Oxford City manager Mike Ford paid tribute to his players after finishing tenth in their debut season in the Blue Square Bet North.

City drew 1-1 at home to Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday to end their campaign with just one defeat in the final ten games and a comfortable 11-point cushion over the relegation zone.

“I’ve just congratulated the players for what they’ve achieved this season,” said Ford.

“We finished where we finished not because we were lucky or for any other reason, but because we deserved to, we’ve been the tenth-best team in the division.

“I don’t want to say it’s exceeded expectations – but it has!”

Ford admitted he is unsure whether his side will remain in the North division next season or transfer to the South.

“I’ve had no indication, no-one’s hinted,” he said.

“We got put in the north this season and it’s been really good, I can’t compare it to the south and I’m not going to.

“The league we’ve been in this year has been massively tough. There have been some really good teams, we’ve been to some great grounds and we’ve finished tenth.”