Peaks delighted as Diamonds get up and running in dramatic fashion

Joel Gyasi's late goal secured a first win of the season for AFC Rushden & Diamonds
Joel Gyasi was the late hero for AFC Rushden & Diamonds as they beat Coalville Town 2-1 at Hayden RoadJoel Gyasi was the late hero for AFC Rushden & Diamonds as they beat Coalville Town 2-1 at Hayden Road
Joel Gyasi was the late hero for AFC Rushden & Diamonds as they beat Coalville Town 2-1 at Hayden Road

Andy Peaks believes no-one could have “written the script” as AFC Rushden & Diamonds got their Pitching In Southern League Premier Central season up and running with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Coalville Town at Hayden Road.

The Diamonds boss was left bitterly disappointed after his team suffered a 2-0 defeat to Banbury United in their opening game of the campaign last Tuesday night.

But that sorrow turned to joy yesterday (Saturday).

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Diamonds took an early lead through captain Liam Dolman, only to be pegged back by a Billy Kee penalty.

However, with the game seemingly heading towards a 1-1 draw, Joel Gyasi broke away in the dying moments to grab the winner and secure a first win of the season.

“I was disappointed on Tuesday for various reasons, it was a disappointing performance more than anything and I just felt we could have done more than we did,” Peaks said.

“We talked about it during the week and we asked them to dig deep and put in a good performance against a good team. I wanted to see a workmanlike display, the sort we have always been associated with and they did just that.

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“We had a few missing for various reasons and we were playing a team who create and score goals for fun so it was always going to be a tough game.

“We had a great start with a goal coming from something we had worked on during the week and we withstood some serious pressure and we relied on some good saves from Dean Snedker and some good blocks.

“As we went on and it was 1-1, I just felt that if we defended well then we would get another chance. We did defend well and then to break away and win it in the last minute was the icing on the cake.

“You couldn’t have written the script, it was just the perfect way to finish the game.”

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The win also brought a sense of relief to Peaks as Diamonds’ tough start continues over the bank holiday weekend with next Saturday’s trip to Bromsgrove Sporting being followed by a home clash with Peterborough Sports on Bank Holiday Monday.

The Diamonds boss added: “You don’t win or lose anything in the first couple of weeks of the season but it’s nice to get points on the board because the longer you go without scoring goals or getting points, the more the pressure builds. The belief can disappear quite quickly.

“I think everyone knew we had a tough set of fixtures to start the season and to lose on Tuesday and then have a top team like Coalville coming here, some would have been asking where those first points would have been coming from.

“So to get them now and get up and running will only add more confidence to the group.

“We have a lot of young lads, they are learning and they will only get better and better as the season goes on.”