Coleshill Town 0 v 4 AFC Rushden & Diamonds

[Alan Beckett]

Saturday 2nd March 2024
Northern Premier League Midland Division
Coleshill Town 0 v 4 AFC Rushden & Diamonds
Scorers: Cairo Taylor 2, Jacob Scott, Reuben Wyatt.
Attendance: 247.


Teams:
Colemen: Joseph Bevan, Ben O'Hanlon, James Bowen, Harry Higginson, Niall Rowe, Dominic Perkins (Kobe Hall), Sam Fitzgerald (Jonathan Letford), Alex Tomkinson, Gio Dainty (Elliot Ball), George Washbourne, Chris Cowley.
Subs not used: Ewan Edwards, Ben Maginness.


Diamonds: Ben Heath, Jacob Scott, Luis Pinto Leite, Joe O'Neill, Michael Harriman, Jarvis Wilson, Miguel Ngwa, Ryan Inman, Luke Emery, Reuben Wyatt (Dylan Wilson), Cairo Taylor (Ethan Johnston).
Subs not used: Fraser Corden, Tejan Thomas, Jack Empson.

MATCH REPORT
After a much needed win last week confidence should have been at a high but that quickly disappeared in a disastrous first 45 minutes against bottom of the table AFC Rushden and Diamonds who went on to complete the double over Coleshill Town.
With just 4 minutes on the clock a fine ball by Emery send Taylor free who scored with an excellent finish. Sam Fitzgerald had an go just wide then saw his effort from a free kick well saved by keeper Heath. The Diamonds increased their lead on 21 minutes when Scott bundled the ball home in a six yard box scramble following a corner, following a fine run by Ngwa. Just three minutes later it was THREE as Taylor raced clear and made no mistake from a one on one with home keeper Joseph Bevan. Bevan saved a fine header from Emery just before half time.

Coleshill made a couple of changes at half time and competed better but the visitors absorbed the pressure well. Coleshill did have the ball in the net but it was disallowed for off side. Diamonds scored their fourth goal on 85 minutes with a sumptuous curling finish from outside the box from Wyatt.

Diamonds moved off the foot of the table with this result and would probably prefer to play Coleshill every week. The Colemen are not out of the woods yet and their nest game, in two weeks, is against now bottom club Gresley Rovers who will also be in the hunt for a double following their previous win back in December.