SALISBURY City are just one step away from the Football League after claiming a second successive promotion yesterday.

An 83rd-minute winner from top scorer Matt Tubbs gave Nick Holmes' men a Conference South play-off final success against Braintree at Stevenage Borough FC.

The win capped a sensational season for Salisbury, who also took Nottingham Forest to an FA Cup second round replay back in December.

City also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy for the second season running.

And Holmes' men can now look forward to welcoming the likes of Oxford United, Torquay United, Cambridge United, Stevenage and Aldershot to the Raymond McEnhill Stadium.

Exeter City will also be visiting if they lose next Sunday's play-off final against Morecambe at Wembley.

Holmes confessed that Salisbury had ridden their luck against Havant & Waterlooville's play-off semi-final conquerors Braintree.

Maybe we had some of the luck today that we haven't had previously this season, especially when Braintree had a good spell late in the game," said Holmes.

"Clarkey (keeper Ryan Clarke) had to make a good save and the ball was ricocheting around the box, but I've seen that happen to us so often.

"I have to feel for Braintree as I thought they were terrific today and in fact played the best I've seen them.

"George Borg (Braintreee boss) took it very well, as I expected him to."

Dell legend Holmes' stated intention when he arrived at Salisbury back in the summer of 2002 was to get his team into the Football League within ten years.

Yesterday's result was a giant step in that direction.

"Next season is going to be one of consolidation as we can't hope to continue the same success rate as in the last two seasons," he said.

"The Conference proper is a whole new ball game.

"When I came here five years ago I said I wanted to get league football at Salisbury in ten years or so and now, five years on, we're a league higher than I expected."