‘A proper play-off final’ - Kelvin Davis on Hednesford’s promotion

After beating Congleton Town this time last year to get into the NPL Premier Division, they faced Warrington Rylands on the May Bank Holiday, with promotion to the National League North on the line.

It wasn’t as straightforward for the Pitmen this time round compared to last season’s 2-0 win. They needed a 91st minute equaliser from George Williams to cancel out Clive Smith’s opener and send the game to extra-time.

But Kelvin Davis’ side prevailed on penalties: an outcome the Hednesford boss felt was fair, given the competitive nature of the game.

“It was a proper play-off final,” he said post-match. “You never really felt things swing in your favour, and it could have gone either way.

“We hit the crossbar, their keeper made two unbelievable saves in the game, but then they hit the bar too and had one cleared off the line. It was a game that was always going to be down to the small details.

“We did so well to get back into the game and get that equaliser in the final few minutes, and chances did come in extra-time, but we started to fatigue, as did they, and penalties looked more obvious.”

In the end, Hednesford were perfect with all five of their spot-kicks, while George Waring missed Rylands’ decisive fifth penalty. 

Davis only arrived at Keys Park in the middle of February, and despite a bit of a false start away at Hyde United, Hednesford have been near-perfect during his tenure.

Following their promotion, the club moved quickly to tie Davis down on a permanent basis, with Danny Butterfield remaining as his assistant. 

Former Southampton goalkeeper Davis credited how his squad has developed under him in such a short space of time, and maintained the standards necessary to secure back-to-back promotions.

“The lads have been fantastic and very welcoming of our ideas,” he added.

“Everyone can go and enjoy this [feeling of promotion] now, as a reward for all the hard work.”