After a couple of weeks of inactivity, the Youth Team travelled to meet Aldershot Town on 31st January and came away with a comfortable 2 - 0 victory with goals in each half from Adam Sharpe and John Wigglesworth.
Rushden started with a fairly familiar line up with just Lewis Hilliard missing from the squad due to being on work experience with Ware Town in the Ryman North League for a month. With the First Team not playing until the next day against Cambridge United, Joe Day took over in goal from Michael Emery to get some much needed match practice.
The game was an even affair for the first half hour with little in the way of goal scoring opportunities for either side or time in midfield areas to get the ball down and play. Aldershot's best move saw their striker losing his marker before being adjudged offside prior to putting the ball into the net.
Rushden took the lead in the 30th minute when a Lewis Hallford corner was headed back into the six yard box by Jack Higgins and stabbed home from close range by Adam Sharpe.
Half Time: Aldershot Town 0 Rushden & Diamonds 1
Rushden had an early chance to extend their lead when an Aynsley McDonald cross was met by John Wigglesworth but he put his header wide from close range. Rushden and Wigglesworth did not have to wait too long for a second goal, though,when the striker got on the end of a Hallford free kick to head home from 10 yards.
Changes were made to the line up to give Under 16s, Callum Earls and Liam Read a chance to impress at Under 18 level. Alex Phillips also returned from suspension in place of Cox for the last third of the match which passed without any scares to Day's clean sheet.
Full Time: Aldershot Town 0 Rushden & Diamonds 2
Rushden Team: Day, Evans, McDonald, Cox (Phillips 62), Calcutt, Higgins, Hallford (Earls 61), Hayes, Shariff (Read 75), Wigglesworth, Sharpe.Subs No Used:Kirby, Freshwater
Afterwards, Paul Driver was happy with the performance and result. "Aldershot worked us really hard in the first 30 minutes and there was no time on the ball in midfield so we've had to adapt the way we'd prefer to play and the lads have done that well.
After the second goal, things became a lot easier and Joe (Day) had relatively little to do in the second half.We were also able to pull off George (Cox) and Lewis (Hallford) after an hour in case they were needed for the First Team's game against Cambridge and this gave me an ideal opportunity to give a couple of the Under 16s
