PortimonenseSC 3 Rushden & Diamonds 3

Rushden & Diamonds let a lead slip three times as they were held by Portuguese side Portimonense at Penina, near Portimao on a warm July evening in the Algarve.

Those fans that attended the game were treated to the first goal from Daryl Clare that he may struggle to better during his Diamonds career, and will have noted that although his partnership with Lee Phillips was only maintained for less than 10 minutes during the game, that was all it needed to produce the first goal for the partnership.

Unlike the game last Friday at Halstead, the Portuguese side presented a stern test, which wasn't too surprising given their position at a much higher level in the Portuguese football pyramid, as well as their familiarity with the climate. Garry Hill will have been pleased to see his side perform so well at what is such an early stage in their preparation for the new season, and at the same time will be able to give most of these players a similarly challenging game in two days time against BristolCity. Perhaps the main concern will be the Diamonds defence, with each of the Portimonense goals being the result of a defensive error, but in mitigation Hill was trialling a number of player combinations, and those changes themselves would have contributed to the second Portimonense equaliser.

The game kicked off at 6pm local time, with a number of local fans in attendance along with a dozen Diamonds fans to witness a game played on a pitch that would shame many grounds in the UK. Whilst the temperature was challenging at 26 degrees or more, the two sets of players seemed to temper their game to suit the conditions.

The Diamonds lined up with triallist Justyn Roberts lining up alongside Chris Hope in defence, flanked by Scott Mitchell at right back and Gareth Jelleyman on the left. In midfield Michael Corcoran made his first appearance of the pre-season alongside Jon Challinor, with Lee Tomlin on the right and Marcus Kelly on the left. Up front Daryl Clare appeared for the first time in a Diamonds shirt alongside Michael Rankine.

As the game started it became clear that the players had worked on their team-play, with Daryl Clare giving plenty of advice to his strike-partner up front, and Chris Hope marshalling a defence that included three newcomers / triallists. It was Clare that had the first real chance, with good work by Lee Tomlin from a Challinor throw finding him with a chance to beat his marker with a deft first touch, but then hit a chip narrowly over the bar. The two combined again a few minutes later, but this time the Diamonds newcomer was only able to drag a shot wide after a pass from Tomlin after the latter's incisive run through the defence.

On 12 minutes the Diamonds took a deserved lead, with one of several free kicks awarded for fouls on the right as Rankine, Clare and Tomlin ran at the defence. The kick was taken by Clare, and his curling ball found the head of Chris Hope, who was able to head the ball back across the area for Michael Rankine to run on and head home for the first goal.

The Diamonds lead only last 10 minutes, with the Portuguese side starting to sweep the ball around the pitch more, and it was one of these long passes from central midfield that found their left winger in the proverbial "acres of space" as Scott Mitchell was caught out of position. A simple cross and tap-in meant the sides were level.

A few minutes later a short corner move that earned dividends at Halstead was repeated, as Marcus Kelly and Lee Tomlin combined to get in a dangerous cross, met by Chris Hope whose downward header bounced in front of the Goalkeeper, but he was then able to help it over the bar. Kelly also saw a powerful shot fly just wide of the far post. Rankine was looking lively, and his overhead kick deserved better on 25 minutes than seeing it fly just wide of the far post.

Shortly afterwards, on 28 minutes, Gareth Jelleyman was forced to leave the pitch with a cut to his eye that needed a visit to the local hospital and four stitches. Phil Gulliver was pressed into action sooner than planned, with Justyn Roberts moving to left back. The competitive nature of the game was stressed as Lee Tomlin and his marker went face-to-face after Tomlin was on the receiving end of a foul challenge after himself being penalised several times for pushing his opponent.

The determination of Michael Rankine to hold the ball up against a quality defence was transmitted into a number of unconventional approaches to controlling the ball, a couple of which suggested the big striker has acquired additional flexibility over the summer.

Half-Time : PortimonenseSC 1 Rushden & Diamonds 1

At the Half-time interval Garry Hill gathered his player together and stressed the desire the both sides had to win the game - with Chris Hope also assisting to indicate other areas of possible improvement.

As a result, but also in somewhat of a surprise, the Diamonds took to the field unchanged for the second half, but within 3 minutes Curtis Woodhouse had replaced Jon Challinor.

