Winning promotion may have become second nature to David Griggs in the last decade, but it didn’t stop him from showing his emotion after the club’s latest triumph.
The Heacham boss basked in the celebrations before trying to come to terms with another momentous day for the village side after an eighth successive promotion.
“I don’t know whether to fall on the floor or what, it hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said.
“It’s just crazy. To think we’d got seven and they’ve just gone and got another one is out of this world.
“The aim at the start of the season was always to get 30 points first and then take one game at a time.
“When you put yourselves in a good position with 10 games to go you are going for something then.
“It’s down to the players, they produce it on the pitch and we’ve got a fantastic squad.
“If someone wrote on book on what Heacham have achieved nobody would buy it as they wouldn’t believe it. It would be in the joke shop.
“It’s great for people like Pagey (Darren Page), Darren (Bailey), Duane (Gowen) and all the volunteers at the club, they deserve things like this for all of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.
“Then you’ve got people like Sean (McQuaid), Ross (McNeil) and Jordan (Courtney Jenner) with me in the dugout and they always work the team so hard. I always say that we’re one of the fittest teams at the start of a season.
“To score nine goals in your last game when you know just a win is going to win you the title is just crazy. I lost count to be honest, I thought it was six or seven.”
Despite their incredible success story, the Heacham chief revealed that it hasn’t always been plain sailing from the moment he walked through the door.
“I remember when I took over, I went to a meeting at Lynnsport for the North West Norfolk League and pleaded with them not to relegate us.
“Luckily they didn’t, thank god and it has just been a climb from there really. Even from when I first walked in the door to today, the club has changed so much for the better.
“I mean, just look at the pitch. Most people would be proud to have this surface for the first game of a season, let alone the last one so credit to the groundsman.”
Now the planning starts for next season – and the club won’t be resting on its laurels.
“Before the game I told the players that they’re the ones who have got us to where we are,” said Griggs.
“I’m pretty loyal to them. I want to see them all pre-season and we’ll go from there. We’re always up for improving the team but we will see where we are at in the summer.”
Asked if the club will be pushing for another promotion next season, Griggs said: “I think that’s highly unlikely, but you try explaining it to that lot in there.”
