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BUGBROOKE

UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATION

ST. MICHAELS

26/27 SEASON | ISSUE 5

Y A D H C T A M OFFICIAL !

E ! M M A R G PRO

WE ARE ALL

BADGERS 26 27

RUSHDEN &THDIAMONDS TUESDAY 6

OCTOBER2026 7:45PM KICK OFF

BUGBROOKE ST MICHAELS FC THE BADGERS, FOUNDED 1929

CLUB COMMITTEE

PRESIDENT: WILLY MARRIOTT CHAIRMAN: KEVIN GARDNER VICE-CHAIRMAN: RICHARD FAULKNER CLUB SECRETARY: GRAHAM CONNEW YOUTH SECRETARY: HAYLEY EVANS (Clubman Of The Year) FEMALE DEVELOPMENT OFFICER / SECRETARY: STEPH NASH WELFARE OFFICER: BLAINE TAYLOR GENERAL MANAGER: TYLER REEVE TREASURER: JASON CHEESEMAN FIXTURES SECRETARY: STUART DIMOND GROUNDSMAN: RICHARD GIBBON COMMITTEE MEMBER: STEVE REEVE COMMITTEE MEMBER: JOE THOMAS COMMITTEE MEMBER: STUART WHITE

M A E T G IN H C A O C / T N E M E G MANA FIRST TEAM: CALVIN GREEN RESERVE TEAM: RYAN NASH LADIES TEAM: UNDER 16s: CHRIS ASHTON UNDER 15s: TONY HILL UNDER 14s BLUE: IAN MARRIOTT UNDER 14s WHITE: THOMAS MURFIT UNDER 13s WHITE: KYLE TAYLOR UNDER 13s BLACK: NICK HILLIKER UNDER 12s: ANDY JACKMAN UNDER 14s WHITES GIRLS: ALAN THOMAS UNDER 11s: SCOTT ROGERS UNDER 10s: MANI JOHAL UNDER 9s BLACK: JASON CHEESEMAN Minis : JACK THOMAS

WELCOME TO THE SETT FROM THE CHAIRMAN...

As Chairman of Bugbrooke St Michaels Football Club, I would like to offer you a warm welcome to The Sett and I hope that you have an enjoyable visit. Here at Bugbrooke St Michaels we are working hard to develop a club with a strong inclusive ethos, offering opportunities for players of all ages and abilities. We are extremely proud of our youth development programme, supporting players from seven all the way up to eighteen. Many of our young players go on to have success with one of our adult teams, with some players going on to even bigger and better things! There is a great wealth of local support for the club, everyone that helps does so on a voluntary basis and through everyone’s hard work and dedication we have been able to achieve and maintain FA Accredited status.

Whilst some clubs choose to reinvest their revenue into players and wages, here at Bugbrooke we hold a different set of values. All of our profits go into upgrading our equipment and facilities, building a solid future-proof foundation that will be here for future generations to enjoy. Whilst this can sometimes hold us back from gaining huge success on the pitch, we feel our excellent facilities, youth development programme and ethos on community sets us apart from other clubs. Success and progression starts from the beginnings. Thank you for your support today, we hope that you enjoy the game, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Kev Kevin Gardner, Chairman

Bugbroooke St Michaels Football Club would like to place on record our thanks to our team of volunteers, our advertisers and sponsors.

MANAGERS NOTES

RYAN SEAMAN

A very warm welcome to everyone joining us at The Sett this evening, and especially to AFC Rushden & Diamonds for tonight’s Hillier Cup fixture.

It’s been a busy few weeks, with almost as many cup games as league fixtures. With a relatively small group, it’s taken a real squad effort to manage the demands of the different competitions, particularly with injuries and absences along the way. Saturday was a fantastic response to our first league defeat of the season last Tuesday. The boys produced one of our best performances against a very good side, showing the character and quality we know this group has. We’ve worked hard in training to improve what we’ve been doing, so it was especially pleasing to see that come through in the performance and get back to winning ways. Now we need to build on that performance and become more consistent. Tonight’s game gives us another chance to test ourselves against a well-established Step Four side, and it’s a game we’re all really looking forward to. Elliot Sandy has put together a strong squad during his time with Diamonds, and they’re enjoying a fantastic FA Cup run while remaining unbeaten in the league. I’m sure they’ll be keen to keep that momentum going. We know we’re the underdogs, but that makes tonight an even bigger opportunity to show how far we’ve come this season. This fixture is particularly special for me. I spent eight years with Diamonds and have some fantastic memories with the club, including lifting the Hillier Cup after beating Kettering Town in the final. There’s also a great connection, with everyone in our current management team having either played or managed at Diamonds at different points in recent years. We’re really looking forward to the game, so I urge our fans to get behind the team and enjoy tonight’s match. Have a great evening. Up the Badgers! Ryan Seaman Assistant Manager Bugbrooke St Michael’s FC