A few minutes later, on 54 minutes, Lee Phillips was brought on to replace Michael Rankine, as well as McGuinness for Kelly. This was the first chance for the Diamonds fans to see the Phillips / Clare partnership in action, and they will have been immediately impressed with what they saw, and were also treated to a goal that will not be bettered many times in the forthcoming season. Lee Phillips has already shown a level of tenacity that perhaps hasn't been seen at the club since the departure of Duane Darby, and it was this attitude that allowed him to win a ball back towards the right corner flag that looked a lost cause. He then ran into the box, and hit a cross from near the goal line that eluded the goalkeeper and was met with a flying scissors-kick by Daryl Clare to hit the ball back into the opposite corner to score a goal of the highest quality that brought applause from both sets of fans. The goal was scored on 57 minutes, after just 3 minutes of the partnership.

This was the signal for a number of further changes, and on 58 minutes Player-Coach Chris Hope was replaced by Sagi Burton, as well as Daryl Clare giving way to Dean McDonald. Unfortunately a legacy of these changes was an unsettled defence, and this allowed Portimonense to find a hole down the right hand side of the Diamonds defence for a second time, albeit in a more central position past the newly introduced Sagi Burton, and again a square pass found an unmarked striker to knock home the equaliser.

A further change then saw Jake Beecroft replace Scott Mitchell, with Michael Corcoran switching back from midfield to the right-back role. Dean McDonald started to run at the local defence, and a good touch and fine control saw him make an opening for Lee Tomlin, but Tomlin could only shoot over.

Perhaps there was then an expectation that the game might fizzle out into a 2-2 draw, but Lee Tomlin continued to show a competitive streak that brought the attention of the referee on more than one occasion (and upset his markers at other times). Lee was finally substituted by Sam Smith, and this required Jamie McGuinness to switch to a wide-left position, but he quickly found that he was required to fulfil rather more in defensive duties as the Portuguese side continued to press.

At the other end Sam Smith was looking sharp, and started to complement the efforts of Dean McDonald who was moving up to support Smith and Phillips whenever he could. Smith and McDonald combined with a couple of excellent first touches to feed Jake Beecroft, but his shot took a deflection, which took too much pace off the shot to trouble the opposition keeper. Sagi Burton was also finding his man with a number of balls forward from defence, and it was from one of these that set up Lee Phillips via Curtis Woodhouse, but the striker miscontrolled the ball and the chance was wasted.

On 77 minutes the Diamonds were able to take the lead for a third time, as the strikers and midfield linked up well to allow McDonald to feed the ball to Curtis Woodhouse, and his shot from at least 25 yards deflected in off the post for an excellent third goal.

The local side threatened a third equaliser several times, notably when Phil Gulliver was only able to head a clearance straight up into the air, but the striker was unable to convert what looked a decent chance.

Once again, however, the Diamonds were not able to hang on to their lead, but this time the defensive error was indisputable, as a long ball down the middle on 85 minutes was left by Burton for Alan Marriott to deal with, but rather than clearing quickly to the flanks, he dwelt on the ball, allowing the oncoming striker to rob him on the edge of his area and tap the ball into an empty net.

There was still time for both sides to demonstrate the competitive nature of the game, with Lee Phillips showing his determination to win the ball with a solid challenge on his marker that clearly outmuscled a surprised opponent, who was left to pick himself up rather gingerly. Curtis Woodhouse also continued the "hard but fair" challenges he is known for - again taking his opponent by surprise, this time causing him to try to seek retribution - with Woodhouse showing appropriate restraint whilst a number of team-mates cooled the situation. The bench continued to be animated, with Chris Hope helping to encourage commitment from players tiring in the heat.

A final chance came as Curtis Woodhouse was fouled whilst making a surging run through the middle, but Lee Phillips was caught just offside as he found space for a shot on goal.

The game thus ended in a creditable 3-3 draw - a result which matters less for the score, than for the quality of the workout on a hot evening. It is hoped that a game with a similar level of commitment is on show on Friday evening in nearby Lagoa.

Final Score Portimonense 3 Rushden & Diamonds 3

Diamonds Starting Line Up : Alan Marriott : Scott Mitchell - Chris Hope - Justyn Roberts - Gareth Jelleyman : Lee Tomlin - Jon Challinor - Michael Corcoran - Marcus Kelly : Daryl Clare - Michael Rankine

Substitutes Used : Phil Gulliver (28) - Curtis Woodhouse (48) - Lee Phillips (54) - Jamie McGuinness (54) - Dean McDonald (58) - Sagi Burton (58) - Jake Beecroft (63) - Sam Smith (72).

Diamonds Goalscorers : Michael Rankine (12), Daryl Clare (57), Curtis Woodhouse (77)

Diamonds Man of the Match (joint) : Chris Hope and Daryl Clare

Note : This report has been uploaded rather later than planned due to local internet / power problems in Portugal.