THE SUCCESS of Tavistock Football Club is due to be marked by a small step forward with a planned upgrade to its ground.

The fan’s entrance to the pitch is due to be improved with new turnstiles to meet Football Association standards.

In the last five years, Tavistock Association Football Club has gone from strength to strength.

After a series of league wins and subsequent promotions it now finds itself competing in the Southern League — the highest standard Tavistock has reached in its 130-year history.

The players are now hosting rival teams from as far away as Cheltenham, Oxford and Southhampton.

Every time the teams wins promoted to a higher level, with the correspondingly larger crowds, the new league in which they perform set a standard to which Tavistock’s Langsford Park ground must comply.

The latest requirement is to raise safety and security levels at the entrance to the ground. So, over the next few months, work will begin on installing two turnstiles with a secure metal shed between them where the gate receipts can be securely stored during the game, prior to banking.

The club is financially supported in this project by the Premier League Stadium Fund and has also applied to West Devon Borough Council for financial assistance.

Martin Williams, club chairman, said: ‘The club is in the middle of a re-structuring which, over the next few years, will transform it from a local football team into a vibrant and dynamic Tavistock business, providing the local community with an exciting brand of football.’

In recent years the club has also needed to increase the extent of its seating and the covered areas to shelter spectators from the weather.