IT has already been a successful season for Oxfordshire’s leading clubs – and it might just become even better.

This week, North Leigh became the latest side from the county to gain promotion in 2021/22, beating Ware in the Pitching In Southern League Division 1 Central play-off final.

They followed Banbury United’s lead, after the Puritans won Premier Central by an astonishing 23 points.

READ MORE: North Leigh boss toasts historic promotion

Both clubs will play at the highest level in their history in 2022/23, while Oxford City have the chance to compete in the Vanarama National League for the first time.

Ross Jenkins’ side start their Vanarama National League South play-off campaign next week and if they go up it would set a milestone for the club and the county.

From the eighth tier of English football upwards, there are very few examples over the years of two Oxfordshire teams, let alone three, gaining promotion in the same season.

The last time two sides went up in the same season was 2015/16.

Oxford United finished second in Sky Bet League Two, putting them in the third tier for the first time since 2001.

The U’s sealed promotion with a 3-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers on the final day of a memorable campaign, where they also reached the final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and knocked Premier League club Swansea City out of the Emirates FA Cup.

Banbury also look back on 2015/16 fondly as they sealed their return to the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division – the seventh tier of the pyramid, or step three of non-league.

The Puritans were runners-up in Division One South & West, but beat Winchester City and Taunton Town in the play-offs.

Interestingly, their goalscorers in the 2-0 final win over the Somerset side were Andy Gunn, who this season went up with North Leigh, and Zac McEachran, trying to do the same with City.

You have to go back to 1995/96 to find the previous occasion there were two Oxfordshire promotion-winners at that level or higher.

United finished second in Division Two, the third tier of the pyramid.

READ MORE: Looking back at Oxford United's promotion-clinching win over Peterborough

The U’s only lost one of their last 17 games as they went up on the final day, beating Peterborough United 4-0.

Meanwhile, City won the Isthmian League Division One to claim their fourth successive promotion.

The club left the Isthmian League just eight years earlier after they were evicted from the Whitehouse Ground, starting in South Midlands League Division One as they worked their way back up the pyramid.

Another promotion would be historic for different reasons.