DEARNE and District and Worbrough Bridge both continued their NCEL Division One promotion charges this week.
Dearne are top, four points clear of second-placed Harrogate Railway and six ahead of third-placed Worsbrough, who both have two games in hand on the leaders. Dearne are unbeaten in six with five wins while Bridge have 11 wins, a draw and a loss from their last 13 league games.
Bridge took four points from two games against two other sides in the top five this week.
They have never finished in the play-off places before but are seven points clear in them currently.
Worsbrough boss Lee Morris said: “We’ve taken 34 from the last 39 available. So it’s a really good run.
“We’re trying to keep in touch with big boys Dearne and Harrogate but they are just relentless and seem to win every time. That’s what we have to do to stick with them then we’ll see where we are in April.
“We’ll just focus on the next game every time. It’s only a third of the way into the season but the gap of seven to sixth is a good gap which we don’t intend on dropping.”
Dearne boss Zeph Thomas said: “We’ve got the points on the board.
“Harrogate and Worsbrough are going well but we have to focus on ourselves and see what happens.
“I’d rather have the points on the board than have to chase because the schedules get a bit full.
“But we’ll just keep trying to stay on this form for as long as we can then see where it takes us.”
Dearne won 4-0 at Athersley Rec in a Barnsley derby on Saturday.
The attendance of 251 was the biggest at Sheerien Park for exactly a year.
The scorers were Cian Guest, Adam Baskerville and Jamie Austin, all before half-time, then Justin Circuit just after the break. Rec are winless in eight, three points and two places clear of the relegation zone.
Dearne then won 7-1 at home to Armthorpe Welfare on Tuesday.
Austin scored a hat-trick with Baskerville, Circuit, Guest and Max Eastwood also on target.
Thomas said: “It was another good win and it doesn’t surprise me because we’ve been creating loads of chances and we’re being clinical at the minute.”
Worsbrough drew 1-1 at home to Wakefield on Friday evening.
Keelan Grist netted a last-gasp leveller while the crowd of 317 was Bridge’s biggest this season or last.
They then won 3-2 away at Leeds UFCA on Tuesday.
Josh Brown opened the scoring within the first minute then, after the hosts levelled, Grist made it 2-1 on 18 minutes.
The home side again equalised on 85 mintues but Juninho Blake won it deep in injury-time.
Morris said: “It’s a massive win.
“We made hard work of it but it’s all about the three points at a very, very good side.
“We asked for a lively start and scored after 30 seconds.
“We gave a stupid free-kick away and they scored from it then we missed loads of chances and should have gone in 5-1 up or more.
“In the second half, we were miles away from the standards we set and Leeds deservedly equalised.
“But Jun, who has just come back to the club, popped up with the winner off the bench and there were scenes of absolute mayhem.”
