IMMINGHAM TOWN are preparing for their return to action next season – over 20 years after the club were forced into the footballing wilderness.
Immingham, then playing in the Northern Counties East League, were struggling for funds and the club had no option but to fold back in 1995.
Their home ground on Woodlands Avenue was left to rot before a fire in the late 1990s burned down the clubhouse.
However, local man Johnny Walker last year started to formulate a plan to bring Immingham Town back to life. The coach was looking for places to host coaching sessions for kids and a major lack of facilities in the town led him to Woodlands Avenue.
The Lincolnshire town will again have a senior football team from next season with a group of local people clearing the old clubhouse as well as areas surrounding the pitch.
The club are planning to enter the Lincolnshire League for next season and hope they can kick off their first campaign back at their spiritual home.
Walker said: “I saw it as an opportunity to do something for the community of Immingham. A town of this size should have a football club and it was my aim to achieve that. The ground was an overgrown mess and it has been a major job just to get it to where it is today.
“We've had some amazing backing from local people and businesses. We've secured thousands of pounds of backing and we've got a committee in place ready to kick the club on to the next level.
“We hope to be operational from Woodlands Avenue in time for the new season but if it takes a year we'll seek a temporary home to make sure we get it right. We're not going to fall into the trap of running before we can walk, we want to get this right, we have to get this right for the people of Immingham.”
Ambitious Walker added: “At the very least we want to be back in the NCEL as soon as possible. I am very clear about how this town can achieve its goals and I feel that with a solid local infrastructure and a dedicated hard working team we can achieve the success we all crave.”
