afternoon.

Fellow Diamonds fan John said: “One thing that was very funny, and weird, was that after a couple of hours of dry and often sunny weather leading up to the game it clouded over just before the club chaplain, Father Roger Knight, said a short prayer, and started raining lightly while he was speaking.

"As the referee blew his whistle for a minute’s applause for Kit, the wind came up and the rain absolutely lashed down soaking everyone including those seated in the covered stand.

"Even weirder the rain stopped immediately the ref blew for the minute’s clapping to end.

"It was almost as if Kit was showing her disapproval of all the fuss she was getting.”

After the match John and Phil presented an award to the team’s man of the match, goalkeeper George Rose, and set a brass plaque bearing Kit's name on a memorial bench.