THE GAME
Hednesford Town v Warrington Rylands 1906 Northern Premier League Premier Division Play Off Final Keys Park Stadium, Keys Park Road, Hednesford, Staffordshire WS12 2DZ. Monday 4th May 2026. Kick Off 3pm.
THE PITMEN
Hednesford’s 2-0 Play Off Semi Final win over Stockton last Tuesday was their 17th in all competitions at home this season along with seven draws and just two defeats, 1-2 to Stockton in the league and 0-1 against Rushall Olympic in the Staffs Senior Cup, scoring 46 goals and conceding 16. 13 of those wins have come in the league, the best being the 4-0 victory over Morpeth. Leading scorers are Ahkeem Rose with 19 in all competitions, Montell Gibson who has 13 and Omari Sterling-James with nine. Hednesford have appeared in four previous Play Off Finals, two in the Southern League and two in the Northern Premier League. The most recent one was the 2-0 win over Congleton last season and before that the 2-1 triumph over FCUM, both NPL games. In the Southern League they won 1-0 at Chippenham in 2004/05 but lost on penalties to Salisbury in 2010/11 after a 2-2 draw.
THE OPPOSITION
Despite finishing in fourth place in the NPL Premier League final table Rylands were triumphant in their away Play Off Semi Final at FCUM, beating the Broadhurst Park outfit 3-2 thanks to goals from Ben Hardcastle, Clive Smith and George Waring. That win was their eighth on the road this season after seven in the regular league programme along with eight draws and five defeats, scoring 21 goals and conceding 20 to give them 29 points out of their seasonal total of 67. Their best away result was a 4-0 win at Morpeth while the five defeats have come at Prescot Cables (0-3), Ashton (1-2), Bamber Bridge (1-3), Stockton (1-3) and Lancaster (0-2). Leading league goalscorers are Ben Hardcastle with 14, George Waring with 10 and Jake Burton with nine. Pitmen fans may recognise Matt Regan in the visitors’ line up who made 19 starts plus five as sub at Keys Park back in 2015/16. Warrington Rylands have spent three seasons in the NPL Premier, finishing 10th in 2022/23 and 11th in 2024/25. Sandwiched between those two seasons was a Play Off Semi Final defeat to Marine after finishing fourth.
MANAGER’S THOUGHTS
FORM
Over the last six games Hednesford have won five and drawn one, scoring 15 goals and conceding four while Rylands have won four, drawn one and lost one, scoring 11 and conceding six.
- HTFC: WDWWWW
- WRFC: WLWWWD
PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS
The clubs have met only twice before, both this season. The first at The Quickline Arena on September 6th ended in a 2-2 draw. Jake Burton and Guy Hall gave the home side an early lead but goals from Jake Jervis just before half time and Nathan Blissett in the 84th minute earned Hednesford a point. The crowd was 639, a figure only bettered three times this season at Rylands by 1.924 v Warrington Town, 1,345 v FCUM and 1,052 v Prescot Cables. The return at Keys Park on December 6th also ended all square, this time 1-1.Montell Gibson gave The Pitmen a 33rd minute lead with Alex Kiwomya equalising early in the second half. Dom McHale saw red in injury time for Hednesford, receiving a second yellow card for a comment made to the referee. The crowd of 1,366 was Hednesford’s fourth lowest in the league this season while the club have a seasonal average attendance of 2,041.
MATCHDAY DETAILS
This game is segregated – please enter the ground through the correct turnstiles on arrival.
Kick off is at 3pm with the turnstiles, stands and club shop open from 1pm (club shop closes at 2.55pm). Chase Suite (via turnstile 3) and Ticket Office are open from 12pm.
All U16s must be accompanied by an adult and should be under their supervision at all times. U10 tickets can be purchased from the ticket office on the day for £1. There are no adult or concessions tickets available on the day – please only come if you have a valid ticket. Season tickets are not valid for this game.
Entering the field of play and the use of pyrotechnics, including flares and smoke bombs, are strictly prohibited. These actions are against both ground regulations and the law, and can result in serious consequences for individuals and for the club. Entering the pitch also puts the playing surface, LED advertising boards and other pitchside equipment at risk, so it is essential that everyone stays off the field of play at all times.
Dogs are not permitted inside the stadium. Alcohol may only be consumed on the premises if it has been purchased at the stadium. Alcohol brought in from outside the ground must not be consumed at Keys Park.
The Sunflex unit is offering parking for £5 (proceeds go to charity) on a first come first served basis.
Don’t forget that if you use the self-serve BoltBar before kick off, there’s a chance to win £25 of credit straight to your account.
Our matchday programme will be on sale at £2.50, cash payments to the programme sellers or by card from the club shop.
