Rushden and Diamonds are good enough to gain promotion to the Football League this season, according to assistant manager Michael Stone.

Diamonds lie fifth and secured their place in the Blue Square Premier play-off spot with three matches to spare.

Stone told BBC Radio Northampton: "It is a great achievement. I don't think many people had talked about us.

"We deserve to be there and now there's the chance to showcase ourselves against the best teams."

Stone added: "We're not an easy team to play against.

"We'll make life tough for our opponents, and compete for every ball."

Both Stone and manager Justin Edinburgh will be discussing new deals at the end of the season.

"We'd like to [stay], we see this as a project. But right now the focus is on the team and being successful."

Meanwhile, the club have offered professional contracts to youth-team players Aynsley McDonald and Nabil Shariff

McDonald is an 18-year-old defender who has played for the Welsh Under-17s, while 17-year-old striker Shariff has scored 25 goals for the youth team so far this season.

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