Forty years after making his Isthmian League debut as a player with Egham Town, Molesey FC manager Steve Webb is finally heading back to where he started.

The Moles celebrated lifting the Combined Counties League Premier Division title with a 2-0 win at Westfield on Saturday to secure passage to the Ryman Division One South for next season.

Molesey, who were relegated from that division in 2007, finished the campaign five points clear of second-placed Camberley Town having won more than 75 per cent of their league games this term.

Former Met Police striker Stafforde Palmer, signed last summer, proved the difference with 35 goals to his credit this term, alongside fellow goalscorers James McShane (24) and Matt Baxter (29).

“This is a tough league to get out of,” said 56-year-old Webb.

“There is only one promotion place and there are lots of good players at this level, who could play higher, but cannot commit to it.

“We’ve been a good team in this league for a while and we have struggled to find the right formula.

“We always knew James [McShane] and Matt [Baxter] would score goals, but we needed someone to take the heat off them and Staff has done that.

“It is a fine line between coming first and second.

“When we beat Camberley the other week nine of the starting 11 were with us the previous season apart from Staff, left, and our keeper.

“They have been the differnece and beating Camberley twice has been the difference between winning and being runners-up.

“The team is good enough to play at the next level, but we are going to need to boost our squad.”

He added: “When the ground grading officials came round it was Ryman League officials who did it, so we assume that is where we are going.

“I started in that league when I was 16 years old with Egham and now 40 years on this pre-season I am back there.”