Boldmere St Michaels 0 AFC Rushden & Diamonds 1
Northern Premier League Midland Division
Saturday 1 March 2025
Experienced local coach Jason Lanns joined the Mikes’ bench, while newly arrived Frankie Ealing (signed from Aberystwyth) and Kieron Berry (inward bound from Rugby Town) featured in the squad.
Five seconds’ defensive inattention separated the teams in an entertaining game, characterised by contrasting styles of play. Not for the first time this season, the visitors’ slick passing game contrasted with their hosts’ more Route One delivery. Rushden had the better of a fluctuating first half, and applied early pressure. It came as no surprise when they went ahead after seventeen minutes. The “hornets’ nest” had assembled for a Calvin Green corner. Marcel Guzynski ran from midfield to the edge of the box, and by the time he was picked up, he was shimmying sideways with the ball, and netted with a low shot from eighteen yards.
By this time Boldmere’s “little and large” (Charlie Manners and Kevin Ngombi) had twice threatened to breach the Diamonds’ back line, as they ran straight at the visitors’ goal. Rugged Mikes tackling repeatedly broke up fluent Rushden passing; but even so, Jonathan Brown was called into action on several occasions, kneeing away a Jamal Adams effort for a corner, smothering a fifteen yarder from Guzynski, pushing a Calvin Green shot round the post and thwarting Adams as the ball was heading inside the left-hand post. Despite this pressure, the Mikes came within an ace of equalising just before the break. Ngombi powered his way into the box, and slammed one against the post. At the interval, therefore, Boldmere were one down, but far from out.
The second half began with Aidan Webster booked for a neolithic tackle within thirty seconds of the restart; but a match full of muscle was played in excellent spirit, and only one further yellow resulted – and that was for verbals. Far fewer chances emerged after the interval, Rushden to a degree sitting on their lead and wanting to keep the home raiders in check. As often happens, the team in the lead only brought on three substitutes (one to replace the injury prone Ryan Hughes) while the Mikes, from the hour on, used all five – who, apart from resting “veteran” Steve Palmer, all replaced forwards, in hopes of presenting the Diamonds with problems they couldn’t cope with.
The Mikes didn’t always help themselves. They’d looked genuinely dangerous when bunging a long one down the middle; but wasted a lot of recovery time by passing the ball around the back line – with no idea of what to do with it next. Even so, with eight minutes standard time left, you wondered how the Mikes failed to equalise. Mayhem reigned in the away goalmouth as four home forwards met a cross from the left. Somehow or other, Ealing managed to fire over, when the net seemed at his mercy. More frustration was to follow five minutes later. Theo Rowe was fouled…just outside the box, according to our official…but to your reporter’s eyes, just inside.
With the Mikes now throwing caution to the wind, the deficit was nearly doubled, as Guzynski and Ethan Johnston found plenty of room to break down the right. Once the home rearguard had nearly defused the threat, the ball trickled goalwards…where Brown managed to retrieve it on the line. Soon, the final trump blew…and our guests had one four out of their last five games (including their last three away), while Boldmere have now lost four out of their last six.
Boldmere St Michaels: Jonathan Brown; Ben George; Pierre Phillips; George Cleet: Lewis Allison (Theo Rowe 85); Frankie Ealing; Taylor-Jay Hart (Mason Rees 61); Stephen Palmer (Oliver West 62); Kevin Ngombi; Charlie Manners (Kieron Berry 71); Demico Burton (John McHugh 84).
AFC Rushden & Diamonds: Adam Harrison; David Adegbola; Bleu McNeil; Calvin Green; Ryan Hughes (Callum Ballinger 65); Charlie Green; Aidan Webster; Tejan Thomas; Nathan Burrows (Ethan Johnston 83); Marcel Guzynski; Jamal Adams (Cairo Taylor 73). Subs. not used: Isaac Olaleye; Fraser Corden.