Boss Harriman believes new season is starting at 'the best time' for Diamonds
AFC Rushden & Diamonds boss Michael Harriman believes the start of the Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midlands Division season has 'come at the best time' for his developing team.
Diamonds kick-off the new league campaign on Saturday when they entertain Lye Town at Hayden Road on Saturday (ko 3pm).
The match comes off the back of a week that saw Harriman's team play two thrilling FA Cup clashes with county rivals Corby Town, eventually progressing through the Extra Preliminary Round.
Both matches ended in 1-1 tight draws, with Diamonds holding their nerve to see off the Steelmen 2-1 in a penalty shootout at the end of Tuesday night's replay.
So the competitive season is very much up and running, Rushden have more than matched a team tipped to do well this season in two encounters, and Harriman believes the fact there will now be points on the line this weekend is going to suit his players.
"These games have come at the best time for us, these competitive games," the Diamonds boss told @AFCRDTV.
"We have seen where we are, we have seen what we can do and we are looking forward to Saturday.
"The league is our bread and butter where you are going to be playing week in, week out for the next few months.
"We will attack it, we will put a game plan together and we'll see what happens."
Lye Town will be a tough test for the Diamonds, having just missed out on the play-offs last season.
They were in Northants last weekend for a pre-season friendly at Kettering Town, and led the Poppies 1-0 at half-time before sliding to a 4-1 defeat.