Doughboys boss Stone all fired up for ‘proper derby’ against Diamonds

Wellingborough Town boss Jake Stone says he and his players are relishing their first Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midlands Division date of the season with local rivals AFC Rushden & Diamonds at Hayden Road on Saturday.

It will be the first time the two clubs have met in a league encounter since the 2014/15 season, when Diamonds won the UCL Premier Division title while groundsharing with the Doughboys at the Dog & Duck.

Both matches that season were won by a Diamonds side on the rise, with the latter clash resulting in a 7-0 win for Andy Peaks' side, and it has taken close to 10 years for the pair to cross swords in a league match once more.

Well, that wait will be over at 3pm on Saturday.

That is because they are once again in the same division, thanks to the Doughboys winning the UCL Premier Division South last season to return to Step 4 of the non-League pyramid, and manager Stone can't wait to lock horns against a club situated just six miles down the road.

"It is going to be a very big occasion," said Stone. "Diamonds come with the support that they do, and they are local to us.

"I don't think I would be speaking out of turn if I said that they want to beat us just as much as we want to beat them.

"It is a proper derby. We played Corby, and that is a derby in itself and we have had some good games with them, but I think Rushden and ourselves look at this as the number one derby.

"We are both on a level playing field, in a similar position in the league, and I would like to think that everybody in Wellingborough that enjoys their football, and everybody in Rushden that enjoys their football will get there and will be a hell of a turnout.

"It's the first time the clubs have played each other in a long, long time, especially in a league game and we are really looking forward to it."

Saturday's match sees the sides clash at Hayden Road, but it could so esaily have been a real in-house affair as the clubs were supposed to be groundsharing this season.

An agreement for that to happen was struck last April, but had been torn up less than a month later due to issues with the proposed length of the proposed lease.

"Everybody at Wellingborough was into that, and everybody at Rushden as well, and we would have liked that to happen," said Stone when asked about the groundshare deal falling through.

"It would have certainly added to the occasion that's for sure

"But I am sure it will still be just as spicy on Saturday."