Foundations being laid for new fanzone at Barrow AFC's Holker Street stadium

The foundations have started to be laid for the bar at the Steelworks End of the Bluebirds' Holker Street stadium, which is the biggest development at the ground since the current owners took charge 14 months ago.

A slight delay in the start of the project, due to those foundations now having to be piled, means fans will have to wait until the end of March for the facility to be completed, rather than the middle of that month, as was originally planned.

Nonetheless, that will still give the club the final month of the season to give it a trial run and with AFC challenging for promotion to the Football League for the first time in 48 years, business is likely to be booming.

Chairman Paul Hornby said: "It's going to give us an opportunity, with these bigger crowds, to bring in extra revenue.

"We're learning all the time but the one thing is we are going to close the ground after kick-off so people can't leave the ground - I think we're the only club in the country where you can come and go as you please.

"It's not only that, it's dragging us into the 21st century as well to make sure that we've got toilets in there, including disabled toilets, it's warm, although you can stand outside and have a drink if you want.

"There are going to be smoking shelters, so there's all sorts of things for the supporters."

The fanzone isn't the only development at the stadium that is currently taking place, with new crush barriers being installed at the Holker Street End, which will help make the Bluebirds' home Football League compliant.

The club are also finalising plans to install a roof over that end of the ground, part of which houses away supporters, during the summer.

Hornby said: "Some crush barriers have already gone in and they will get our capacity up over 5,000, which is needed for the Football League, but we're going to hold fire putting the rest of them in before the canopy roof goes up."