Last game is now a ‘cup final’ for AFC Rushden & Diamonds

The Diamonds boss admitted his team produced their worst performance since he arrived at the club as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat at St Ives Town on Easter Monday.

Fortunately, sixth-placed Alvechurch were also beaten 2-1 at champions Banbury United which means Diamonds remain three points clear of their nearest rivals in the race for the final play-off place.

Peterborough Sports, Coalville Town and Rushall Olympic are now all guaranteed to finish in the top five and they will be joined in the play-offs by either Diamonds or Alvechurch.

If Diamonds avoid defeat against Nuneaton Borough on Saturday then they will be in but should they lose and Alvechurch beat Royston Town then their superior goal difference will see them leapfrog Diamonds at the death.

“We have got away with it, favours have been done elsewhere,” Burgess said as he assessed the state of play going into the final day of the season.

“We just have to focus everything on Saturday. There’s no grey areas. It’s black and white. A win or a draw and we are in.

“We have to be better than what we were on Monday. You’re not always going to play well but when you don’t you have to do the basics right and we didn’t do that.

“We will be back in this week, we will go through things and then our full concentration will be on Saturday.”

Had Diamonds seen out a goalless draw at St Ives, a place in the play-offs would have been confirmed but the hosts secured all three points thanks to Nehemiah Richard-Noel’s header 12 minutes from full-time.

And Burgess said: “It was very poor, the worst performance I have had since I have been here.

“We were so stretched in the first half, we weren’t good in or out of possession, we didn’t move or keep the ball well enough and we made some really poor decisions on the ball.

“We changed shape before half-time and it filled the pitch a bit better and we probably shaded the second half in terms of possession and we had one or two chances.

“But we were disappointed to concede from a set-piece. The lad looked like he had the freedom of the penalty area.

“It’s really disappointing and if we had gone there and not played to our best but come away with a 0-0 then it would have been job done.

“But instead, we have let ourselves down a bit and we have made it into a cup final on Saturday.”