IN March 2014, Mitcheldean were staring at relegation from the North Gloucestershire Premier Division.

Former Northern Senior League mainstays, the club had picked up 14 points from 18 games and were second from bottom in the league by the end of the month.

They would be unable to climb any higher, and began to prepare for life in Division One.

But they were given a reprieve when an influx of new sides flooded the lower divisions, and the club haven’t looked back since – staying unbeaten at home all the way through 2015.

Mitcheldean climbed from relegation candidates to title contenders in just one season, thanks to the solid home form that lifted them up to runners-up last term, just a point behind champions English Bicknor.

“For a small village club like us to put together a side that is capable of that is a huge achievement,” said goalkeeper and player/coach Alex Goode.

“We had had a tough few years before that but stayed unbeaten in the league form April 2014. I think we lost one home game in the West Dean Charities that year.

“I would say that last season was down to hard work and really people putting the shift in. We knew that the home form was going to be crucial.

“We didn’t really realise it and we didn’t talk about it until the back end of last season. Everyone wanted to keep it going and give nothing away at home. We wanted to make it a fortress again.

“We didn’t really add a lot to the squad last year. Rob Brown stepped up as a player/manager to help Andre Titmuss and together they built a good atmosphere in the side.

“A lot of people got the right mind frame and better attitudes both on the pitch and in training. If you can build that it goes a long way to building a long run.

“We’re already ten points better off at this point of the season than last year and we want to be challenging again. At the time it was a disappointment to lose out on the last day of the season by a point but looking back it is a huge achievement.”