BIDS are wanted for Selby Town's football ground to help the club move to a new stadium.

A deal has been agreed in principle between the club and Selby District Council for the Robins to move next to Selby College.

Now the club just need the right offer for its Flaxley Road ground.

Selby Town are currently lying in a promotion spot in the Northern Counties East League premier division, but have been told they need to make £50,000 worth of improvements to be eligible for promotion to the UniBond League.

Club chairman Mike Dunne today said this could be raised through giving a housing developer first option to buy the ground, hopefully meeting the March 31 deadline for improvements.

The upgrading to UniBond League status would have to include a 300-seater stand, press box and turnstiles.

Dunne said: "If we finish first or second but haven't got the facilities (to be promoted) it would be just awful, so we are going to go for it."

He said the club was also waiting for a valuation of the land for the new stadium, off Abbots Road, and for an estimate of how much the work would cost.

He said: "If we can sell the ground in Flaxley Road, buy the land next to the college and end up with a better facility without going into debt, then we will definitely be doing that.

"But I do not want us to mortgage Selby Town's future on this."

He said the club now needed the community to help raise the £50,000 - should the team stay in the promotion spot.

"We need sponsors and local firms to get involved, along with anyone else who can help us raise this money. It is an amazing opportunity for the club," said Dunne.

Selby District Council is currently looking at ways to help the club raise the money and co-operating with plans to move the ground.

The council's social board chairman, Liz Casling, said: "We think these plans for a new upgraded stadium would be wonderful for Selby and would provide an excellent facility for the whole community."

Bob Lyon's rested team, meanwhile, will be looking to regain momentum for their charge at the top of the table tomorrow.

The Robins' last two matches have been cancelled due to bad weather, but fingers are crossed their visit to mid-table Liversedge will go ahead.

Before their enforced break, a string of good results had seen Town move just one point behind leaders Brigg with games in hand.

Now Lyon is hoping his young side will quickly be back to speed, even in difficult conditions.

"Liversedge are mid-table, but are always better at home, partly due to a very difficult pitch, it slopes from one end to the other and side to side, so it's always tricky," said Lyon.

"But we've been in training so they should still be sharp, and really, the position we are in, they should be absolutely raring to go.

"The lads who were out in the last game are definitely fit again, so it is up to us to get fired up and make this count," he said.

Dominic Moyles, Pat Render and Matthew Wain will all be available for selection, but Russ Barley is sidelined for the long-term with a fractured cheek-bone.

Updated: 09:14 Friday, February 06, 2004