AFC TOTTON match-winner Ethan Taylor insisted promotion to National League South is "thoroughly deserved" after their play-off success.

The Stags beat Gloucester City 1-0 in the Southern League Premier division's final in front of a jubilant home crowd thanks to Taylor's late goal.

The composed dink from prolific marksman Taylor means AFC Totton will compete in the sixth tier of English football for the first time in their history.

Fans invaded the pitch in celebration at full-time, hoisting the Stags stars above their shoulders as they together sang, 'We are going up.'

"I grew up in Woolston so 10 minutes from here, I'm a local lad," said Taylor, speaking to the Daily Echo on the pitch at Snows Stadium. 

"It means a lot to me, last year I scored as well but we lost on penalties so to score again and for this time to be the winner means the most to me.

"We're all over the moon, last year we thought we should have gone up and missed out but we've made up for it this year with a quality performance.

"We could have won the won the league this year but full credit to Merthyr, they played really well and deserved to win it in the end.

"All we could do was make sure we finished second and won these two games and we have done that, so I think we thoroughly deserved to go up.

"I have never played at that level before, it's obviously a big challenge but I am looking forward to getting going. This club is only going to keep going up so there are opportunities for more moments like this."