FEMALE @THE SETT FOOTBALL We would like to welcome a few new faces to The Sett this season within our ladies squad and the return of some familiar faces too. Firstly we’d like to give a big welcome to Martyn Cain, Cainy who is our new manager this season. Cainy takes over from Stu White who is taking a well earned break from coaching having been manager of our ladies team for the last 6 seasons, although his dedication goes beyond this. Cainy comes to The Sett with a wealth of knowledge and is excited to get this season underway. Alex DeBoer, assistant coach last season is also taking a well earned break from coaching and has not long ago become Dad! Stepping in to Alex’s shoes is Bob Lane who spent the last few seasons with our extremely successful U18’s girls team, his knowledge will be extremely valuable this season. We would like to place on record our thanks to both Stu and Alex and are looking forward to catching them at a game soon, once a badger, always a badger! The girls started their campaign a couple of weeks ago where they headed to Yaxley FC to play Stanground Cardea Ladies in the preliminary round of the women’s fa cup. After 90 minutes the score was level at 1-1, unfortunately we were narrowly beaten in the dreaded penalty shoot out. It was a great game with the ladies almost scoring the winner just before the fulltime whistle was blown. We Would like to wish Stanground Cardea all the best for the rest of the season and thank them for their kind hospitalityafter the game. 13/9 saw the ladies league campaign start where they made the trip to Kingsthorpe Jets. 1-0 down at the break the ladies managed to pull it back to a 4-2 win with goals coming from Tara, Elle x2 and a special mention to Liv who scored her very first goal for the club! On to next weekend when we welcome NN United to The Sett. The game is due to be a 2pm KO, please come on down and cheer our ladies on. With thanks to our kit sponsor Castle Vehicle Servicing. Watch this space for exciting things to come for our female pathway. If you’d like to get involved, you can make contact with the club through any of our social media platforms or email directly Steph.nash@bugbrookesmfc.com Facebook: BSMFC or Bugbrooke St Michaels Youth Instagram: bugbrookestmichaelsfc OR Bugbrooke_ladiesfc OR bsmfc_youth TikTok: BSMFC.official X: @badgersBSMFC

OUR HISTORY

BUGBROOKE ST MICHAELS FC Formed in 1929, Bugbrooke St Michaels Football Club took over from Bugbrooke United who folded in 1928 after being in existence since 1910. The club, which is named after the local St Michael’s and All Angels Church, initially took its place in the Northants Central Village League and had immense success, winning the league title from 1931 to 1937. The club closed for the Second World War before reforming in 1947 and were once again successful, winning the CVL title from 1947 to 1950, and were Northants Lower Junior Cup runners-up in 1949, a feat repeated in 1954. We finally won the N.F.A Lower Junior Cup in 1956 and followed this in 1957 by winning the prestigious Daventry Charity Cup. The club had its most successful years from 1966 to 1972 when we won the Northants Central Combination Premier title and again from 1976 to 1979 with 1977 also seeing us win the N.F.A Lower Junior Cup again. The club continued to succeed in the Northants Combination until 1987 when we took the decision to join the United Counties League.

At this time, we decided to run two teams in the U.C.L and two teams in the C.N.C. We also began our youth section and have continued this ever since. Today we run 4 adult sides, including a recently formed Ladies team as well as 15 youth teams. The club has continued to enjoy success across all age groups over those 30 years, the most notable being N.F.A Junior Cup winners in 1992, N.F.A Lower Junior Cup in 1993, and U.C.L Division One winners in 2001. The reputation for producing successful youth teams has increased over those years and 4 of our youth players (under 16) have been signed by professional league clubs The achievements of the club on the field have always been supported by a hardworking committee whose chief officers are recorded on a roll in the clubhouse flyer. They, along with the supporters of the club, have built up the excellent changing room sand clubhouse since 1980. We hope that you enjoy the facilities that they have provided over those years, and we look forward to seeing you again in the future.

