Penistone pull off greatest triumph

Toolstation NCEL Division One

Grimsby Borough 2-4 Penistone Church

If an emotional Ian Richards takes part in the Tour de Yorkshire race for non-professionals then he will have done well. Richards signed up for the race a while without thinking that the play-off final was just more than 12 hours earlier.

Ale and champagne will have been drunk on a large scale last night as Penistone pulled off their greatest triumph – stunning the league as many fancied either AFC Emley or Hallam to win the play-offs.

That means Richards’ presence on the starting blocks is far from assured. What is certain is that Penistone is a closed town today because the Tour de Yorkshire is passing through. It would have been understandable if the Town Council had shut it to celebrate the football team’s heroics.

Penistone had heroes all over the pitch at Grimsby. If you were to pick the top two, goalkeeper Adam Rhodes and veteran Andy Ring would be most people’s choices. Rhodes made the important saves, Ring got two of the four goals.

Experience and using the current buzz phrase – game management – was ultimately the key difference between two sides, who both blew many doubters away to reach the final.

Ring showed his expert nouse for play-off finals. Rewind eight years and you find that Ring scored the winner for Stocksbridge Park Steels in the Evo Stik Division One South play-off final at Belper Town.

Colossal defender Brett Lovell was captain of that side, while a certain Jamie Vardy was Stocksbridge’s main man.

Ring’s presence in the side and his major role in Penistone’s greatest triumph is amazing considering that it was stated at the start of the season that he was to become player/coach because his appearances would be limited.

Instead, because of an injury to joint top goal-scorer Dale Kelly, Ring has become a regular. His influence was huge in the shock semi-final win at Emley, it was even bigger at Grimsby.

There was little in it as the half-hour mark struck. But a low drive from Jack Moore from outside the penalty area lit the torch paper to start a thoroughly exciting finish to the first half.

One soon became two as Ring pounced on a parried Danny Barlow effort to score.

This is the point when many will have said don’t write Grimsby out. Hallam were 2-0 at half-time in midweek and eventually succumbed to a 3-2 defeat.

Grimsby showed signs of a fight-back soon after as danger man Adam Drury finished off a free flowing.

Decisively Penistone struck the third and fourth goals at crucial moments. Barlow’s wonder goal – a 25 yard strike into top corner, conjured up out of nothing – was the final kick of the first half.

Grimsby went for broke in the opening ten minutes of the second stanza. They found Rhodes playing like a man possessed. He made several wonder saves, paving the way for Ring to head home the fourth from an in-swinging free kick from the right.

The home side put Church back on the ropes. Rhodes was beaten after being lobbed by Jack Denham from the halfway line. There was a further hairy moment when Drury headed against the post.

On the whole Penistone were structured and hard to break down. They broke well and in the dying minutes, substitute Ryan Smith missed two clear-cut opportunities to score, while fellow sub Ben Rhodes had another. Fortunately they could laugh about their misses late on.

The final whistle saw Richards reduced to tears as his brother Duncan, the Church player/assistant manager, raced over to hug his sibling. The pair’s vision for Penistone continues to come true so the outpouring of emotion was understandable.

They took over their hometown club who were struggling in the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior League. Their ambition was to take them into the NCEL and beyond. To do so in eight years is a remarkable achievement, especially on the relatively low resources they have when compared with some of the bigger guns in the league.

What They Said

Penistone Church manager Ian Richards

The Teams

Grimsby Borough: S Drury, Hanslip, Grant (Flint 32), Mitchell, Briggs, Cooper, Winfarrah, A Drury, Trott (Ashton 62), Debnam, Petronzio (Bradbury 62).

Penistone Church: A Rhodes, Richards, Young, Ellis, R Johnson, Lovell, Moore, Howes (captain), Ring (Rhodes 86), Barlow (Smtih 86), Whittington (Joynes 62). Sub unused: Stafford.

Who Was In Charge

Drew Dutton (10/10)

Excellent performance as normal from the top young official, who looks destined for higher climbs.

How Many Were There

TBC

NLY Man of the Match

Adam Rhodes (Penistone Church)