Preparations will finally get underway this week as Hayes & Yeading United start putting the wheels in motion for a return home.

United, who confirmed Conference South survival with a 2-0 victory over Bath at the weekend, have secured £300,000 of funding to get their proposed Beaconsfield Road home up to code.

In order to start playing football at their proposed at the Hayes venue, the ground must first meet the National Ground Grading Category B standard.

Visible progress was made during the close-season, including brickwork on the interior of the main stand, but worked stalled as the money dried up.

Crippling fees of around £1,200 a game to play in Berkshire put the club at breaking point and chairman Tony O’Driscoll was forced to seek the external investment.

With that funding now in place, the Hayes & Yeading chief is starting to put a plan in place to have the club playing back in the borough by Christmas.

That begins this week with a series of meetings with builders and it is hoped work can resume within a matter of weeks on the site.

O’Driscoll said: “Saturday was a great day for us with safety confirmed. Everyone was positive and it was a nice feeling. It’s the first time in a long time in a long time we’ve had that good feeling about the place.

“I wouldn’t say the pressure has all gone because now I’ve got to get the ground sorted but it’s a nicer sort of pressure.

“I’ve got meetings with two fencing companies this week.

“One side of the ground, with the stand, looks decent but the other three are all open so I think if we can get a perimeter fence installed soon it will make everything look a lot better. That’s the first job.

“After that, I’ve got to speak to the guys that have done the majority of work so far on the main stand because it needs tidying up basically.

“It’s been battered by the pigeons over the winter and it needs a serious clean. They will be installing the seats too so I need to speak to them about that.”

Dean Inman and a bizarre goal from close to the halfway line from Greg Morgan added three more points to the tally at the weekend while Farnborough were beaten 3-1 by Chelmsford to see them go down.