LADS Club player-manager Dan Moon says his team are ready to make the step up to the West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division.

Plans have been put forward for a new 100-seater stand at the County Ground to fulfil the FA’s ground grading requirements, with floodlights next on the agenda.

New changing rooms will also be installed next year, added Moon.

“We have put in planning permission for a stand and then the floodlights will be done in sync after that,” he said.

“The stand should all be ready by February and will have 100 seats, so fingers crossed everything goes ahead.

“The new changing rooms should be finished by the end of February and will be brought up to standard so everyone, from kids and adults, can use it.”

Moon added that the club can be promoted without the use of floodlights at their ground, but will be given around three to four months to install them.

Lads Club are currently second in Division One, with two teams normally promoted to the Premier Division.

The Hereford-based side, who lease the ground from the Herefordshire Football Association, will apply for promotion next month and are on course to achieve that aim.

Last Saturday, Lads Club beat AFC Ludlow 2-0 to close within seven points of their Shropshire opponents at the top of the division, but have three games in hand.

Darlaston Town, in third, have the same amount of points as Lads Club, but have played two more games.

“I think we’ve got everything and we’ve got some very good young players here and we’re only going to get stronger,” added Moon.

“We finished third last season, but we’ve added to the squad and we’re very strong now.”

Two first-half goals from Steve Dixon and Dan Herbert won the game for Lads Club.

“I think we dominated the first half and I think it should have been three or four-nil by half-time,” said Moon.

“Ludlow put pressure on us in the second half, but overall I think we deserved the win and put in a very good job.

“I think it was vital that we won, now we have to win our games in hand.

“Sometimes it’s nice to have the points on the board, but we were very good in the first half.

“We’ve just got to do 90 minutes instead of 45 because, in 45 minutes, we have played very well in virtually every game this season.”

Lads Club had most of the possession in the first half and opened the scoring in the 30th minute when Dixon found space to fire the ball home off a post.

The home side doubled their advantage just four minutes later when Herbert had acres of space on the right-hand side to expertly drill the ball past Ian Harvard in the Ludlow goal.

The away side were much better after the break, but found Steve Bell in the Lads Club goal in inspired form.

He produced a fantastic save to deny Dale Hodge from scoring with a header just before the hour mark before he made a full-black stop to thwart the same player two minutes from time.

Lads Club travel to county rivals Bartestree this Saturday in what is sure to be another competitive game.

“Sometimes it’s a killer with all the teams in Hereford because it’s about trying to get points against your local rivals, whereas when you get teams from Birmingham come down here, the game aren’t as feisty sometimes,” admitted Moon.

“We like the games to come up thick and fast at the moment but we have been picking up some injuries.

“We’ve got a big squad though and have had to use it.”