Braintree Town chairman Lee Harding says he is “99.9 per cent certain” that the club will get its necessary ground grading after positive feedback from FA assessors.

Despite some reports saying that Braintree have definitely passed the grading requirements they need to avoid relegation from the Blue Square Bet Premier this year, Harding told the Gazette that it wasn’t a foregone conclusion just yet.

Following their visit to the Amlin Stadium on Friday, the Iron chief said he had received an e-mail from the assessors saying they would be recommending that the improvement work be approved to the FA’s Technical Panel.

Harding said he was pleased to get the news, but wouldn’t be celebrating until he had a letter in his hand from the Technical Panel to confirm the initial feedback.

He said: “The situation is that I’ve had an e-mail from the inspectors saying they will recommend that we get the A grade we need, but I haven’t received a formal approval in writing yet.

“We are very relaxed about it and are confident we will get it, but we’re not counting any chickens until we get that formal letter in our hands.”

The Iron have had to upgrade parts of the ground to meet specific FA requirements, such as its capacity, changing facilities and safety measures at a cost of £175,000.

Despite earning a safe finish in their first year in the Blue Square Bet Premier on the pitch, they know they will face automatic relegation back to the Blue Square Bet South if the requirements aren’t approved by the FA’s Technical Panel.

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