For the first time since the 2006/07 campaign, Bedford Town are preparing for life at step two of the non-league football pyramid, with the fixture list for the new National League North season released today (9 July).
Bedford Town will open the season at The Eyrie, as they play at home against Alfreton Town on Saturday 9 August.
Trips to the north-west to face Southport and Marine – who famously made the third round of the FA Cup before losing to Tottenham – are also amongst the Eagles’ first five fixtures, while fellow promoted side, AFC Telford and South Shields visit The Eyrie before August is out.
The popular bank holiday fixtures see Bedford Town travel to Leamington on Boxing Day, before hosting Kings Lynn Town on 30 December. The reverse of these games take place across the Easter weekend.
In the absence of the familiar New Years Day game, Bedford Town will host relegated AFC Fylde on Saturday 3 January 2026.
The longest journey this team face is to South Shields, but Lee Bircham and his men will have to wait until the penultimate game of the campaign to make it, as they travel towards the River Tyne on Saturday 18 April.
The final game of the season is scheduled to be at The Eyrie against Scarborough Athletic on Saturday 25 April.
The full fixture list for Bedford Town FC can be found here.
How are we here?
Bedford Town are here courtesy of a “non-league miracle” as they held off Kettering Town to win Southern League Premier Central at step three last season.
Read: Bedford Town beat Stourbridge to win Southern League Premier Central
The last time the Eagles were at step two, they finished bottom of National League South, (then the Conference South), winning just eight games, but an air of optimism surrounds The Eyrie this time as Lee Bircham assembles a squad that has some considerable experience at this level.
New signings include attacking pair, Tyrone Marsh and Shaun Jeffers who join from National League South sides, Boreham Wood and St Albans as well as 35-year old Football League stalwart, Greg Taylor who has signed from King’s Lynn Town.
The latest Eagles signing also comes from step two in the form of left-sided defender, Charlie Stallard who made 14 appearances for Enfield Town in National League South last season, alongside Oxford City pair, Cole Kpekawa and Lewis Coyle.
The seven-game pre-season schedule sees Bedford Town face sides such as a Watford Select XI and a trip to Taunton Town, but the calendar will soon skip to 9 August, as the newly-named Enterprise National League North season commences.
Unlike last season, when Bedford Town had to wait until 21 September to play a game at The Eyrie due to their 3G pitch renovations, the Eagles will be able to kick off immediately at their home ground.
The club do however face a challenge from the off in the form of Lee Bircham’s nine-match touchline ban, given to him after an FA hearing on 18 June following an incident with the matchday referee of their Southern League fixture at Alvechurch in November 2024.
Read: Bedford Town manager Lee Bircham handed nine match ban
The ban cannot be used in friendly fixtures, which means Bircham will be absent from the dugout for a maximum of eight National League fixtures, depending on the Eagles’ progress in the FA Cup.
They enter the competition at the second qualifying round, due to take place on 13 September.
