CHORLEY fans will be able to raise the roof in Boxing Day’s home derby with AFC Fylde after the club’s new roof was completed.

The terrace covering at the Duke Street end, largely funded by an anonymous benefactor, replaces the old one which was condemned at the end of last season.

Since then, Magpies fans have been stood on an open terrace, but thanks to the £35,000 donation the club has been able to complete the building work in time for the National League North derby.

The new roof has already passed building control and council safety inspections and, despite a small amount of work to complete, is set for an official opening against the Coasters.

The club would like to thank everyone involved in getting the new structure in place, from the contractors, volunteers, local businesses, those who donated via the crowd-funder and the mystery benefactor, whose timely and unexpected help got Chorley over the finishing line a lot sooner that was expected.

On the pitch, the Magpies, who signed Accrington Satnley’s Liam Goulding on loan until January 30 over the weekend, secured a creditable 2-2 league draw with leaders Nuneaton on Saturday.

And, with Chorley chief Matt Jansen keen to bring in more new faces before the year is out, the Magpies boss is looking up the table.

“We are adding to the squad,” said Jansen. “We are bringing one or two new faces in and hopefully that will be done in the next two to three weeks to strengthen the team, and then I will have my team, and I will have a team I can be judged on.

“Then I think we will be a real strong team in this league. We are not far off at the moment, but with one or two additions I think we will be very hard to beat.

“Hopefully, come the new year we will have a full strength side and we can attack the league and the play-off places.”

Of the weekend draw which leaves Chorley in 13th, 13 points off the top five, Jansen added: “We were well worthy of a point if not more.

“It was a spirited professional performance. I am proud of the lads and hopefully this is something we will build on.”

Saturday’s game saw league leaders Nuneaton made to struggle to take anything from a tight encounter with a spirited Chorley side who would not have been flattered if they had pocketed all three points.

The hosts twice had to come from behind and were hugely indebted to high-profile summer-signing Aaron Williams for the two goals which finally salvaged a point.

Both sides were seeking to end a winless run, but if Jake Cottrell’s swirling shot when Chorley were 2-1 up in the second half had not hit the bar, it would surely have been Matt Jansen’s men celebrating Christmas early