THE campaign to get Salisbury Football Club back into the Raymond McEnhill Stadium has come up trumps – and now manager Steve Claridge has pledged to build them “a team they can be proud of.”

Board members have struck a deal with the ground’s trustees and are urgently working to finalise the terms and conditions of the lease.

March 31 is the deadline day for making an official application to the Football Association, stating where they will play football next season and including a business plan for the club’s return to the non-League pyramid.

If things go well, the phoenix club, which has risen from the ashes of the old Salisbury City FC, will play their first competitive game after a 16-month exile.

The welcome news owes much to the tireless work of fans who pledged their support to the newly-formed club by launching a ‘Save Our Stadium’ petition which racked up more than 6,000 signatures, with Salisbury MP John Glen and Wiltshire Council leader Jane Scott supporting the cause.

Pro footballer-turned-TV pundit Claridge, who is part owner and manager of the new club, said: “It’s fantastic to be back in the Ray Mac.

“This is the result of a lot of hard work by the new board, supportive politicians and the fans who have campaigned so hard on our behalf.

“We won’t know for a while which league we are going to be put in, so recuiting players will be difficult for some time.

“There is a variation of two or three levels we could be in at, so that will make a big difference to all sorts of things such as wage bills and the quality of player we can attract.

“I have been looking at players for the last six months and will continue to do so to build up a profile of my squad, but I won’t be able to act for a month or two just yet.

“What I can tell people is that I will be looking to build them a team they can be proud of at whatever level.

“We have somewhere with excellent facilities to play next season, which can only improve our chances of getting back in the non-League pyramid at a good level.”

A club spokesman added: "There is much work to be done, from getting the team together to establishing a commercial operation that can finance the ambitions of the new club.

“Judging by the enthusiastic response we have had from supporters and the wider Salisbury public to our attempts to bring professional football back to the city, we hope and believe those ambitions can we fulfilled.

“We would also like to thank our local MP, John Glen, for his role in bringing the two parties together, as well as councillors of all parties from both Salisbury City and Wiltshire councils.

“The Wiltshire FA and Sport England have also been extremely supportive.

“Our fans have also been a tower of strength in canvassing the politicians and organising an influential petition and we are full of admiration for the role they have played in making this possible.”