Rushden & Diamonds lost for the first time in their pre-season campaign, going down 1-0 to Championship side Derby County on Tuesday evening.

Derby took the lead in the 48th minute when a defensive error from Chris Hope let in Nathan Ellington.

Lee Tomlin came closest to equalising for the Blue Square Premier side, when he hit the post with a delicate chip.

Rushden will now face an Arsenal XI on Thursday evening, followed by a Tottenham XI on Monday.

Diamonds boss Garry Hill is looking forward to these fixtures and is pleased with his new-look squad.

He told BBC Radio Northampton: "We have a strong squad this year, there is no doubt about that...I think that when you look at the squad over recent seasons, it's probably the best squad we've had in a while."

Diamonds are yet to have confirmed whether they will be making trialist Justyn Roberts, who played the full 90 minutes against Derby, a permanent member of the squad.