WORCESTER City have never been closer to having a new ground so now is surely the time to get behind the move.

There have been many false dawns in recent years but last week’s unveiling of the designs at the Whitehouse Hotel has brought the dream nearer to reality.

Of course, there is still a long way to go and the scheme may yet get rebuffed by Worcester City Council planners but, for the time being, let’s try and look on the positive side.

All the off-pitch wrangling aside — and there has been plenty of that — what is the point of dismissing the project before it has had a chance to get off the ground?

If it follows previous enabling development bids and falls flat on its face in the new year there will be no shortage of ‘we told you so’ merchants waiting in the wings. If it fails, then fine, stick the boot in, but not now.

It is all well and good parties such as the Shareholders Action Group calling the stadium’s viability into question but they don’t seem to have a decent alternative to bring to the table. At least, not one they are prepared to make public. Even if SAG are successful in ousting the board in their latest attempt at forcing an extraordinary general meeting, they won’t be able to just rip up the plans and start again — particularly if the planning application is submitted, as promised, by St Modwen this week.

Whoever holds the power at the Lane will be stuck with Nunnery Way at least until a decision is reached by the council.

So we might as well get behind the project. Everyone knows City have to move to survive. Nobody wants to see them go to the wall.

I, for one, have not been the strongest advocate of the board of directors or the stadium move in recent weeks but having seen the designs I will admit to being quite impressed.

There will always be the dissenters but, let’s face it, there is a minority of City fans who wouldn’t be happy even if they were being presented with Wembley!

Trying to be positive might be difficult in a week that has seen Richard Dryden’s team tonked 5-0 by Maidenhead — but there’s no harm in trying.