Shaw Lane Aquaforce missed the chance to go top of Northern Counties East League Division One on Tuesday evening as they lost at home to local rivals Worsbrough Bridge who completed the derby double with a 2-1 win.
Aquaforce – who won at title rivals Bottesford on Saturday – are still outside the two promotion places in third and face a huge match tomorrow at home to leaders Cleethorpes. They took the lead but conceded either side of Daniel Patterson's controversial red card on 55 minutes.
Bridge are eight points behind in fourth place after making it four straight victories and following up their 1-0 home win in September over Force, who are bankrolled by successful Barnsley businessman Craig Wood.
"We thoroughly deserved to win," said Bridge boss Chris Hilton.
"The sending off helped us but I think we would have won anyway. Aquaforce put us under a lot of pressure in the first half an hour but we were the better team in the second half.
"My lads are buzzing after beating their millionaire neighbours again. Aquaforce have put together a fantastic team and I think they will go up. "Doing the double over them will be a big highlight for us this season but I would swap those six points to be in the position they are in the table."
Aquaforce manager Craig Elliott said: "It's a double disappointment because it puts us further away from promotion and we've lost a local derby. Worsbrough probably deserved to win but the sending off was harsh and a turning point."
Elliott, who has overseen five wins and two losses since taking over last month, said: "It's been a more difficult job than I expected. It's been hard to get the players I wanted into the club and to adjust to the squad I inherited. But I am still confident that we will go up."
Ashley Flynn opened the scoring for Aquaforce on 20 minutes after Worsbrough goalkeeper Jared Oxley saved a shot from Danny Frost. It was the Ducks' 100th league goal of the season and top-scorer Flynn's 27th in all competitions. He also missed a one-on-one while Frost hit the post.
Bridge levelled against the run of play on the stroke of half-time when their captain Lee Garside smashed in a superb 25-yard free-kick. Worsbrough were given a man advantage when Patterson was shown a second yellow card for a tackle on Adam Podmore, who then scored the winning goal after home goalkeeper Jamie Green saved a shot from Chris White following some great skill.
Bridge were on top throughout the second half and hit the post through Danny Cawley before Podmore was denied a certain goal when the referee blew the final whistle as he broke away while all the Aquaforce players were in the Worsbrough box after searching for an equaliser.
