BOLTON Wanderers are heading for another season at Burnden Park. Supporters will continue to stand on the terraces of the famous old ground while a new 25,000 all-seater super stadium is built at the Red Moss site. Wanderers are definitely moving to Horwich but now accept they will not meet their original August 1996 target - the deadline for top clubs converting to all-seater grounds.

But the delay in clearing the necessary planning hurdles will not force the club into either a ground-share arrangement or a dramatic cut in capacity at Burnden, as many fans feared.

Because plans are so far advanced, the Football Licensing Authority regulations will allow Wanderers to use the terracing until their new ground is built, which should be in good time for the start of the 1997-98 season.

Wanderers and Bolton Council are waiting for approval from Environment Secretary John Gummer for the £150 million multi-purpose Horwich development, which will also include shopping, leisure, business, industrial and housing uses, a railway halt and, ultimately, provide more than 3,000 jobs.

The result of a three week public inquiry is expected at the turn of the year and all parties are anticipating a positive outcome. If the inquiry kicks the multi-million pound scheme into touch, a watered-down development will still go ahead but with a stadium described by Wanderers director Graham Ball as "very basic" instead of the impressive "architectural statement" they hope to build.

Mr Ball told shareholders at the club's annual meeting that work will start on the new pitch "in a matter of days".

Work is expected to start next Easter on the new stadium, which will cost around £20 million to construct and may take a year to complete.

"Our fans are going to away matches and more and more they are seeing such excellent facilities and new stadia that they will not settle for anything other than the best," Mr Ball added.

"We believe we can deliver that. We can achieve it."

Wanderers chairman Gordon Hargreaves announced: "The stadium will belong to Bolton Wanderers. Whatever the legal status of the other sections of the development, the club will own its own stadium and football will not suffer in any way."

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