The best-in-class students of Queen’s University will test themselves in higher surroundings come August.
The South Belfast collective will be playing Championship football when the curtain rises on the new season after they sealed the title at the weekend.
The most wins, fewest defeats and comfortably the best defence in the division, there's nobody could argue they’re not worthy champions either.
And so, having come so close to promotion last season, Peter Thompson, his coaching team and players can look forward to preparing for a whole new set of opponents.
Where some stutter over the finish line, Queen’s have rocketed across it – their 5-0 win over third-placed Tobermore United on Saturday exemplifying the lack of nerves in sealing the deal.
In what’s generally known as the business end of the season, Queen’s have gone about their business with a ruthless authority.
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Saturday’s win was their second 5-0 success in April and bookends away victories at Moyola and Newington.
That win at Solitude last week looked to be the clincher – Chris Middleton popping up to decide a tight affair with a spot-kick with seconds left to play.
The look of champions indeed.
Of course, it could get even better for Queen’s if and when they get to defend their Match Intermediate Cup at Windsor Park next month.
And Thompson, who is in his seventh season as Uni boss, admitted he was in shock for a long time after the final whistle at Tobermore on Saturday.
“I honestly didn’t think we would win the league at the weekend,” he said.
“It has been a good title race and I fully expected it to go to the final Saturday.
“We knew the score in the Annagh game at Sport and Leisure at half-time and were getting updates during the second half.
“Once our game was finished and we’d won, we were waiting to see how it finished at Sport and Leisure and when we discovered that it had ended a draw that sparked the celebrations for us.
“It was a feeling of pure joy for everyone at the club. The satisfaction and relief have come subsequently but, in all honesty, I was just in shock after the game.
“It is truly incredible to be the first Queen’s team to win a league title in more than a hundred years.
“We’ve worked so hard on and off the pitch – everyone from the players, coaches, the groundsman, chairman Denis who has been through all the highs and lows.
“It’s been a real team effort and every single person can share in this success.”
The oldest adage in football is that the league table doesn’t lie. And it’s telling the truth again when you look at the Premier Intermediate standings. Queen’s have been the model of consist- ency, losing only to the Annagh, with Dollingstown and Lisburn Distillery the only others able to take points off them.
They’ve won 80% of their matches, a statistic which increases when you zoom in on the second half of the campaign with seven successive wins to see it home.
All of that while working within the confines of staying true to their student affiliation, so important to QUB.
Boss Thompson lavished praise on the entire squad – who from back to front have all made their contributions.
He enthused: “These players have been amazing throughout the season once again.
“Since the cup semi-final we have beaten Lisburn Distillery and then had three very difficult away games – to Moyola, Newington and Tobermore.
“The way we won at Moyola and Tobermore was obviously very pleasing, but the way it came about at Newington last week made me think the title was within reach for us now.
“It was a game we deserved a point at best from but we kept in it and plugged away and then scored the penalty in injury time and that was huge."
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