Bamber Bridge aim to reach club high
The small team outside Preston are two games away from reaching National League North for the first time in their history.
Brig face Gainsborough Trinity on Tuesday night, in the Northern Premier League Premier Division play-offs.
The club did reach the National League North in 1995/96, but due to their Stadium, Irongate, not being up to fifth tier standard, they couldn’t go up.
Club Chairman, Brian Ginty, is confident this wouldn’t happen again this time around.
He said: “No, I mean in 1995/96, we came off the back of a lot of years of success and constant promotion.
“The years can’t sustain it.
“We have built the facilities to where we are, there still needs to be some improvements.
“We’ve just got to knuckle down and find a way of doing it.”
Brig finished 3rd in the regular season, something manager Jamie Milligan believes shouldn’t have been possible.
“There’s no reason why the boys should feel any pressure because at the end of the day, with the resources we’ve got, and money we’ve got to spend, we should be getting relegated,” he said.
“We should be nowhere near that top spot.
“So fair play to the boys.”
The club are fighting against teams with much larger budgets, but this hasn’t stopped Brig excelling this season and Ginty believes this makes their success sweeter.
He said: “Well, we’ve always been in that position.
“We’re a members only club, a members club with no benefactors.
“It’s satisfying, but if you look at the history of Bamber Bridge, that’s what we’ve done throughout the years.”
One way Brig try to compete with these larger budget teams, is to use the loan market.
The club have links with English Football League clubs, Blackpool and Preston North End, and these loans have been vital to Brig’s success this year.
Milligan said: “It’s been the biggest thing really because we haven’t got the money to spend on players.
“I’ve got to rely on loans.
“We’ve got a maximum five loans that can be in the matchday squad, and we’ve had that all the way through the season.
“I can only thank the clubs that are helping us out.
“All the local clubs are more than willing to help us out as it helps players develop as well.”
Some of these loan players include North End Starlet, Finlay Cross-Adair and Pool duo Donovan Lescott and Luke Mariette.
Mariette, who plays in midfield, is excited for the challenge of the play-offs.
The 19-year-old said: “I’m excited for the playoffs, it will be a good test to play against the best in the league.
“Hopefully we will get over the line and get promotion.
“Bamber Bridge is just a little club and hopefully for them we will end up going up.”
Manger Milligan, has vast experience from his playing days at Everton, Blackpool and Fleetwood Town.
The 43-year-old believes he learnt a lot during his playing days, which has helped him in his short managerial career.
“I’ve been lucky enough to play under some top coaches and top managers,” he said.
“Like every other player that has aspirations to go into management, you always take little bits from different managers.
“I think it helps that I played the game as well.
“I’m one of the youngest managers at 43, so I can relate to the younger players as well.”
Brig take on 4th place, Gainsborough Trinity on Tuesday, with kick-off at 7:45pm at Brig’s home ground, the Sir Tom Finney Stadium.
If they win this semi-final, they will face the winner of Warrington Town and Matlock Town in the final of the Northern Premier League Premier Division play-off, on May 1.
Milligan is daring to dream.
“If the lads can go one further and get into a playoff final.
“You just never know.
“It could be our time to get promoted.”
