Glory moment: Nick Guest kisses the Hemsworth badge after scoring the third goal in the GroundHop demolition of AFC Emley
Wayne Benn thought his young Hemsworth Miners Welfare team could do alright.
But, by his own admission, he did not expect his side to be in the promotion race right to the death, whilst also securing a record finish.
It all began with a superb start saw them storm to the top of the Toolstation NCEL Division One chart in the opening weeks of the campaign.
Their pre-season schedule was arguably a key reason for it as Benn pitted them against some big clubs. his players were given some big tests and a couple of hammering. But, they gained huge fitness levels, amongst other things.
Two defeats on the spin in September – to Clipstone and AFC Emley – briefly halted the charge, but surprise package Hemsworth put that behind them and went on an incredible run.
Spanning 19 league games, that was the total of matches that the Wells were unbeaten for. The likes of eventual promotion-winners Pontefract were beaten along the way, as were Clipstone.
It was that period that propelled Hemsworth into the category of potential promotion winners. Benn’s young stars were a match for anyone – even Frickley were given a run for their money in the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup.
All good things do end and it did for Hemsworth at the close of February with the defeat to Louth Town.
Some probably that would finish off, but it didn’t.
After recovering from a little blip, Hemsworth remained in the race and produced one of the performances of the NCEL season by cantering to a 3-0 win at promotion rivals AFC Emley on GroundHop weekend.
That killed off Emley and helped set-up the judgement night clash with Pontefract in mid-April.
Hemsworth had to win and things were going well at half-time as they were leading 1-0. Unfortunately for the Wells, Pontefract dug-in and pulled out of one of their biggest victories in recent memory to effectively secure promotion.
Putting aside their disappointment, the Wells completed the campaign with four wins out of four to grab third – an incredible achievement in itself.
Their season should not looked upon as a failure, it has been a massive success. Young players like Nick Guest, Nash Connolly, Jack Steers and many more have become men.
Benn got his side playing exciting and attacking football that drew the punters in – demonstrated in the increase in attendances.
Keeping the players is now a priority for Benn and Hemsworth, but the club has plenty to look forward to – including a return to the FA Cup in August.