Boss Sandy wants Diamonds to end encouraging season on a high against Coleshill
AFC Rushden & Diamonds play their final game of the season on Saturday when the visitors are play-off chasing Coleshill Town.
A league campaign that promised so much at the turn of the year has all but ended with Diamonds on their worst run of results this season.
Last weekend, Diamonds were beaten 2-1 at Lichfield City despite taking an early lead through Ollie Evans, slipping to their fifth defeat in the past nine games.
It was a loss that leaves Diamonds in 13th place in the Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midlands Division table.
On Saturday, Rushden face fifth-placed Coleshill Town who need to win to ensure a place in the end of season play-offs.
But the west midlands team are also not in good form.
They have lost three of their past four games and now hold a slender onepoint lead over Racing Club Warwick, who lie one place outside the play-off positions.
Two other teams, Shepshed Dynamo and Lichfield, still have an outside chance of making the top five, albeit they are three points behind Coleshill.
Last weekend, Coleshill came back from 2-0 down at half-time to gain a priceless point at home to Corby Town.
This weekend, they will travel to Hayden Road having already lost twice to Diamonds and conceding seven goals in the process.
They may also have to face Diamonds' biggest attendance of the season, with Hayden Road staging the club's annual Community Day.
It is pay what you want through the turnstiles with Diamonds looking to break their all-time attendance record of 1,165.
Diamonds boss Elliot Sandy is hoping for a fitting finale to what has been an otherwise exciting and impressive first season in charge.
"The season hasn’t worked out as we had wanted, but I’ve told the players to go out and use this final game to show the fans what progress we’ve made and hopefully stop Coleshill’s play-off hopes in the process," said Sandy.
"It is no good saying that we haven’t had the rub of the green recently – in truth we haven’t been good enough.
"That being said, let's send the fans away with a smile on their faces and then look forward to an even better campaign next season."