Wickwar Wanderers are champions of the Stroud League after leading the way in the 14-strong Division One for much of the campaign.

They beat visiting Taverners 3-0 on Saturday while closest rivals Old Richians were losing 1-0 at home to Chalford Reserves.

Old Richians, who have two games remaining, now trail the leaders by nine points. 

Goals by Robert Haines, Marcus Sibistowicz-Miller and substitute Oliver Ward gave Wickwar victory over the third-placed side at the weekend and they are now looking forward to playing in the Northern Senior League for the first in more than 100 years.

“It’s a big achievement,” said 25-year-old Wickwar manager Ellis Cox, who has lived in the village all his life.

“The biggest thing for me is that just about all our players have played for our youth teams.

“Nine of the starting XI on Saturday have played youth football for us and there were another two on the bench. The lads have played together for a long time.”

Cox has been manager for the past three-and-a-half years – they finished fourth last season – and he has been chairman for two or three years.

He is also a player – he plays centre midfield – but said: “I can’t get in the side too often, I play when I’m needed to fill in, I’m on the bench most weeks.”

Jake Turpin, 35, who also plays centre midfield, describes Cox as “the heartbeat of Wickwar Wanderers” and Cox has certainly enjoyed watching his team play this season.

They’ve won 20 and drawn four of their 25 league games and Cox continued: “We like to get on the ball, we’ve got some really talented players.

“We like to play good football but we work really hard. We’ve played a lot of senior football together so we know how to mix it too.

“We’re aggressive, we want to win every game and we want to score as many goals as we can.”

They’d love to score at least one more in their final league game of the season at Old Richians a week on Saturday because they are one short of their century for the campaign.

And that game on the 26^th is one that Cox may need his football boots.

“I think I might just get on in the second half,” he said.

A victory would certainly cap a wonderful season for Wickwar, a club who were one of the original founders of the Northern Senior League back in the 1890s when they were known as Wickwar AFC.