This afternoon marks a momentous occasion in the history of AFC Fylde and that sentiment is certainly not lost on Coasters president Dai Davis.

Dai admits it will be emotional to watch his beloved team walk out at their new home at Mill Farm after watching the Coasters progress from the days at Coronation Road back as Kirkham and Wesham.

“As the weeks have gone by the stadium has been getting closer and closer and now the day has finally arrived.

“The players trained on the pitch earlier in the week and that’s when you start to realise that this dream has become a reality.

“Everybody involved in the club has been very much looking forward to today and it’s a fantastic achievement.

“When the players come out and kick off I think it will be a bit of a tear jerker for me to see how far we have come.”

Whilst Dai admits the grand opening will be a historic occasion regardless of the result, he would love to get off to a winning start at the new stadium.

“Of course we all want to start off with a positive result because one of our key aims is to make Mill Farm a fortress.

“Opposition teams will undoubtedly raise their game when they come here and we are never going to win every game but we want to make it a high percentage.

“Win, lose or draw it’s a historic day but I’d love to see us start off with a victory.

“We have put ourselves in this pressure position now with the infrastructure in place for success and that needs to happen on the pitch too.

“Now that the tools and the facilities are in place there’s no doubt that puts added pressure on the management team to perform.

“It’s unfortunate but that’s a fact of life. They know the ambition and hopefully they can put together a team that is capable of realising that.

“To start the season with three points away from home is excellent, but it’s just one small part of a 42-game season and there’s a long way to go. It’s not a sprit it’s a marathon.  

“I’m a big believer that if you are going to win a league then it’s the ‘one-nils’ rather than the fours and fives. It’s when everyone works hard for each other and you eke out a narrow win.

“Brackley struggled last season but with a few quality signings this summer they went to a highly-fancied Kidderminster in the week and won. That just shows that every game is a hard one this season and it certainly won’t be a walk in the park this afternoon.”