TODAY’S VISITORS S D N O M IA D & N E D H S RU

WHO ARE THEY? Full Name

AFC Rushden & Diamonds

Nickname(s) The Diamonds Founded

2011

Ground

Hayden Road

Capacity

2955

Manager

ElliottSandy

League

Northern Premier League Division 1 Midlands

The original Rushden & Diamonds was formed on 21 April 1992, following the merger of Irthlingborough Diamonds and Rushden Town. The club's early years were marked by success. Within four seasons the club had reached the Conference National, and within nine the club were members of the Football League. However, following their promotion to Division Two the Diamonds' fortunes took a turn for the worse. The club were relegated twice in three years, and suffered instability off the field. Seven different managers took charge of the team between March 2004 and May 2011, while the club itself was controlled by four different parties during the same period. Following a period of sustained financial difficulties during the 2010–11 season, the club were expelled from the Conference at the end of the campaign,[7] and entered administration that July.[8] Establishment AFC Rushden & Diamonds was created during the summer of 2011 by Rushden & Diamonds fans as a "phoenix club" after the original Diamonds were expelled from the Conference National, and subsequently went on to fail to secure a place in the Southern League Premier Division.[9] After missing the FA league deadline for registering a senior side, AFC R&D formed a youth team to compete in the Northants Senior Youth League for the club's inaugural 2011–12 season, with the intention of fielding a senior side the following year. Following an open fans' meeting, supporters voted to play their games for the 2011–12 season at Kiln Park, Raunds, the home of Raunds Town.[10] Former Rushden & Diamonds head of youth development Mark Starmer was appointed as manager, initially taking control of the Under-18 side.[11] The U18s were accepted into the Northants Senior Youth League for the 2011–12 season,[12] but no senior side was registered in time for that season. The club's first match was a 3–0 loss to Raunds Town in a friendly youth match played on 6 August 2011, attended by 350 supporters.[13] The first ever competitive goal scored at any level for the new club was a penalty from Lewi Williams in the inaugural match of the Dale Roberts Memorial Cup against Cleveland Juniors at Kiln Park on 14 August 2011.[14] The Diamonds played their first competitive game on 25 August 2011, winning 3–0 against Daventry Town in the Northants Senior Youth League. The side ended the league campaign in fifth place with 30 points from their 16 games,[15] and they won the NYSL Knock-out Cup, beating AFC Kempston Rovers4–1 in the final held at Corby Town's Steel Park.[16] Throughout the season the club established partnerships with other local clubs which saw money donated to the club, the establishment of a youth development programme, and the acquirement of a playing field and home ground until the end of the 2012–13 season. [17][18]

Ahead of 2012–13, Mark Starmer was given the First Team Manager role,[19] with exRushden & Diamonds player Andy Peaks appointed as his assistant.[20] The senior team were registered to play in the United Counties Football League Division One, playing its home games at the Dog and Duck, home of Wellingborough Town. A Women's team and a series of Youth teams were also established

