THE NCEL Division One season is set to reach the halfway point this week with two Barnsley teams locked in a battle for the only automatic promotion place.
Dearne and District are top with 49 points from 20 games while Worsbrough Bridge are second, three points behind with a game in hand.
Dearne – who lost last season’s play-off final to Wombwell Town – have won their last seven games while Bridge have won their last six and 15 out of 17 in the league with a loss and a draw.
Worsbrough manager Lee Morris said: “It’s nice to see the club’s name so high in the table after a lot of years when that wasn’t the case.
“I hope everyone’s mentality has turned now and we don’t think about relegation going forward, we just think about play-offs or promotion.
“I’ve told the lads we are nearly at the halfway point and, if we carry on as we are, we will get 100 points.
“The aim was to beat the 76 points we got last season, and that still is the aim, but the lads are surpassing every target we set them.
“They have been absolutely superb.
“We will just keep ticking the games off and try not to get carried away but we can’t hide from the fact it’s a really exciting time for the club.
“We’re in the hunt for the title at the moment and the aim now has to be to stay in that hunt all season.
“We’ve got 11 days without a game now.
“We want to just keep playing in this form but we do have a few knocks so a break might be a good thing.”
While Worsbrough have been at this level for decades, Dearne joined the league last season.
Bridge – who lost their first two games of the season – are due to face third-placed Harrogate Railway and also Dearne in the next month.
Morris said: “We play Dearne at their place in a month which will be a humdinger.
“The two clubs are worlds apart in terms of budgets but we think we have great team spirit and a lot of talent which is keeping us up there at the moment.
“We just have to keep winning because Dearne and Harrogate are just as relentless as us.
“They can’t shake us at the moment.”
Worsbrough won 3-0 at home to Ilkley Town on Saturday.
Jake Squires, Lewis O’Connor and Josh Brown scored in the final half an hour.
Morris said: “They came with a gameplan to sit in like most are doing.
“We had to be patient and do what we do. Once we got one goal, they had to come out and we scored two more.
“It was a good performance.”
Dearne won 3-0 at Winterton on Saturday. Adam Baskerville – who has 16 for the season – Alexander Varley and Owen Fieldsend scored. They are due to reach the halfway point in the season on Saturday when they host Goole.
Athersley Rec drew 1-1 at home to Doncaster City.
Kane Reece scored early then the visitors levelled on 75 minutes.
Rec are six points and four places clear of the relegation zone.
