Darren Millington once almost bought Rotherham United and was on the board at Doncaster Rovers, but he is just as excited by his new project – making Dodworth Miners Welfare one of the biggest non-league clubs in Barnsley.

The businessman is the latest person to run a football club out of the Miners Welfare and, after victory on Saturday, he has managed them to within two points of the top of the County Senior Division Two North in their first season. Millington, originally from Manchester but now living in Gawber after moving to the area 17 years ago, is hoping to be competing with the likes of Worsbrough Bridge, Athersley Recreation and Penistone Church within five years, emulating the rapid rise through the divisions of Shaw Lane AFC.

He said: "We want to get promotion this season and be in the County Senior Premier within three years.  Then, within five years, we want to be in the Northern Counties East League.  We want to be catching up with the other big non-league clubs in Barnsley.

"Dodworth is a sleeping giant. "We have fantastic facilities and we can go a long way as a club. We are setting up a reserves side and under 19s, under 18s and under 16s.  I didn't want to get involved with a club that was just going to tick along in mid-table, I want to be successful and go up the leagues.

"I am a self-made entrepreneur who has had string of successful businesses. I know I can bring in sponsors for the club and help them be successful off the pitch as well as on it.  We are looking into various FA grants to regenerate the ground and ways we can fund new floodlights."

Millington was the owner of Earth Mortgages who sponsored Rotherham and almost bought the club in 2004 before a takeover deal fell through. He was later a board member at Doncaster under John Ryan and has sponsored several rugby clubs including Rotherham Titans, who briefly adopted his company's name.

He lost that business in the 2008 recession and now runs a marketing company called Millington House. He started coaching at Dodworth when his son Sonny, now eight, joined one of their youth teams – three of whom are now involved with Barnsley FC's academy. A qualified coach, the 42-year-old was asked last year to set up an adults team.

Millington, who is also a trustee of the Miners Welfare, said: "I put an advert in the Chronicle and put the word out of social media. "We had 36 players turn up to our first training session.  We have whittled them down to our core team and the heart of the side are all Dodworth lads born and bred.

"I love it at Dodworth and I feel at home there. Being involved with them brings me just as much joy as I got from being involved in professional football.  I have recently found out that my grandfather is from Dodworth. "Also, my initials are DWM which is very close to the club's initials.  It just seems meant to be."

Dodworth won 4-2 at home to leaders Stocksbridge development on Saturday. They took the lead through player/assistant manager Craig Allen who fired in the rebound after Danny Barlow's penalty was saved. Ryan Barlow scored the second then, after the break, captain Aaron Brotherton made it 3-0 by putting the finishing touch to a superb move. Stocksbridge pulled one back then, after they scored an own goal, the visitors got another to make it 4-2. But Dodworth held on during a nervous final 15 minutes and are now two points behind the leaders with a game in hand.

The winners of Division Two North and Division Two South get automatic promotion to Division One while the second- and third-place sides in both divisions enter the play-offs with semi-finals and a final.

Millington said: "It was a massive win for us and the boys did us proud. "Stocksbridge have only lost three games this season, and two of them have been to us. "If we win every game this season then we will win the league by a point. "We have got four games left and we still have to play the third-placed team and then the fourth-placed team. We've got ourselves in a great position now and we are desperate for promotion.

"We are also in the Sheffield FA Association Cup semi-final against Handsworth reserves, who play two divisions above us, on March 11."I'd like to praise my assistant managers Craig Allen and Darren Young who have helped me maintain the high level of professionalism throughout the squad."

Meanwhile, Silkstone United lost 1-0 at home to South Kirkby in Division One.