CHESTER Nomads will proudly take their place in West Cheshire League Division One for the first time next season after they won promotion this week.

John Cadwallader’s vibrant young team sealed second spot behind all-conquering champions Ashville with a 3-0 home victory over Bronze Social on Monday.

Player-boss Cadwallader has done a fantastic job in guiding Nomads to the top flight and giving the club the chance to upset the established Chester footballing order.

But he believes his players deserve all the credit for bouncing back from the heartbreak of last season when they missed out on going up by the narrowest of margins before losing two cup finals.

Former Upton AA player Cadwallader, who is in his second season as manager, said: “The lads have shown great consistency and a great attitude throughout the season and they deserve what they get.

“We have got a good mix in the team and while I would say the young lads have improved, so too have the older lads. We’ve scored more goals, conceded less goals and lost less games.

“I’ve always felt we have had as good a team as Upton and Christleton, but we haven’t been able to challenge them regularly as they have been playing a division higher.

“So we’re looking forward to challenging them and I think us being in Division One will improve them too.”

After a nervy start, Nomads brushed aside rock-bottom Bronze Social with goals from Dan Delgado, man-of-the-match Dale Harris and Ed Moss.

Harris, Kieron Smith and Lee Owen shared the strikes in the 3-1 win at Maghull Reserves on Saturday which all but ended Mossley Hill Athletic’s challenge to finish runners-up.

Not for the first time this season, captain and stalwart Andrew Fitzgibbon stood out for Nomads.

The never-say-die midfielder, who has become the first player from the club to ever be called up to the Cheshire FA representative team, could yet get his hands on some silverware.

He will lead his side out at the Exacta Stadium on Friday, May 6 when Nomads take on treble-chasing Highfield Athletic in the Chester & District FA Senior Cup final.