Defender Barry Hunter signed for Rushden & Diamonds in September 2001. Although Hunter's debut did not according to plan with Diamonds suffering a 2-1 defeat away to Leyton Orient, he became a key part of the side that made it through to the play-off final in 2002.

Hunter was a key player in the Diamonds side that won the Division Three title the following season, and then helped the side to a strong position in Division Two before financial cutbacks meant the club lost their best players with Hunter taking on the role of caretaker manager following the departure of Brian Talbot.

As a player, Hunter made over 100 appearances for Rushden & Diamonds. He also contributed 6 goals in this period and was named Players Player of the year in 2003. He followed this up by winning the Supporters Player of the season in 2004.

His short spell as caretaker manager ended in spring 2004, with Ernie Tippett arriving to oversee the relegation back to League 2, and an early-season struggle in the lower division. However when Tippett left, Hunter was given a longer reign as manager, finding himself in charge for the remainder of the 2004/05 season, helping the team to recover from the position left by Tippett and secure a further season in the Football League.

In the following season in League 2 the Diamonds continued to struggle, with a number of new signings failing to live up to expectations, and the Diamonds dropped out of the Football League, which meant that the club had to find a new manager for their first season back in the Football Conference.

Although Hunter's managerial reign was not an overwhelming success, Diamonds fans will have fond memories of the strong defender whose determination on the pitch helped Diamonds achieve their highest league status to date.