Now the dust has settled and we've achieved our goal, I just want to say a few thank-yous to those involved. It’s been a brilliant season for Harwich and Parkeston FC.

Firstly, to Tony Armstrong, Colin Rogers, and the rest of the HPFC committee… thank you for your support. You gave us freedom on the playing side and backed our ideas. I know it wasn’t always easy, but I really appreciate you sticking with the plan. Everyone owes you a massive thank you for being such a key part of getting the club back to Step 5.

Our aim was always to get promoted this season, though realistically we thought it might take two or three years given the strength of the division. So, it's a huge credit to all the players who wore the black and white stripes this year, you've been phenomenal. It hasn’t been easy: we brought in new faces, changed the coaching set-up, and evolved the playing style, but everyone adapted.

A huge thanks to Sean Tynan, Gary Kioussis and Daryl Eagle. They built a squad over the past few years that didn’t need a full overhaul. Thank you, Sean, for bringing me on board last year. The previous management team deserves massive credit for this promotion, and had they stayed on, I suspect the outcome would have been the same.

Mark Sharp and Glenn Eldridge have been essential. Running sessions, adapting to the team’s needs, and doing the hard graft on cold winter nights - they’ve been immense. Tactically they’ve contributed so much too, even in Saturday’s final, getting me to change things up in the 70th minute. We stuck together and stayed focused, even through tough patches with dropped points and postponed games.

Thank you to Mark Young for coming in and running our social media. You've streamlined it, elevated our output with top-class graphics and videos, and helped make the club more relevant to a wider audience. Thank you Simon Tuck for providing live coverage of games.

Thanks to our incredible ground staff who give up their time for free to ensure we have the best pitch possible. The Oak is always in great condition and will thrive at Step 5.

To all our supporters, thank you. I don’t think there’s a better-supported club in the area. The Oak is always packed, and we travel better than most, often with hundreds following us on the road, even for 2, 3, 4-hour journeys. You've stuck by us through the tough times and believed in what we were building. Myself, the management team, and all the players appreciate it more than you know. We can't wait to see you all at Step 5, both at home and away.

And finally… Craig Clarke, assistant manager. We’ve known each other a long time in football, but over the last year since he joined the team, we’ve become great friends. None of this happens without Craig. He’s backed every idea and picked me up when I’ve needed it. I’m truly grateful.

We now move into a new level – one we need to establish ourselves in and continue to build from.

Thanks for everything,
Gaffa