The draw against Horbury Town two weekends ago at Oxford Street ensured Greg Young and Ben Hunter’s side went five league games unbeaten thanks to a first half goal from Myron Gibbons to open the striker’s account for the season. Town cancelled out the opener in the second half as the clash ended 1-1.

Brett Lovell and John Whitehead’s side, meanwhile, are looking to return to winning ways after falling to high-flyers and local rivals Worsbrough Bridge Athletic on Friday night in a 1-0 defeat. That result leaves Penistone one point and one place above Main going into Wednesday’s fixture.

With no game at the weekend, Rosso have been able to reflect and take stock on what has been a competitive opening few weeks of the season with early season disappointment being laid to rest by the latest run.

Nonetheless, Main continue to wrestle with player availability as underlined by the 90 minutes played by Young against Horbury. Rosso have though taken a step towards a clean bill in attack as Ross Hannah stepped up his recovery with a short cameo against Horbury. The return of Liam Hardy will also give the management duo food for thought at the top of the pitch.

At the other end, Rossington’s defensive record per game (0.85 against) is only bested by four others in the division, demonstrating the impact made by Kian Johnson since re-joining four games ago.

2026 marks Penistone’s 120th anniversary having been founded in 1906 and the Barnsley-based side will be hoping to celebrate it with a positive season in the NCEL Premier.

Since promotion in 2017, Penistone have always been in or around the play-off places, with the exception of last season’s lowest finish of 13th. Late goals were the Achilles heel last time around, costing the team between 15 to 18 points and a dart at the top five, according to Whitehead.

Despite last term’s shortcomings, it was a summer of evolution, adding strength to the back line in the form of Harry Viggars and Dan White, while retaining a large bulk of the playing squad. The attacking unit has also been bolstered by the return from injury of long-time servant Kieran Ryan who will look to supplement the attacking potency of Nathan Keightley, who now has over 150 goals for the club.

Rosso were undefeated in their meetings with Penistone in 2025/26, adding an impressive 4-2 home win to the earlier 1-1 draw at The Memorial Ground.

Current Form in All Competitions:

Rosso: LWWDD
Penistone Church: WLWDL

Top Scorer in All Competitions:

Rosso: Reece Fielding (3)
Penistone Church: Reece High (4)