Eighth-tier AFC Rushden & Diamonds host National League North side Morecambe in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round this Saturday, 15 years after the original club went bust. The tie at Hayden Road is expected to be a sell-out.
Rebirth after financial collapse
The original Rushden & Diamonds FC, once an EFL regular, was expelled from the Conference National in 2011 and faced a winding-up petition with debts of £750,000. Supporters quickly established a new club, AFC Rushden & Diamonds, which registered to compete in the United Counties League Division One - five tiers below the Conference - for the 2012/13 season.
The club rose rapidly through the non-league pyramid, winning three promotions in six years to reach the Southern Premier League Central - the seventh tier - ahead of the 2018/19 season. That proved to be the peak for a while: Diamonds spent five years at that level, finishing as high as ninth once, before relegation dropped them to the Northern Premier League Midlands Division.
Manager leads revival
After ten successive defeats at the start of the 2023/24 season, the club looked destined for back-to-back relegations. Despite finishing in the drop zone, they were reprieved following Loughborough Dynamo's demise. A mid-table finish in 2024/25 prompted a change in management that summer, with former player Elliot Sandy appointed.
Sandy guided the club to its most successful season in years, including a best-ever FA Trophy run, and has carried that momentum into 2026/27. Diamonds have taken 17 points from their first nine league matches and are into the FA Cup fourth qualifying round for only the second time in their history.
FA Cup run and potential Leicester tie
Diamonds began their FA Cup campaign in the extra preliminary round back in August. They have won five matches since, beating Kimberley Miners Welfare, Long Eaton United, Desborough Town, Peterborough Sports and Braintree Town to reach this stage. They are one of just five clubs from the extra preliminary round still in the competition, alongside SE Dons, Tadley Calleva, Atherton Collieries and Stafford Rangers.
If Diamonds beat Morecambe, a first round tie against 2026 Premier League champions Leicester City could follow, with the Foxes now in League One. Sandy said: "I am absolutely buzzing. Listening to the draw was quite nervy, it's been a while since I've had that sort of experience. We just wanted a home tie, which we got, and then you hope for a big club that's going to come to town."
Opponents and outlook
Morecambe, who were in the EFL as recently as 2024/25, have been excellent at home, winning their last five matches, but have won just one in six away. Adam Lakeland's side sit 40 places above Diamonds in the non-league pyramid.
Sandy said: "They've been there, done it. They've got some experienced players in there as well. The management team that have gone in are experienced at non-league level. Looking at their form, they're in good form at the minute. I think it's third or fourth in their league." Diamonds head into the tie off the back of a 5-3 win at Long Eaton and are unbeaten in the Northern Premier League Midlands, with four wins and five draws from nine matches, sitting 12th, two points off the play-off places but with at least two games in hand on most. Morecambe lost 2-1 at Worksop Town last weekend after beating Darlington 3-0.
