SWINDON Town fans painted the town red as they celebrated the team being crowned champions on Saturday.

The club’s 5-0 victory over Port Vale saw Paolo Di Canio’s side crowned as League Two champions at the County Ground.

Fans joined players on the pitch in jubilation following the thrashing and hundreds piled in to pubs and bars around the town to continue the celebrations well in to the early hours of Sunday.

Dean Jacobs, 27, from Moredon was at the game and headed to the Moonrakers to celebrate after.

He said: “It was a great result to finish off a winning season. The atmosphere today was the best it has been at the County Ground for quite a few years.

“The players were brilliant and all the goals were really good.”

Sheila O’Connor, 48, from Penhill, also watched the game at the County Ground.

“It was absolutely brilliant,” she said. “I went to Wembley and the atmosphere travelling up there was pretty amazing but today has been so much better than that.

“Paolo has done wonders for the club, he is brilliant.”

Over at Steam Railway in Old Town, fans were celebrating the achievement.

Daniel Taylor, 31, of Rodbourne Cheney, said: “It was a brilliant game, I’m over the moon. It was the best performance of the season.

“As soon as the first goal went I felt less nervous and the players were just brilliant – congratulations to all of them.

“I bet they will be celebrating big time all weekend.”

Even Paolo Di Canio was off to celebrate his team’s success after the game, and was joined by his brothers who made the trip over from Italy. Paolo, who changed into a T-shirt bearing a poignant message to his parents who died within four months of each other this year, said: “I told my players I am going to have a beer, but not too much for my stomach.

“We deserve to be called champions now, and the players and fans have been amazing, as have my technical staff.”

And it seems fans were on their best behaviour and in high spirits during and after the game.

Police said there was just one drunk male arrested during the game for trying to enter the ground but officers described this as a ‘minor matter’.