Rushden & Diamonds can look back at a hugely deflating season, marked by the tragic death of one of their best players, and with a lot of uncertainty regarding their future due to financial problems. The Diamonds started the season in good spirits after the core of the squad that reached the play-offs was kept. However, the results in the early weeks were disappointing as most of the players struggled to get going and injuries were forcing the manager Justin Edinburgh to change things around all the time. Gradually the team managed to find more consistency and produced some great football in October when winning all their games. However, a late and undeserved 1:0 loss at home to Yeovil in the FA Cup signalled a run of poor results that stretched all the way to January. The Diamonds went 13 games without a win and during this period, Dale Roberts - the talented first-choice keeper was found dead. That event shook everyone within the squad to the core and the players' confidence was shattered as they lost a game after game. There was finally some light in the tunnel when the Diamonds came back from three goals down to secure a 3:3 draw at Hayes & Yeading and a few days later they won 3:1 away at Newport County. Suddenly the players got back to playing lively attacking football and a few more wins raised the hopes for a genuine play-off assault, especially after the 5:1 victory over Bath City in March. However, Rushden won just one of their subsequent 13 games as the morale dropped again and any play-off hopes died along the way with their financial problems coming into light after players were not paid on time and the club was docked five points for financial irregularities.
