Bedford Town boss explains surprise resignation

Bedford Town boss Lee Bircham says he announced he will quit at the end of the season despite having two games to go because he has "not enjoyed a minute" of their time in National League North.

When The Eagles won promotion by winning the Southern League Premier Central title last season, he said they had "struck it lucky" because of the size of the club's playing budget.

But despite that remaining an issue, they are currently 17th in the North table - the second tier of non-league football - with 51 points and in with a good chance of staying up.

Bircham announced his decision to quit following Saturday's 2-2 draw with Hereford but will remain in charge until the end of the season.

He told BBC Three Counties Radio's Non-League Show that with the level of resources the club has, it "couldn't work for another year".

The 49-year-old said: "This year's been really tough and if I'm honest I've not enjoyed a minute of it. It's too tough for a club like us, we're fighting tooth and nail, we cannot believe we're on 51 points, we've given ourselves a right chance.

"I don't think people realise the resources and finance involved in that league.

"I've got the best owner I've ever had in John Taylor, he's got a few quid but he's not a multi-millionaire, he can't be funding the club and losing hundreds and thousands every year to do it."

They were involved in merger talks with Bitcoin-funded neighbours Real Bedford early last year, but they came to nothing and the clubs remained separate entities.

Their first competitive meeting will take place in the Bedfordshire Senior Cup final at the end of the season.

But Bircham is more concerned about Town's tough remaining league games against second-placed South Shields and Scarborough Ahletic, who are fifth.

He said: "No-one's ever gone down on 51 points when we've been looking back through the record books.

"If there's that freak and we go down on 51 points, we'll have to wear it, but it's been fantastic this year and I'm so proud of the football club."

Bircham is confident his players will be "as motivated as ever" despite knowing that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season.

"The generation of players now are not the same as the young men of my generation. They're different. They're used to carnage.

"When I was playing you probably had the same manager for five years, they're all used to these things and it's just the way the modern game is.

"For some of the boys it'll give them a bit of a spur, they'll go 'right, we need to finish the season strongly now - we haven't got that protection of Birchy's still here and he loves me so I'll be alright next year'," he said.

Bircham regards National League North as tougher on the clubs involved than the South division - a "totally different animal", he said - but even if Town stay up, the board will not over-reach themselves.

"In National League North you can quite easily get yourselves in all sorts of trouble, look how many clubs have done it and spiralled down through the leagues, Bedford Town won't do that," he added.

"It might be a bit easier next year because we know what we're doing, what we're getting ourselves in for.

"When I arrived there was no connection with the supporters, the players, staff, the boardroom, there was nothing, it was a horrible place to walk into. You come and see that place now, it is chalk and cheese.

"If I had a few quid, it'd be the club I'd buy tomorrow because it has so much potential."

Lee Bircham was speaking to BBC Three Counties Radio's Ollie Bayliss