Forest Green Rovers: 'Reaching League One will be easy', says club owner Dale Vince

Forest Green Rovers' promotion to the Football League means Nailsworth is the smallest ever place to host an EFL club next term, with a population of 5,794

Getting into League One will be "easy" for Forest Green, says owner Dale Vince after they reached the English Football League for the first time.

Sunday's 3-1 promotion final win over Tranmere at Wembley saw Forest Green go up to League Two via the National League play-offs.

"Getting out of this league is so difficult, with just one automatic spot - and we're out," said Vince.

"Getting into League One, I do think will be easy. There are four slots."

Promotion ended the Gloucestershire club's 19-season stay in the fifth tier.

Vince, who has ambition to take the Nailsworth outfit up to the Championship, is the owner of electricity company Ecotricity and has established Forest Green as the world's first 'vegan' football club.

"Some people say we're crazy to dream of the Championship but we've taken the first big step," Vince added to BBC Radio Gloucestershire. "That's fantastic."

Christian Doidge (far right) scored Forest Green's second goal against Tranmere, with Kaiyne Woolery finding the net either side of his goal

Three sides are promoted automatically from League Two to League One each year, with a further promotion slot via the play-offs.

By contrast, only the National League champions join the EFL automatically, with the teams in second to fifth competing in the play-offs.

Forest Green had finished second last term - losing to Grimsby in the 2015-16 promotion final - having also reached the play-offs the previous season, but will go up this summer after a third-placed finish.

Sides to win promotion from non-league and then go on to play above League Two in recent years include Fleetwood - who spent just two seasons in the fourth tier before promotion in 2014 - and they played in the League One play-offs this term.

Meanwhile, Championship side Burton - who only left non-league football in 2009 - also progressed through the tiers relatively quickly, while current League Two side Crawley Town went up to the third tier in 2012 just one season on from leaving the National League.