LOTTERY’S NO FUN FOR LEE!
Eagles can soar but Bircham jokes he won’t enjoy it
BEDFORD Town boss Lee Bircham now knows there is nothing quite like play-off frenzy – just don’t ask him to enjoy it.
The Eagles host Waltham Abbey in the Southern League Division One South play-off final tomorrow seeking an immediate return to Step 3 having seen off Ware 2-1 in Wednesday’s semi-final.
That was the ex-Berkhamsted, Hemel and Leighton gaffer’s first taste of an endof-season shootout and one that gave him a knot in the stomach like no other.
“It was pretty much the last kick of the game when they scored but at that point it does get a bit nervy because that is what play-offs are,” he said.
“They are horrible to be a part of, they are not enjoyable at all but it turned out to be a really good night. So far, so good.
“This is my first experience of the play-offs and it is different to a cup final. If you lose a cup, that’s it, you’ve missed out but there is no promotion or relegation. With these, there is so much riding on it that a lot of emotion comes into it.
“You can’t beat that buzz. That is why you get the crowds, people love them, but when you finish as runners-up, and I look at the likes of Ramsgate and other highly regarded teams that have finished second only to fall at the first hurdle, it proves that the play-offs really are a lottery.
“With that in mind, all you can do is play the best you can, give it maximum effort and hopefully that will be enough to get us through.”
It has been quite the revival for rebuilt Bedford. After winning this division under Gary Setchell in 2022, the following campaign swiftly unravelled after his November dismissal.
Bircham walked into a club that resembled the Mary Celeste but moulded a side that pushed champions Biggleswade Town all the way in a title race that went to the final day thanks to five wins on the bounce, a run that began with a 1-0 away win over the Waders.
They ended up as the division’s second-highest scorers behind Welwyn Garden City but in a quirk of fate, the decider pits Bedford up against the only side to stop them scoring in both league matches this term.
“They have a good side, that’s why they’ve reached the final,” added Bircham.
“We struggled to break them down but both could have gone either way.
“I keep saying that we must be the only team not to have had a 96th-minute winner or equaliser this season, so you have to think that we have that coming at some stage.
“We owe Waltham Abbey one, purely because they are one of the few teams we haven’t beaten in the league this season, but we don’t take them lightly. All of the playoff teams have their threats. All we can do is play our game.
“They know our game and we know theirs, hopefully we don’t cancel each other out. The two games this season have been a bit cagey and I am expecting this to be the same but they have a good side.”