Chichester City chairman on promotion: We will be massive underdogs – but we will enjoy it

Bell has heaped praise on the City management and players and everyone behind the scenes at Oaklands Park for winning promotion out of the Isthmian south east division via the play-offs.

They’re now waiting to see whether they will be in the Isthmian premier – which seems most likely – or Southern League premier south division for 2024-25.

Isthmian opponents would include Bognor, Horsham and possibly even Havant & Waterlooville – this just five years after City were in the Southern Combination League.

City had one of the smallest budgets at step four and it’s not likely to get immediate major growth for the step up. But Bell said they’d embrace the chance to move to a higher level and work hard on and off the pitch to survive.

Bell said their promotion was still sinking in: "It’s Chichester City – you have to expect the unexpected,” he joked.

"We have just got the 3G pitch in and thought after all the hard work that involved we might get a little break, but no – no chance.

"What we’ve achieved is amazing, and as others have said, we’d not have done it without the influence of Graeme Gee, who we sadly lost before the season finished."

City will need to do more work on their ground – with seating, turnstile and catering projects required – to meet step three grading rules, but Bell said they could look forward to bigger crowds, hopefully including more home supporters as well as larger away followings.

"We will be the poor relations of the division – we will be massive underdogs to stay up. But we have good people and a strong spirit and we’ll aim to enjoy it,” he added.

"We want to carry on making the club better for everyone, but are having to do it quicker than expected. We wouldn’t swap promotion for anything.

"We’ll need everyone pulling together and major backing from fans and sponors, but there’s no reason that can’t happen.”