WOMBWELL Town hope this is the season they achieve their aim of being Barnsley’s second highest-placed football club and get closer to another ambition of going as high as any non-league side from the town has ever reached.
The Wellers won the NCEL Division One play-off final against near neighbours Dearne and District in April so will now play in the Premier Division for the first time.
They are hoping to emulate defunct Shaw Lane Aquaforce who reached the Northern Premier League top flight, the level below the National League North, before disbanding in 2018 – the year Town were set up.
Manager Karl Rose, the former Barnsley striker, said: “You have to have short, medium, long-term goals.
“The short-term goal is to the win the next game, medium-term it’s to get promoted and the long-term goal, in my head anyway, is to get to the Northern Premier League. If we go up, brilliant and we’ll go again not tread water.
“We’ve said we want to be the second best team in Barnsley, after Barnsley FC. Penistone have had that for a while, after Aquaforce folded, but we want to tick that off this season if we’re good enough.
“Penistone are the next rivalry but they’ve been a very very good club at this level for a long time. Why can’t we both get in the play-offs this season?
“We would love them to have a good season and finish just behind us.
“We’re the new kids on the block and hopefully we have a good, friendly rivalry with them.”
Town will look to make it five promotions in six completed seasons.
Rose said: “I don’t see any point entering anything unless you try to win it. If we can’t win it, we’ll look to finish as high as we can.
“Clubs have gone up from Division One then done well in the last few years. But we have to create our own story. We will work our socks off and play with a smile on our face as we always have done.
“We have momentum. We only lost five times all season last season.
“But that’s gone, we have to put the hard work in again.
“We’ve brought in five or six players to strengthen us. We needed to increase the quality and depth in the squad.
“We’ve brought in experienced players at this level.
“We know there are some very good sides. Sheffield FC and Liversedge have come into the league, all the teams who got to the play-offs will want to go again, there are our local rivals Penistone and my old team Frickley.
“They are high-profile games to look forward to.”
Town finished last season with crowds of 431 in their final league game against Athersley Rec, 603 in the play-off semi-final against Ilkley then 1,498 in the final against Dearne. Rose said: “The two play-off crowds were our biggest ever and they have had a huge financial impact. It’s allowed us to improve the ground.
“Hopefully some of those who enjoyed the day will stick around. We’ve kept our prices the same. We want to be the heart of the community.”
Wombwell Town begin their season at Thackley on Saturday. Rose said: “Thackley got in play-offs last year so it will be a good test of where we are. We will go to try to get three points. We’ve got to be at our best like every game.”
