It’s an exciting time on the pitch for Barrow AFC, who are riding high in the National League, and chairman Paul Hornby still has plenty of plans to help move the club forward off it.

It is almost a year since Hornby stepped in as interim chairman after previous owners the Casson family stepped away and he has held the role permanently since last November as part of the consortium that took control.

Since then, plenty of work has been done around Holker Street, with the crumbling Western Terrace flattened, the Cross Bar refurbished and several of the hospitality boxes, which were also given a makeover, having windows fitted.

There has also been progress on the pitch, with AFC charging to seven straight wins under manager Ian Evatt that have taken them into the upper reaches of the table and helped to encourage more spectators through the gates.

Hornby said: “We hope to be starting the outside bar facility in the next month and let’s just hope we can kick it over the line and get the thing started.

“We’re still waiting on the Football Foundation, but everything else is ready; the planning’s in and the builders are ready to start. Hopefully, we’ll have some other news to announce later in the year as well.”

The outdoor bar, which would be located behind the Steelworks End, would add to the ‘Fanzone’ that was set up in the corner where the Western Terrace used to stand during the summer, which improved the quality of food available on matchdays at the ground.

“The Fanzone has gone really well,” Hornby said, adding: “It’s been popular and I think there’s so much more we can do it.

“You’ll see on Non-League Day that we’ll have all sorts of activities for kids out there and I think that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

“People have been coming to us with ideas, joint ventures and partnerships, a lot of things to get families in.

“When we build a new Fanzone, there will be more family-friendly facilities that will be upgraded, so it is more welcoming, rather than a traditional, old-fashioned stadium, which is what it was.”

This year’s Non-League Day could be an historic one for AFC, as they would equal their best-ever winning run of eight straight league games if they defeat Dover Athletic this afternoon.

Success is definitely good for business for Hornby, who said: “We’re building momentum and I’m hoping we can get a crowd of over 2,000 for Non-League Day.

“It’s a good chance to showcase what we’ve been doing for the schools and it’s a good opportunity for them to see what we’ve done over the summer as well.”