Avenue's floodlights have been given a clean bill of health following extensive work by Bradford Council.

The UniBond League ordered the club to kick off today's match against Matlock Town at 1pm because the lights were not up to scratch.

But repair work has apparently solved the problem and now the next home game - against Burscough - will kick-off at the normal 3pm time, provided the readings get to the League in time and that they accept them.

"The lights are okay. The council have just to complete the paperwork and then we have to get the readings into the league and hopefully everything will be back to normal," said director Paul Grayson. "But the council had to do quite a lot of work on them -they were out of line."

Avenue are also hoping there will be an end to their on-field problems after a worrying run of nine league games without a win.

The Avenue board has given manager Gary Brook a vote of confidence, adding that they were in a better position now than what was envisaged at the start of the season.

Grayson said: "We are letting the manager get on with it without any interference. Once a board starts interfering, you might as well pack up and go home.

"We are behind the manager - it is as simple as that. We might have gone a long time without a win but equally we only have to put a run of results together and we are back in the frame and the play-offs.

"You have to be positive. You have to keep believing in the players' abilities.

"We feel we have stabilised the club a lot better than our initial expectations for this season."

* Former Avenue full back Tommy Singleton has died aged 65.

The player was brought to the club in July 1968 from Chester by manager Jack Rowley and was a regular throughout Avenue's Division Four campaign, appearing 32 times.

Although he only stayed one season, he played for three different managers. Rowley left in the September and Don McCalman took over, but by December Laurie Brown was in the hot seat. After leaving Bradford, Singleton turned out for non-league Fleetwood.

His funeral takes place next Wednesday at Carleton Crematorium, Blackpool.