I JACK DIAMOND

from About Town - Issue 5 - Winter 2021-22

I GETTING TO KNOW NATHAN SHERON

County and we all remember how that went. A blistering start from Town saw Simon Weaver’s side 2-0 up at half-time before a free-kick from Notts County just after the break reminded everyone the tie wasn’t over. As the Magpies pushed for the equaliser, space was appearing and in the 70th minute, Town took full advantage. Jack Muldoon carried the ball down the right before delivering the inch-perfect cross into the penalty box for Diamond to glance the ball past the keeper. The winger runs over towards the camera, strikes a pose, and then embraces his teammates. It was the goal that confirmed promotion.

Diamond returned to Sunderland for the 202021 season and felt ready to make the step up to League One. The winger had a strong pre-season and was then sporadically used by Phil Parkinson at left wing-back until Parkinson’s sacking in November. Diamond admits that he “wanted more” after previously having a full season of football under his belt and the winger even asked on a couple of occasions if he could go out on loan, but the management staff were adamant Diamond would have a part to play.

The arrival of Lee Johnson just before Christmas saw Diamond get an instant run in the team and he provided both goals and assists as the Black Cats tried to keep up the pace with their promotionchasing rivals. Having just turned 21 at the start of 2021, Diamond is still a young player learning the ropes and so found himself in and out of the side as the campaign progressed. When the season reached its end, Sunderland were in the play-offs and Diamond featured in their semi-final second leg against Lincoln City but they lost the contest 3-2 on aggregate. It would be another season in League One for the former Premier League side.

“It was a very up and down season,” Diamond admits. “I had a good run of games but the team changed around a lot, and as a young player, you need consistency and that comes from playing games. I think I did improve during that period of ups and downs but it was just hard to find consistency.”

Now approaching the start of the 2021/22 season, Diamond was again set to fight for his place in the Sunderland starting XI and this time make that left-wing position his own. He featured against Town during pre-season, but a week before the transfer window was due to shut, the winger had a conversation with Johnson who informed him that another winger was being brought in on loan and that would probably reduce Diamond’s time on the pitch. The option was to stay or to go out on loan. Diamond chose the latter.

As soon as Harrogate Town fans heard that information, suddenly any Tweet, Facebook post or pre-match interview would have fans replying ‘announce Diamond’, ‘where’s Diamond?’. It was a move that if successful, would have fans overjoyed.

Behind the scenes, assistant manager Paul Thirlwell had been in contact with Sunderland throughout pre-season letting them know that Town would be interested in Diamond if he did become available. Once he was, the deal moved at a rapid pace. On Monday the contract was finalised and on Tuesday afternoon, Diamond arrived at the EnviroVent Stadium for media duties and to meet his old pals.

It was the transfer the manager wanted, the transfer the fans wanted and the transfer they all got. For Diamond, returning to Town wasn’t just about being somewhere he has mates already but being at a club he believes can achieve so much this campaign.

“The relationship between me and the people at the club did help in my decision, but it was near the bottom of the list for me when choosing a club,” Diamond explains. “First things first, I want to play and I know Thirs (Paul Thirlwell) and the Gaffer also want me to play, so that was important. They don’t settle for average and I know if I’m not performing well, I won’t play. The club are also at the top end of the table so it makes total sense for me to come back. Straight away it felt like I was back in the family. There were new faces as well but everyone was really excited for the season. I’ve got a lot of friends here, but the first thing was that the team was flying and I needed to show enough that I could even deserve to start. It was apparent straight away how competitive and strong the squad is.”

Four days after returning to the club, Diamond was thrown straight into the starting XI against Mansfield Town and showed just why the Town coaching staff were so keen to bring him back. Direct running, a hard work rate and individual brilliance capped off a Man of the Match performance from the winger in the 3-1 victory against the Stags. Diamond’s first goal since his comeback came against Oldham and he then played an instrumental role in Town’s 6-1 demolition of Scunthorpe United earlier this month. It was the type of display Diamond believes no team would be able to deal with.

“We were electric and while we’re like that I don’t think anyone can stop us. Everything we did was in sync and made for an enjoyable day,” Diamond says. “It’s such a tight stadium that when it’s full it sounds really good, we love playing at home as it feels like a den and creates a great atmosphere.”

With his entire future ahead of him, 21-year-old Jack Diamond can no doubt be optimistic and confident about what lies ahead. With aspirations of making it to the very top, the winger has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon.

“I want to keep kicking on and improving and help the team get as close we can for promotion. On a personal level, I want to build on my numbers but the main aim this season is to push for the promotion spots and hopefully the automatic ones. Long term I want to play in the Premier League, that’s the big goal. There are steps I need to keep reaching for and at the moment it’s to play football regularly. As simple as it is, that’ll improve me and help me get to where I want to be.”