“It all went according to plan.” Those are the words of delighted Cheltenham Civil Service manager Steve Holend after his team clinched the Cheltenham Football League title.

They were crowned Division One champions after beating Shurdington Rovers 3-0 at Tewkesbury Road on Saturday.

It was their 16th win in 17 league games and the points were pretty much wrapped five minutes into the second half when they scored goal numbers two and three.

“It wasn’t our best performance but we got the job done,” said Holend. “We’ve been a bit tense the last two or three weeks and haven’t been able to play our normal free flowing football.”

Service, who lost skipper Mike Kember to a calf strain after 10 minutes, went ahead on the half hour with a Connor Hart half-volley following a corner.

They stretched their lead almost immediately after the break when Stu Midwinter headed home a Dan Wills cross and Lewis Driscoll grabbed the third with a powerful shot.

And although the league is wrapped up, there is still plenty for Service to play for, starting with a County Cup semi-final at home to Bishop’s Cleeve III on Saturday followed a week later by a Senior Charities Cup quarter-final, also at home, against Newton.

Holend, who has confirmed that he and his assistant Paul McCauley would like to stay in charge next season, could be forgiven if he already had half an eye on next season.

“We’ve had the Northern Senior League down to the ground and obviously we’ve got excellent facilities,” said Holend.

“The only slight issue is the gap between our pitch and the rugby pitch. It needs to be 30 yards – or it may be 30 metres – but at the moment gap is 27!

“If it’s too difficult to move the pitch we can put up some netting between the two pitches.”

And playing wise, Holend is confident that Service can make a big impression in Division Two of the Northern Senior League.

“If we keep the squad together and can add a couple of players – no more than that – we can make a real go of it,” he said.