The senior side's first match was a 3–0 victory in a friendly against Crawley Green on 17 July 2012. Striker Peter Okechukwu scored the senior team's first goal, with a crowd of approximately 100 watching the match.[23] A month later, AFC Rushden & Diamonds beat Thrapston Town 3–0 in their first ever competitive senior match, with goals from Alfie Taylor (2) and Jack Wisniewski in front of 784 supporters.[24] The club had mixed form throughout the season, but finished the league in second place, securing promotion to the United Counties League Premier in their first senior season.[25] The club also took part in the FA Vase, United Counties League Knockout Cup and the Northants FA Les Underwood Junior Cup.[25][26][27] In 2013-14 the club entered the FA Cup for the first time. Starting in the competition's Extra Preliminary, they beat London Colney, Northwood, Cockfosters, and Cambridge City to reach the Third Qualifying Round, where they were defeated 3–1 away to Conference South side Dover Athletic.[28] In the league, Rushden & Diamonds finished third. Diamonds spent most of 2014-15 near the top of the table and, in anticipation, applied for promotion. In a season that included a 6-game winning streak, and 9–0 and 7–0 wins against Desborough Town and landlords Wellingborough Town, respectively, the club secured the United Counties League Premier Division title, their first ever honour, and promotion to the Southern League Division One Central. Diamonds made it a double by beating Potton United 3–0 in the final of the UCL Knockout-Cup.[29] Ahead of the 2015–16 season the club were informed by the Southern Football League that they must use the previously retired number 1 retired in honour of Dale Roberts[30][31] - despite the United Counties League and the Football Association having given the club prior permission. A petition was set up by supporters, and goalkeeper Matt Finlay wore 17 on his shirt in the first game of the season. Further appeals from the club eventually succeeded and the decision was overturned.[32] Away from this, the club's promotion meant that they competed in the FA Trophy for the first time. In the FA Cup, Diamonds reached the Fourth Qualifying Round for the first time, where they lost 1–0 in replay against Barwell.[33] After spending some time at the top of the table, in the league the club finished fifth, qualifying for the playoffs. After beating Royston Town in the semi-final they lost 2–1 in extra time to St Ives Town in the final.[34] The season ended with a 2–1 victory in the Hillier Senior Cup Final against old rivals Kettering Town.[33] Diamonds were transferred to the Northern Premier League Division One South in 2016–17, where they again finished fifth. They qualified once more for the play-offs,[35] but they were defeated 1–0 by Witton Albion in the semi-final.[36] The FA transferred the club once again, this time back to the Southern League Division One Central.[37] They had initially planned to start the 2017–18 season playing their home games at Kempston Rovers' ground, ahead of a proposed move to Hayden Road in Rushden, however necessary works to Hayden Road were completed before the season start.[37] On 28 April 2018 Diamonds were promoted to Step 3 at the third time of asking, finishing second behind Beaconsfield Town; their third promotion in six seasons.[38] The 2018–19 season saw Diamonds finishing 9th on 61 points, 33 off rivals and league winners Kettering Town.[39] The 2019–20 season was Diamonds' second at Step 3 and contained notable results such as a 5–1 victory over Leiston and an 8–2 defeat to Bromsgrove Sporting. The season saw short cup runs in both the FA Trophy and the FA Cup, being defeated by South Shields and Enfield Town respectively. When the season was ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Diamonds were placed 11th in a very tight league, where they were just 4 points away from the playoff places.[40] The 2022–23 season saw the club relegated from step 3 in their fifth season at the level, a 0–0 draw on 25 March confirming their fate with seven matches remaining.[41] The 2021/22 season began a tumultuous period for the Club. Manager Andy Peaks had the team looking nailed-on for the play-offs when he departed for league rivals Tamworth after 8 years in charge, with whom he, alongside many former Diamonds players, have gone on to have unprecedented success including back-to-back promotions. Diamonds meanwhile, now under the stewardship of Club Legend Andy Burgess, collapsed on the pitch whilst off it, things weren’t much better. A wretched period of recruitment in the summer of 2022 left Diamonds propping up the Southern League Premier Division Central and nailed on for relegation with half of the season played. With the club’s attendances plummeting and finances dwindling, an extraordinary general meeting of the Club’s Part Owners was called by the Club’s Board and in November 2022, a new board was formed, tasked initially with fulfilling fixtures and protecting the future of the Club rather than on-pitch success. Relegation at the end of the 2022/23 season was a formality, but under new manager Chris Nunn, there were green shoots of recovery with a strong finish to the season. The 2023/24 season started with a great deal of optimism however 10-straight defeats at the start of the campaign left the Diamonds firmly rooted to the bottom of the table back at Step 4, out of all cup competitions and managerless once more. Diamonds appointed then-player Michael Harriman alongside Club Legend and all-time top goalscorer Tom Lorraine. The pair would mastermind a phenomenal recovery, dubbed ‘The Great Escape’, in which Diamonds would finish level of points with 4 other clubs. Despite being cruelly relegated on paper on the final day, Diamonds would receive a reprieve following the demise of Loughborough Dynamo, allowing them to remain at Step 4 and thus avoiding back-to-back relegations. The 2024/25 season was a period of consolidation following three tumultuous campaigns, with the Diamonds finishing the season in midtable. In the summer of 2025, Michael Harriman departed the club by mutual consent and former player Elliot Sandy was appointed. The 2025/26 season was the club’s most successful since 2021/22 and included the best FA Trophy run in the Club’s history. Senior team games are covered by Radio Diamonds, a group of volunteers who broadcast live commentary online for fans via Mixlr.

TEAMSHEETS

BUGBROOKE ST MICHAELS

RUSHDEN & RUSHDEN & DIAMONDS DIAMONDS

Management Calvin Green - Manager Dale Walton - Assistant Manager Ryan Seaman - Assistant Manager Phil Dale - Coach Kristian Barber - Physio Colours White/Black

Managment Elliot Sandy Colours Black/Yellow

Team Ewan Evans Kieran Spencer Joe Malkin Tom Walton Reece Irwin Ronnie Gibbon Dalton Leon Jake Webster Matt Bazeley Raff Coupar-Evans Callum Farmer Alfie Green Calvin Green Charlie Seaman Jake Bettles Amine Benkorichi Alfie Doherty Shaun Fotso James Elkington-Soan Jack Connor

Team NOT PROVIDED

Match Officials: Jamie Stevenson, Zak Gray & Elliot Powell

TEAMSHEETS

BUGBROOKE ST MICHAELS

RUSHDEN & RUSHDEN & DIAMONDS DIAMONDS

Management Calvin Green - Manager Dale Walton - Assistant Manager Ryan Seaman - Assistant Manager Phil Dale - Coach Kristian Barber - Physio Colours White/Black

Managment Elliot Sandy Colours Black/Yellow

Team NOT PROVIDED

Match Officials: Jamie Stevenson, Zak Gray & Elliot Powell

@Paul Redding

BUGBROOKE

ST. MICHAELS FOOTBALL CLUB

BADGERS FOUNDED IN 1929

24 25

BIRDS CLOSE GAYTON ROAD, BUGBROOKE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NN7 3PH TEL: 01604 830707 WEBSITE: BUGBROOKESMFC.CO.UK

@BADGERSUCL @BSMFCYOUTH

BSMFC BUGBROOKE ST MICHAEL YOUTH