A weekly newspaper has celebrated a local football team’s promotion to its highest-ever level in the sport.

The Forester, which covers the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, ran a four-page pull-out marking Cinderford Town’s triumph in the Southern League Division One South & West.

Town’s promotion as the division’s champions means they will play in the Southern League Premier Division, in the seventh tier of English football, next season – a level no team from the Forest of Dean has ever reached before.

The pull-out, front cover pictured below, includes interviews with manager John Brough, a former professional with Cheltenham Town and Hereford United, as well as with players and the club’s chairman.

Forester sports reporter Liam Ryder said: “This is a huge achievement for the club and for the Forest of Dean.

“Town have played some fantastic football this season, and won the league with a game to spare despite a horrendous fixture pile-up towards the end of the season that saw them play two games a week since the start of March.

“John Brough’s team have been thoroughly entertaining to watch and deserve all the plaudits thrown their way.

“They set a Southern League record of 24 clean sheets in a season and are the only side unbeaten at home throughout the top nine tiers of English football.”