There were more than 22,000 people inside Hillsborough, and their frustration was obvious at the full-time whistle: Sheffield Wednesday 0, Rushden & Diamonds 0. Three days later, Rushden won at Blackpool to move into the top half of the third tier after 15 games of the 2003-04 campaign. Below them sat not only the Tangerines but also Luton and Brentford, two sides now in the Premier League.
Since the club’s formation just 11 years earlier, from a merger of Northamptonshire sides RushdenIrthlingborough Diamonds, their momentum had only ever been upwards under owner Max Griggs, the head of footwear company Dr Martens, based nearby.
