I GETTING TO KNOW JACK DIAMOND

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GETTING TO KNOW JACK DIAMOND

Continuing our ‘Getting to Know’ series in association with Stadium sponsor EnviroVent, we aimed 10 quick-fire questions at Jack Diamond

JACK DIAMOND

Diamond by name, Diamond by nature. That was the description by BT Sport commentators as Harrogate Town loanee Jack Diamond scored Town’s third and deciding goal which sealed the club’s promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history. On loan from Sunderland, at the time 19-year-old Diamond provided pace and sparkle throughout the 2019-20 season and now two years later, the winger has returned looking to help the club once again push for glory. This is Jack Diamond’s journey to Harrogate Town...

Interview by Henry Whitaker

Born in Washington, County Durham, Diamond grew up surrounded by a heavily passionate football fanbase. From a very young age, he was kicking a football and watching TV boxsets of Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and Pele tear teams apart with their individual brilliance. The close control and quick feet caught Diamond’s eye and the youngster found himself trying to replicate those greats on five aside pitches, where he’d aim to get one on one with an opposing player before dancing past with ease.

He soon found himself with Darlington’s u10s in their centre of excellence before that closed and from there, the winger played for his local boys’ club until the age of 14.

At this point, Diamond was beginning to notice he was attracting attention from Premier League teams. First came Sunderland who just after one trial game wanted him to sign onto the academy. Newcastle then offered Diamond the same opportunity but the Washington lad chose the Black Cats as the place to further his development.

“It felt like it was all happening at once,” Diamond says. “Both offered the same thing but I felt like I knew Sunderland a bit more and with Newcastle, it felt like they wanted us just because Sunderland did. My dad was always telling me I had to enjoy myself first, that was the priority,” Diamond continues. “I had played with a lot of people who came out of academies because they didn’t enjoy it and I know a lot that don’t play anymore as they just burn out mentally. It’s a ruthless environment as you’re valued on how good you are and it can turn a lot of people off, but my parents were all for it and were keen for me to do something I was good at.”

Diamond went into the Sunderland set up with a “point to prove” as he explains how most of the team had been together for years and were a close bunch. He arrived at the Academy of Light as a centre midfielder but soon found himself playing further forward in the number 10 role. His ability to pick up possession and carry the ball at pace made Diamond a standout player and he was soon jumping through the age groups ahead of time.

For the coaches, the challenge was to now find a place in the older academy teams to keep Diamond progressing. They decided to play him on the left wing with the freedom to drift inside, it’s a position he’s played ever since.

At 15 years old, Diamond was given his first contract (a year earlier than the norm) which was made up of a standard two-year youth team scholarship followed by a one-year pro deal. It was at this age where Diamond believes he started to really “kick on”.

“At that age, people are built so different and I was still small and skinny but it’s a vital time in a player’s development. I dealt with it well playing with older players and it led to me playing with the u18s which gave me a taste of the more physical side of the game. It was a hammering on my body so I took on every bit of information. I was always battling against myself and the others in the academy,” Diamond adds. “At the end of the day, it’s a very selfish place. Everyone is fighting for that same goal and it doesn’t feel like it’s about the team, it’s about self-improvement and trying to get one up on your teammates.”

After completing just one year of his scholarship, Diamond signed his first professional contract and was edging closer and closer to the first team.

“It was the reward for doing well,” Diamond states. “My goal was to never see a contract out or for it to be in anyone else’s hands. Even if I had got a new contract early, I was already looking to get the next one, to keep pushing. It’s a bigger deal now when I think about it, but at the time, it was just the next thing I needed to do. I never took a moment to think about it.”

The winger was now spending the majority of his days with the u23s and after a collection of strong performances, found himself in the mix with the first team, learning off the likes of Ireland international Aiden McGeady, who Diamond says wanted to help him as much as possible.

Jump forward to October 2018 and Diamond had made his professional debut for Sunderland, coming on as a substitute at the Stadium of Light in the Checkatrade Trophy against Carlisle. The winger explains how that throughout the match the nerves were building as the big moment was set to come his way.

“I just remember warming up so much. I was nervous and sweating just waiting for the moment. I came on with about 15 minutes to go and I was everywhere, just trying to get on the ball. I did well and I was buzzing with that.”

A first start came a month later against Morecambe in the same competition and Diamond was very much so “enjoying the taste” of men’s football. The remainder of Diamond’s 2018/19 season was

with the u23s but the plan was in place for the youngster to go out on loan the following season. He was told by former Sunderland player and now club ambassador Kevin Ball that the loan was the “best thing for his development” and although doing well for the u23s was promising, he now had to do it for a first team.

A 19-year-old Jack Diamond would join Harrogate Town for the 2019/20 National League season, looking to help the side push for promotion to the Football League. The winger recalls his first day meeting the squad at the EnviroVent Stadium wherein a couple of hours the team would play against Chorley FC.

“It was a completely new environment for me,” Diamond explains. “I saw men sitting in the dressing room and I come in and I thought they’re probably looking at me like ‘here’s another academy player coming in thinking he’s all this’. I was nervous, not for the football as I back my ability, but for settling into the environment. I just wanted to get on the pitch, and once I did, it got easier and easier. The lads here are great and I don’t think you’ll find many clubs that are so close-knit and so honest. A big thing when I arrived was that everyone wanted me to do well for the team but also myself so I could kick on in my career. They’re very humble and selfless people, here for me as I am for them.”

Diamond featured against Chorley and then began to make the left-wing position his own. However, despite positive showings, the all-important end product seemed to be lacking and by New Year’s Day, the winger had failed to get on the scoresheet. It was something Diamond had been told to improve upon in the past and it was driving him crazy. It all changed, however, on an away trip to Darlington in the FA Trophy, where the winger scored his first goal for the club as Town won 2-0 and progressed further into the competition. It was the boost Diamond needed.

“My performances were good and it had always been the case for 2-3 years that my end product needed improving”, Diamond admits. “It was hammered into us to the point where I’d go mad when someone said it, I was having dreams about it, it was constantly in my head. I remember saying just after Christmas that I just needed one goal to get things going.”

The winger went on to get three goals from the next six league matches and was part of a Town team that looked destined to knock Barrow off the top of the table. Then Covid-19 hit. Diamond recalls the moment the first game got called off as he got a text while waiting for the coach in Wetherby. From there it was uncertainty after uncertainty for the young winger as he had no idea whether he’d get the chance to help finish the season with Town. There were talks about automatic promotion, playoffs, null and void but when the playoffs were announced and Diamond got the all-clear to return to North Yorkshire, he became “fixed” on helping the team get promoted.

A 1-0 victory at home against Boreham Wood set up the final at Wembley Stadium against Notts