D-day for Heathens new home

Fans of the legendary Cradley Heathens speedway team will finally find out the preferred site for a new stadium next month, it has emerged.

The team, dubbed the "Manchester United of speedway" after a trophy-laden spell in the 1980s and early 1990s, folded a year after their Dudley Wood home was demolished to make way for housing in 1996.

Campaigners have battled ever since to find the team a new home and bring them back, and last year spent nearly £15,000 on consultants to identify the ideal site.

That location has been kept firmly under wraps despite intense speculation in the media and on internet supporter forums.

But fans of the team will not have to wait much longer, with campaigners revealing they expect to submit a planning application to Dudley Council next month.

Public meetings will then be held and petitions launched in a bid to persuade the powers-that-be of the groundswell of support for the return of speedway to the borough.

Lead campaigner for Cradley Raise Aid Saving Heathens (CRASH) Bob Edwards said: "We set ourselves a timescale of bringing the team back for the 2008 season.

"For that to happen work would need to start next March on building a speedway track and stadium from scratch.

"We would be looking to submit a planning application next month and it has taken a bit longer than we would have liked. The targets we have set are ambitious and assume we come up against no problems.

"But if you don't set yourself ambitious targets then what is the point?

"We would still rather not reveal the location of the site but all will be revealed very soon."

Cradley fans have pledged to get the ball rolling by getting supporters from across the country to sign and pledge their support for the return of the Heathens at the British Grand Prix, held at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium at the end of the month.