Peaks wants a 'massive reaction' from Diamonds

Andy Peaks and midfielder Richard Bunting talk things over following AFC Rushden & Diamonds' FA Trophy loss to Kidsgrove Athletic at the weekend. Pictures by Alison Bagley

Andy Peaks will seek a 'massive reaction' from AFC Rushden & Diamonds this evening (Tuesday).

Diamonds suffered a 3-1 defeat to Kidsgrove Athletic at Hayden Road on Saturday as they exited the FA Trophy at the preliminary round stage.

They have the opportunity to bounce back when they entertain United Counties League Premier Division side Whitworth in the first round of the NFA Hillier Senior Cup tonight.

And Peaks said: “I will be looking for a massive reaction to be honest.

The inquest begins following one of Kidsgrove's goals as Diamonds slipped to a 3-1 defeat at Hayden Road

“Whitworth will be up for it. We have been in their situation before and they will come here with nothing to lose.

“But we need to see a big improvement after the weekend.

“We will pick a team that we feel is capable of getting the result we want because we don’t want to go out of another cup competition.”

As far as the weekend was concerned, Peaks was disappointed with what he saw from his side.

He added: “We just didn’t perform and they (Kidsgrove) played well to be fair.

“They had a gameplan and once they had got the early goal, which was extremely frustrating, they put it into action and soaked everything up.

“We had a lot of possession but we didn’t hurt them, we didn’t create too much at all.

“It is very disappointing to come out of a good competition so early.”