DEARNE and District are set to host fellow Barnsley club Athersley Rec in a derby from 3pm on Saturday which could be vital in the NCEL Division One title fight and relegation battle.
Goldthorpe club Dearne are currently top, three points clear in the only automatic promotion place, while Rec are 19th, three points clear of the relegation zone.
Dearne have won their last seven games and, as it stands, need another 22 points from their final ten fixtures to secure a place in the Premier Division.
Dearne boss Zeph Thomas said: “The game against Athersley will be a good occasion for the fans and community.
“It’s a tough and tricky fixture.
“Rec are down there and they need the points just as much as we do.
“There is a lot riding on the game.
“It’s important we just play the game and not the occasion.
“We had a tough match against them earlier in the season.
“They have beaten some good teams.
“Anyone can beat anyone in this league and all our last ten games will be tough.”
Rec manager Rob Landon said: “This will be our hardest test of the season.
“I think Dearne will win the league. They have too many points now and Zeph is a good guy with a good team who are scoring a lot of goals.
“It will be tough for us and we have a couple of players out, but it’s a free hit.
“Nobody expects us to win.
“The lads just have to go there and work hard.
“We’ve shown a lot of character in the last few games.
“Hopefully there will be a decent crowd, with a few from Athersley getting behind our lads.”
Dearne’s game at Rec’s fellow relegation-battlers Nostell MW on Friday was called off.
Second-placed Wakefield won twice this week, meaning they have won eight in a row and the lead has been cut from nine to three points.
But Dearne have ten games left compared to Wakefield’s eight.
Thomas said: “We were gutted our game was called off and everyone else played.
“But we know what we need to do, stay focused and win games.
“It’s in our hands and we’ve had a good season, but that comes with pressure.
“Teams are waiting for us to slip up which would give them life and put doubt in ourselves.
“But we just have to take it one game at a time and tick the last ten off.”
