Boss Ray Turner is hoping good news comes in threes after possibly the most significant week in Faversham Town’s short history.

In the past seven days the club’s newly-formed under-21 side won the Kent Intermediate Cup and the first-team retained pole-position in the Ryman League Division 1 South play-off race with two games remaining, while the biggest boost came off the field as a £280,000 grant application to the Football Foundation and Viridor was approved.

The club hope the cash – which remains subject to legal documents being completed – will allow the work on the first of four phases of a £2.5m development of Salters Lane to get underway this summer.

Turner said: “It’s been a brilliant week. The under-21s winning the Kent Cup was a great night for the club and we have been told everything has been agreed in principle for us to receive the full grant money.

“It is very exciting and means we can get work started without the need for private funding. Hopefully it can be sorted out and work can get underway as soon as possible.”

Subject to planning approval, the first phase of work will see a new single-storey building, housing changing rooms and physio rooms, as well as a new stand, in two sections, allowing a tunnel through which the players will enter, to be built opposite the current main stand.

Turner said: “It is a statement of intent and goes hand in hand with what we are trying to achieve on the pitch, where he have built up some momentum.

“Hopefully it’s a case of good news coming in threes and the third will be us earning promotion - if that happens then it would be the greatest season in the history of the club.”

On the pitch Turner is disappointed to have lost midfielder Josh Stanford who limped off with a hamstring injury in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Horsham.

Town travel to Hastings on Saturday sat second in the table, level on points and goal-difference with third-placed Folkestone.

Turner added: “This weekend is likely to be significant. If any team drops points it’s going to be very difficult to make them back up with only one game remaining. The top five are all in fantastic form.”