Work is ongoing to install a new “state-of-the-art 3G pitch" at Gigg Lane after the conclusion of Bury’s season.

The Shakers narrowly missed out on promotion following a penalty shoot-out defeat at Wythenshawe Town.

The club announced several weeks ago it had signed a contract to install the new surface following a number of postponements, which played havoc on the fixture list and caused disruption for supporters wanting to attend games.

Dave McNabb told The Bury Times he believes the new pitch will help the club make progress towards its aims in the short and long-term. He is also hopeful it will offer more “certainty” around home fixtures for supporters who have to travel long distances or juggle work commitments.

“It is a monumental step forward for the football club as a whole,” the manager explained.

“It gives us a lot of certainty around fixtures and that helps the fans - a lot of them travel from different parts of the country or have work commitments.

“It gives us a base for training so we have full access to the pitch and allows us to do all the added things we want to around analysis, video work, physio and coaching on a full scale pitch.

“Then in terms of the quality of the surface, it allows us to make sure we can play the style and brand of football that we want to implement, which has obviously been difficult at the back end of the season with the quality of surfaces we have had to play on.”

The work is being carried out by sports pitch construction firm McArdle Sport Tec, who posted on social media last week: “We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that we’ve officially commenced work at Bury FC, transforming the existing natural turf stadium pitch into a state-of-the-art 3G football pitch. Stay tuned for further updates.”

The club issued an update on its social media channels on Monday evening to supporters keen to get a look at the new pitch.

It read: “We know how much all of our Shakers faithful love visiting Gigg Lane, who wouldn't?

“At the moment our beloved stadium is undergoing some massive building works and with that, and health and safety in mind, we ask that unless you are there for a specific purpose or event supporters please not try to gain entry to the stadium.

“We have had a few instances of well-meaning supporters and visitors trying to wander into the ground to have a look around we love this but the last thing that we would want is for someone to have an accident or get hurt.

“We will be back up and running soon and ready to welcome you all back to the home of football in Bury.”