Penistone Church have joined Division One champions Hall Road Rangers and runners-up Pontefract Collieries in gaining promotion to the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division after their play-off win over Grimsby Borough on Saturday.It was fourth versus sixth in the final that was played at Borough's home, the Bradley Football Development Centre, as Penistone - who had beaten third-placed AFC Emley in the midweek semi-finals - beat their higher-ranked hosts 4-2 to move up into the top flight.
Jack Moore opened the scoring for the visitors on 27 minutes and Andrew Ring quickly added a second to stun Borough although the home side did get themselves back into the game with a goal from Adam Drury before Penistone made it 3-1 going into the interval courtesy of Daniel Barlow's strike.
Ring then got his second and the away side's fourth early in the second period and, although Jack Debnam reduced the deficit to two goals going into the final eighteen minutes, Penistone ran out deserved winners.
Meanwhile, it was the final round of matches in this season's Premier Division and with the title and relegation already decided, there was only pride to play for heading into the summer.
Champions
Cleethorpes Town made it a record-breaking 108 points as they finished their league campaign with a ninth straight win, Marc Cooper's double earning a 2-1 victory at relegated
Armthorpe Welfare who had taken the lead through Craig Morley.
Runners-up
Pickering Town won 4-1 at
AFC Mansfield, Ryan Blott getting all of their goals after Matthew Plummer had given the Bulls an eleventh minute lead, to finish on 97 points - an impressive tally that usually could have been enough to secure the title.
All of the other top six sides -
Bridlington Town,
Handsworth Parramore,
Thackley and
Staveley Miners Welfare - also tasted victory on the final day to prove that the table ultimately never lies.
Jake Day and Andrew Norfolk struck in the last three minutes as Bridlington defeated hosts
Garforth Town, 3-1, whilst an Aaron Moxam double - taking his tally for the season to 48 - helped Handsworth to win by the same scoreline at
Maltby Main.
There were goals for Luke Robinson and Mike Garrod as Thackley won 2-0 at
Worksop Town and Staveley's 3-0 home victory over
Clipstone came courtesy of a Tyla Bell brace and a third from Andrew Fox.
Like Armthorpe,
Retford United and
Barton Town Old Boys bowed out of the top flight with last day defeats.
Jake Ashton got a late goal for Retford but they lost 3-1 at
Liversedge, Joe Walton with a hat-trick for the home side, whilst Barton went down to a thrilling 5-4 loss at home to
Parkgate.
A couple of Ryan Williams penalties had given the Swans a 4-3 advantage going into the last ten minutes but Alex Lill got his second for the visitors before Christopher Howard snatched an injury time winner.
The only movement in the table saw
Bottesford Town move up above Worksop and Maltby into twelfth with a 5-0 win at
Athersley Recreation, Terence Barwick with two of their goals.
Alex Cusack's hat-trick earned eighth-placed
Albion Sports a 3-2 win at nineteenth-placed
Harrogate Railway Athletic whilst
Hemsworth Miners Welfare beat hosts
Rainworth Miners Welfare, 2-0, to finish ninth.