Colney Heath have had their promotion from step five of the non-league pyramid confirmed as the FA announced the result of their restructure.

The Magpies were top of the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division when the 2019-2020 campaign was finished early in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Last year was also brought to a premature end but the FA opted to carry out their planned changes by using points-per-game, combined from the two seasons.

That left Colney in pole position for the upward movement and after an anxious wait, the news has now come through.

Club secretary Richard Smith said they were "relieved and delighted".

Herts Advertiser: Southern League Division One Central 2021-2022.Southern League Division One Central 2021-2022. (Image: The Football Association)

They will play in the Southern League Division One Central with a number of familiar sides.

Welwyn Garden City, Berkhamsted, Hertford Town, AFC Dunstable and Biggleswade have all come out of the SSML in recent years and added to that is other fairly close trips.

The FA actually sprung a surprise by not changing the actual make up of step four too much.

It had been thought that with the introduction of a new league at the standard, four divisions below the Football League, that many clubs could be moved to change the geographical make-up.

However, of the 20 clubs in the Southern League Division One Central, 14 were there last season.

Colney Heath are the only side to have been promoted into it while FC Romania, Harlow Town, Hertford Town, Waltham Abbey and Ware are the sides to be laterally moved into it.

The longest trips will be to the four clubs out in the west: Didcot Town, Kidlington, North Leigh and Wantage Town.