AFC Rushden & Diamonds players urged to seize the big play-off opportunity

Tim Dudding is urging the AFC Rushden & Diamonds players to seize their opportunity after a rollercoaster of a week.

Diamonds moved into the play-off places in the Southern League Premier Central as their incredible run of form continued with a 2-1 success at Barwell last weekend.

But things took a shocking turn on Tuesday night after it was confirmed boss Andy Peaks was leaving the club after eight year at the helm to take over at league rivals Tamworth.

Dudding, the club’s head of scholarship in their academy programme at Moulton College, and first-team coach Scott Carlin have been placed in interim charge of the squad and are set to lead them into tomorrow’s (Saturday) clash at struggling Biggleswade Town.

And, despite a week of change in the dugout, Dudding knows there is still a huge opportunity presenting itself to the squad.

“It goes back to the point that it is their hard work that has got them there,” he said.

“When I say that, I say it as a coach talking at myself. The players play the game. The whistle goes and, in some sense, as a coach you are redundant and powerless.

“It’s about giving them that recognition and saying to them that ‘this is your’s to go and take. If we stick together, work hard and we steady everything then we will be okay’.”

While the focus is currently on the playing side of things, there remains the issue of a vacancy in the managerial role.

The inevitable speculation has already started but is it a job that interests Dudding?

“My commitment is genuinely to the club,” he said.

“I am currently the head of scholarship, running the under-19s and under-23s, and my commitment in that sense is to bring as many players as we can through and develop as many as we can for the club.

“Other than that, whatever the club see fit for me, they see fit.”