MELKSHAM Town chairman Dave Wiltshire is not giving up on the quest for promotion but admits it is now out of the the club’s hands following the delay over their new stadium.

Development work on the new ground near Melksham Oak School has stalled because of a highways issue. That means Town are set to remain at the Conigre for next season, which may hamper their quest for a place in the Southern League.

Melksham currently sit top of the Toolstation Premier Division, but even if they win the league they will only be allowed to go up if their ground meets the required criteria.

Wiltshire says the club have written to the powers that be to pledge that they will do whatever they can to secure promotion, but their fate was due to be decided by the Southern League and the FA at a meeting this week.

“We’ve said to them if it’s feasible for us to do the necessary work, which I don’t think is a lot, at the Conigre to get it all done and ready in two months then we will make every effort to try to do that,” said Wiltshire.

“It’s in the Southern League’s hands, in conjunction with the promotion committee at the FA at Wembley. In all honesty I think it might not happen but we’ve got to stay positive and we should know by the end of the week.

“I feel so sorry for the players because they’ve done so well this season and it’ll be such a shame if it doesn’t happen.

“But if we can’t go up then we will come back and knuckle down and try again next season, with a view to then moving into our new ground the season afterwards.”