....Town’s ground was unveiled before the club’s Emirates FA Cup clash on Saturday.

The Bees hosted Evo-Stik Southern League Division One Central opponents Cambridge City in the Preliminary Round in what marks the next chapter in the club’s history.

It was the first fixture played at the Harborough Town Community Football Ground following the re-development of the main ground and installation of the state-of-art artificial grass pitch.

That they lost 2-1 was almost irrelevant, as it was the occasion that mattered most on the day.

Laurence Jones, chairman of Harborough Town’s trustees, said: “Saturday wa an incredibly exciting day for everyone connected with the club. FA Cup fixtures are exciting for clubs at our level of the game in their own right but being the first fixture in the re-developed ground this was a very special day indeed, not just for the club but for Market Harborough.”

The new ground is stunning and has transformed the club, with eleven grass pitches and two artificial pitches Harborough Town has some finest grassroots football facilities in the country, which is something the local community should be very proud of.

Jones added: “Saturday was a very proud moment for everyone connected to the club which has seen a remarkable transformation over the last four seasons. I would like to pay tribute to the trustees, volunteers and employees of the club, they have been amazing. The hours of dedication and commitment shown by what is a very small group of people in not just delivering this project but the overall transformation of the club over the last four seasons is nothing short of remarkable, and Saturday is their special moment to enjoy.”

The club is hoping for a bumper crowd on Saturday and Laurence is appealing to the local community to take the opportunity to come and see the new ground and enjoy the magic of the FA Cup.

Laurence said the club was showing “intent to build a vibrant community football club” with the new facility.

He added: “We are building a vibrant community football club that will provide a high-quality football experience in fantastic facilities for everyone who wants to play the game and the club has very real aspirations to bring top flight non-League football to Market Harborough.

“I really hope people come down to the club to see the new ground, take in the game and give their support to the club, everyone at Harborough Town is on a journey and we want the local community to join us on that journey to give MarketHarborough a Football club to be proud of. Admission is £6 for adults £3 for concessions £1 for under 16s and under 16s go free if accompanied by a paying adult.

“The trustees and everyone connected with the club would like to place on record our huge thanks and appreciation to the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund delivered through the Football Foundation, Harborough District Council and Leicestershire & Rutland County FA who have come together and worked with the club over the last four years to turn our vision of creating a football hub that will benefit the community of Market Harborough into reality.”

The project will be fully completed by the end of September when the new car park will be provided to the front and side of the clubhouse. The club is planning an official opening in October once the project is fully completed.

The project funding is made up of £436,123 from the Premier League & FA Facilities Fund delivered by the Football Foundation, £70,427 from Premier League through the Football Stadia Improvement Fund and £270,000 secured by Harborough District Council from section 106 agreements where the authority obtained funds from developers for community use. The club is also investing £50,000 of its own funds.