Halstead Town first-team manager Mark Benterman feels it is exciting times at Rosemary Lane after a major new initiative was started by a group of the club’s fans.

Benterman said a supporters-led group has been set up to carry out improvement works both on and off the pitch at Rosemary Lane in a bid to get the local community fully involved with the club.

Work is being done on the playing surface as well as projects all around the ground and the Town boss said it was encouraging that it had been initiated by fans, with the group’s first meeting attracting 25 volunteers.

Benterman said: “We need more volunteers and it’s wonderful that people have come forward.

“They approached me and I spoke to (chairman) Jim (Holder), who absolutely loved the idea and now we’re up and running to regenerate the club.

“It’s going on all over the club and there will also be work done on the pitch this summer.

“It will be relaid and reseeded to a greater depth to make the surface stronger and that will mean we only have one pre-season game there this year rather than four or five as normal.

“But it will be worth it as we’ll have a stronger surface and we’re going to have the Vets team and also some of the youth teams playing there next year to make it more full integrated through the whole club.

“We want to make it a whole community club and promote it in a positive way.

“It really is very exciting times.”

Meanwhile, the club held its presentation night last weekend, with Ashley Baptiste taking the first-team Manager’s and Players’ Player-of-the-Year awards and Dave Morgan picking up the Supporters’ award.