Darlaston and OJM celebrating play-off promotion joy
Darlaston Town continued their remarkable journey up the pyramid with a second promotion in three seasons in a dramatic play-off final victory over Lichfield City.
Boss Dean Gill has guided Darlo to promotion from Midland One and now the Midland Premier in a little over three years at the club.
Gill, the former Wednesfield, Wolverhampton Casuals and Bilston Town chief, has maintained much of the same squad he started with Wednesfield in step seven nine years ago – and now the club will plan for life in step four of the non-league pyramid.
That is after Saturday’s tense 3-1 victory on the road at Lichfield, the division’s runners-up – a thrilling final watched by an incredible crowd of 1,110 and not settled until Kieron Miller’s clinching third for Darlo deep into stoppage time.
Town, on the back of eight straight wins to make the final, took advantage of a lightning start to silence the home crowd at Lichfield’s Trade Tyre Community Stadium, where the hosts had been unbeaten all season.
Gill’s men shot into a 2-0 lead inside half hour and the first arrived after just two minutes where a high-pressing style proved too much for the Citizens and Darlaston’s Kieran Cook – a long-term member of the manager’s squad – finished excellently into the left corner for the early opener.
Ivor Green’s Lichfield tried to wrestle back control with their possession-based style and had a foothold back but the second goal came just before half hour.
One Darlaston full-back crossed for the other as left-back Harry Chesterton’s excellent run and delivery was met by man-of-the-match Josh Jones to head in.
Lichfield’s Lewi Burnside headed in to halve the deficit two minutes into the second period. The hosts pressed and goalkeeper Tom Allsopp was drawn into saves from Liam Kirton and Demitri Brown.
With City knocking on the door in stoppage time, Darlaston countered and Miller’s third in the 95th minute sealed promotion.
There was also play-off joy in Division One, as OJM Black Country claimed a dramatic penalty shootout win over Droitwich Spa.
OJM trailed 1-0 to an own goal at their Triplex Sports Association home but former professional and player-coach Steve Leslie kept his cool seven minutes from time in front of a 550-strong crowd to convert a penalty.
The tie went to a shootout and goalkeeper Tom Clapp made two saves as Zaqib Hussain netted the winning spot-kick for a 4-3 success.
