Saunders: '˜We've worked all summer and all season to get to this point and I'm delighted we've done it'

Heath won promotion last week at Steyning but clinched the title with a 4-0 win at Mile Oak today (Easter Monday).

Saunders told the club’s website: “Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. I’m chuffed for the boys. We’ve worked all summer and all season to get to this point and I’m delighted we’ve done it.

“It’s a tough league. I didn’t know too much about it. I have been a long time out of it but I always knew it was going to be difficult. It doesn’t suffer fools lightly and you’ve got to work hard to get out of it.

“Mile Oak is never an easy place to come and get three points. Their work ethic is second none.

“You have to roll your sleeves up and be prepared for battle and we did today.”

The Mile Oak victory was the team’s 26th straight league win this season but Saunders was not overly happy at half time.

He said: “Today was the first time I have had to have a pop at them at half time because they were a bit relaxed in the first half. It wasn’t us at our best and we had to step up a gear and we did that in the second half.

“It was a big win for us today and when I saw the fixture and that we could win it at Mile Oak, I thought it won’t be easy.”

And Saunders will not let his team cruise to the end of the season.

He said: “I won’t let them take their foot off the gas, it’s now 26 straight wins and we are going to take it as far as we can.”

And the secret to such a dominant season? Saunders had no doubt at all

He said: “Our forwards work rate without a shadow of a doubt. I think that the work rate of Freddie, Max or Rob and that’s no singling anyone out because we have been unreal.

“But predominantly they have been pur forwards this year and they’ve worked their socks off and that’s been the catalyst to our success this season.”

Saunders is now ready for life in the Premier Division in September.

He said: “I have started planning for next season a couple of weeks ago. We go into next season with a winning mentality and that’s massively important and I feel we are going to win every game we play.

“We are in a good position and hopefully surprise a few people next year.

“It’s another tough league where anybody can beat anybody on their day. It’s a case of consistency and we have certainly been that this year. Hopefully we can carry that on to next season.”

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