Tomorrow is the day that everyone connected with Darlaston Town (1874) has been looking forward to for the past 6 years because tomorrow is the day the club returns and plays its first home game in the Premier Division when we welcome Shifnal Town to the Paycare Ground for a 3 pm kick off

There has been much said this week, some articles on the website and there is mention in tomorrow’s match day programme. But when the phoenix club was formed six years ago and the directors and committee members were elected, apart from finding a new home which the Paycare Ground has become. Second on the list I assume would have been returning to playing competitive football, the third must have been returning to the Premier Division. Many people have worked so hard to return the club to where it finished, a huge thanks should go to many people for the numerous long and arduous hours that they have invested within the club to ensure their goals have are reached.

Tomorrow see the dawn of a new era, an exciting new chapter in the club’s history is to be written in the coming weeks months and years a lot of supporters committee members and people connected with the club will look at look at tomorrow as being another starting point.

After last week’s fine 1-1 draw at promotion favourites Pershore town we welcome Shifnal for Darlaston opening game of the Premier Division season. Last season Shifnal flirted with relegation, under the management of Mark Simpson and his assistant Kevin Thompson Shifnal finished in 19th place winning 8 games drawing for losing 26 and a goal difference of -29, and in the close season there was a change of management after Mark Simpson left the club

Shifnal appointed a joint management team of Danny Carter and Andrew Carrier who had such a successful first season at Wednesfield last season, guiding them to a fifth placed finish. They were joined by Assistant Manager George Williams and Coach Daniel Flint. The management team will guide Shifnal Town through what could be an important season with the one-off chance of four clubs being promoted into Step 5 of the Non-League ladder.

With the recent success at Wednesfield Carter and Carrier have amalgamated the two squads together creating a squad more than capable of finishing in one of the top four spots available for promotion this season, players such as Ben Perks, Jamall Pinnock, Craig Radford, Brad Sherman Ashley Bellingham, Harry Cunningham as well as 21 goal Kyle Montague have followed the joint managers to their new Shropshire base. With the new arrivals, players from last season Shifnal squad, that up to last season have had quite a successful time of things, Ryan Hadley, Lewis Mackenzie, 10 goal Ben Novis as well as Bradley Barton-Smith and Thomas Whittake have all been retained and help form the basis of this seasons squad.

In addition to these players Carter and Carrier have been very busy recruiting player, the non-league goal machine Tom Hill has joined, along with ex Albion Academy player Rees Wedderburn, Jordan Uppal, Sam McCarthy, Jake James, Jordan Jones and Jake Lloyd, no wonder Shifnal are highly fancied to have a really good season.

Darlaston meanwhile have many of the eight players that missed last weekend’s season opener at Pershore Town, when Darlaston gave a real good account of themselves leaving Worcestershire with a 1-1 draw. A result they would have taken driving down the M5 but coming back up the motorway they probably feel they should have come back to the Black Country with all three points.

Manager Parkes thought the same, “I felt that Pershore had by far the better of the first half, we competed well, but thanks to two outstanding saves from Liam Whittaker we were always in the game. The second half I thought we played really well, controlling the game in midfield, and created some opportunities to take the points, whereas defensively we kept them at bay.”

“Tomorrow is yet another massive test for us, the fixtures were not kind to put us up against two of the promotion favourites for the first two games of the season, but looking at the positives we will know the level we are at 4.45 pm tomorrow afternoon, we know we are in for one hell of a game against a talented squad that contains many players that have been successful at this level over recent years. Also throw into the mix one of the if not the most lethal strikers in the area in Tom Hill, we will defiantly need to be at our best tomorrow to compete, once again we find ourselves as underdogs.”

Tomorrows match kicks off at 3 pm, the club will be open as usual at 1 pm serving the usual quality food and “the best cobs ever” so why not come and have your lunch and a few beers before the game.

Entrance fees are £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and children U10 free