Robbie takes his chance

The winger had missed two one-on-one chances in Wales during Hatters’ 1-1 draw last month, but made no mistake when put clean through after Shane Huke’s dreadful backpass at Nene Park.

Willmott said: “I’m very happy. I always said I could score goals and missed a few chances at Newport, so it was nice to score again.

“It’s my second goal and to pick up three points from Rushden is a great result.

“The defender’s made a mistake. Luckily I’ve capitalised on his error, gone through and tucked it away underneath the keeper.

“I’ve got 11 for the season now, my highest total so far and I want to keep scoring.

“It helps us get some momentum back in the league again. We’re just chasing Crawley down to the end.”

The recent signing took up a number of different roles on Tuesday night, playing on both flanks and also enjoying a more advanced position at times.

He came close to notching his second goal of the evening too, but was denied by the smart reactions of Diamonds keeper Joe Day.

Willmott said: “I smashed it as hard as I could and gone in for the rebound and their lad made a great header off the line.

“I can play in a number of positions. I played upfront in a 4-3-3 with Brabs (Gary Brabin) at Cambridge, so as soon as he told me, it was good. It was fresh and it worked.

“We change things in training, change formation, work on different things.

“There are a lot of good players here who can play in a range of positions.

“We just want to be in the squad and do our best for the team.”

Hatters were indebted to some fine late saves from Mark Tyler for preserving all three points and Willmott paid tribute to the keeper.

He said: “They were unbelievable saves. We know he can do that, we see him in training.

“He’s an unbelievable goalkeeper, probably one of the best I’ve played with in my career.”

One thing that was noticeable at Rushden was the superb support Hatters’ players received from the terraces and it helped them no end according to Willmott.

He added: “The number of fans that come away with us helps us a lot.

“It’s unbelievable when you see them turn up and they sing their hearts out for the team.

“If we chase back 20 yards, they’re (the fans) going to be up and it’s a nice feeling when they start cheering.

“We just want to reward them with three points and an away win.

“We want to stick together with the fans through to the end and if that’s the play-off final then so be it, we’ll win at Eastlands.”