DEARNE and District manager Zeph Thomas flew back from his son’s youth tournament in Spain to coach his side to the NCEL Division One title.
The 36-year-old was due to miss the game to attend the tournament in Alicante but, when results last week meant that the Goldthorpe club could win the league title with victory at Club Thorne Colliery, he changed his plans.
Dearne won 5-0 on Friday which left them with an unassailable lead with four games to play. Thomas said: “We were due to fly out on Thursday and come back on Monday morning but, when we realised we could win the title on Friday, I couldn’t miss it.
“I flew back on Friday morning, we won the league that night, then I flew out again at 6am on Saturday and my son’s team won the tournament as well so it’s a weekend I will never forget.
“I wanted to be at the Dearne game after all the hard work since pre-season.
“To be fair, my missus was very supportive and she booked the flights.”
Friday night’s success was a 13th straight win and a 32nd in 38 league games. Thomas called winning the title a ‘massive achievement’ and added: “We’ve deserved it. We’ve probably been the most consistent team and we have a really good group of players.
“People ask us how we’ve got this team but it’s all about recruitment. It’s been pretty much the same team all season.
“After losing the play-off final last year, our aim was to get promoted as champions from the first day of pre-season.
“I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who supported us, staff, players and my family.”
Dearne are looking to compete in the Premier Division next season and avoid copying Wombwell Town who beat them in last year’s play-off final but have been relegated. This was Dearne’s second season at NCEL level, having won the Central Midlands League, while they were formed in 2018.
Thomas said: “Dearne is an ambitious club but we know how strong the league above is. Look at Wombwell. Horbury won Division One last season and they are fighting for their lives. It’s a big jump but, if we are lucky enough to keep the majority of lads together, we will compete next season. The club has come a long way very quickly, probably too quickly. It needs a few years of focusing on upgrading the facilities, growing the fanbase and making the links with the community even better. But we’ll keep trying to win every game on the pitch.
“The biggest thing for me is a lot of players have been here a few years.
“They are all friends and all pretty much local lads. They understand it and know the community.”
Thomas, who is from Bradford but lives in Goldthorpe, had a 15-year career in non-league football as well as spells with Garden City Broncbusters in Kansas, Thunder Bay Chill in Canada and Montegnée in Belgium. He also made 20 international appearances for St Kitts and Nevis and now is lead coach for the under 12s in Derby County’s academy.
Dearne gave him his first coaching role in late 2024. Thomas said: “If someone would have said in the first 18 months of being a manager, I would win a league, I would have been very surprised.
“I’ve surprised myself a little bit. But it shouldn’t be a surprise with the people around me at the club.
“It’s in my top three achievements.
“It’s my local club. My family and kids are watching us all the time. I live a five-minute walk from the ground.
“You know if it’s going badly and you live locally, there might be some choice words. So there’s a bit of pressure.”
Dearne want to keep winning as champions this season. Thomas said: “We want to absolutely smash the league.
“At the minute we have the best attack, best defence and most clean sheets.
“I’m told the record is Parkgate with 107 points so we want to beat that.”
They won 6-1 at Doncaster City on Wednesday, the team that once brought in former professionals Charlie Mulgrew, Ross McCormack and Wes Hoolahan for a one-off game against title contenders Dearne in the Central Midlands League.
The hosts took the lead but Baskerville hit a hat-trick with Austin, Eastwood and Owen Fieldsend also on target.
