WHILE Barnsley FC complete their Oakwell season against Shrewsbury on Saturday, two other clubs will be facing each other to become one of the highest-placed in the borough.
Wombwell Town host Goldthorpe club Dearne and District – who are separated by about five miles – from 3pm in the NCEL Division One play-off final.
A crowd of well over 1,000 is expected with the winner joining Penistone Church in the Premier Division as the highest non-league Barnsley clubs.
Town finished second in their second season at that level while Dearne came fourth in their maiden NCEL campaign, then both won dramatic semi-finals on Saturday. Dearne have won their last seven games and Town eight of their last nine with one draw.
Karl Rose, the former Barnsley player now in charge of Wombwell Town, said: “It’s a humdinger of a final.
“For the local community, it gives them something to look forward to and get behind and it should be a great game for neutrals as well.
“We will enjoy the day, celebrate our great season with the fans and volunteers and we want to finish it off.
“Dearne are very similar to us.
“They have massively invested in the community. They have loads of kids’ teams, like us, so the two clubs are always playing each other from under sevens all the way up to the first team.
“It shows what building a foundation does. People are following both clubs because they see the bigger picture.
“For Dearne to get to a final in their first season is phenomenal. They have hit form at the right time like us.”
Dearne manager Zeph Thomas added: “It’s a massive game for the local area. It will be a fantastic occasion and a good advert for football in the area.
“We are underdogs. They beat us twice convincingly in the league. We will need to be right on it. Karl was my gaffer at Frickley. I know he will have his team well-drilled and hard to beat. They were unlucky not to go up automatically.
“There is no pressure on us. We just need to keep doing the same things.
“All the pressure is on Wombwell who have been at it for a couple of seasons.”
Town came from behind to beat visitors Ilkley Town 2-1 thanks to goals by Edward Agnew and Jordan Kershaw, in front of a club record crowd of 603.
Rose said: “We finished 18 points above them in the league table but it didn’t mean anything.
“I tried to tell the lads not to play the occasion but in the first half, we were too safe. Ilkley got on top and we gave a daft goal away from a corner.
“There were some frank words at half-time and we told them to take the handbrake off – ‘let’s go down swinging if we go down.’
“In the second half, the lads were tremendous to a man, won their battles and played better football.
“The fans were queuing down the hill before the game. There was a real atmosphere and a proper roar when the goals went in.”
There were 923 at Featherstone Rovers’ ground where Dearne beat Wakefield 1-0 thanks to Jamie Austin’s 94th-minute goal against ten men.
Thomas said: “It was an amazing day. We couldn’t have asked for a better one.
“The game was a bit scrappy and both teams were nervous. I thought we edged the first half then they had more control in the second but never troubled us.
“They had a player sent off and we put pressure on. Jamie Austin did what he does best and the scenes were unbelievable. We had a couple of hundred fans there and they were singing all game.
“I told the lads I wouldn’t change this team for anyone. They are a proper team. That goes a lot further than being able to sign a lot of players through the season like Wakefield have. I don’t think they have the team spirit we have.”
