LUCTONIANS are to build a new 200-seater grandstand that will include a gymnasium.

“An appeal went out in November and the club have received £60-70,000 of gifts, a modest amount of loans, help with machinery, concrete, plumbing and more,” said club president Bryan Markham.

“Seats have also been promised by a donor and the construction is a fairly simple one and could be up and ready in time for next season,” he confirmed.

Building and groundwork is due to begin in the first week of April and there will be a meeting to finalise this in the next week.

“It’s a big step for us,” the president added. “When we came to this league, many wrote us off but we’ve adapted and established ourselves.

“Take Darlington, they’ve bought several million pounds of ground, a 20,000-seater stadium and they have big plans to go up the leagues but they’ve just been beaten at Lucs.

“What it says is that they’re not capable of winning this league or certainly not ones above, so that means they have to invest in new players and possibly get rid of some locals.

“That’s not the way Lucs could or would want to do it. “The majority of our players live just a stone’s throw away. We have brought these players up and that’s a huge reflection on the coaches and the structure here,” said Markham.

“Huw Davies wrote several years back that we were completely happy in Midlands One where we belong, but look what we’ve achieved.

“To paraphrase him, we are ‘completely happy’ in this league, but who knows, anything can happen.

“Our coaches, players and supporters are committed and want to stand up and point the fingers and haul someone over the coals when results aren’t going right.

“But there have been good discussions all over the club with prominent members this week and today the club showed what we are about.

“We’re punching well above our weight and a lot of credit is due.”