The Eyrie will play host to the biggest – and final – game of the Southern League Central Division One season on Bank Holiday Monday as Bedford Town look for an immediate return to step three football.
Standing in their way is Waltham Abbey who will also be going all out in an attempt to ruin the Eyrie party as both sides go head-to-head for a spot in the Southern League Premier Central Division.
Bedford Town are in the final courtesy of a 2-1 play-off semi final win against Ware on Wednesday night at the same ground, and despite the scoreline suggesting otherwise, Lee Bircham’s men dominated large parts of the match and were good value for their victory.
Read: Bedford Town reach Southern League play-off final with win over Ware
Waltham Abbey were mere seconds away from losing their semi final against AFC Dunstable before a controversial late goal, ten minutes into added time at the end of the ninety minutes equalised to make it 2-2.
Their game went to extra time, where both sides scored once more to make it 3-3 after 120 minutes, with Abbey coming out on top 8-7 in the penalty shoot out.
How much those exertions have taken out of the Abbey legs remains to be seen, but any play-off final has the potential to go any way, so Bedford Town will not be taking them lightly.
Good form
Goals from Collard and Lobjoit on Wednesday night means Bedford Town have now won their last six games, dating back to Saturday 30th March when they lost to, you guessed it, Waltham Abbey.
That 1-0 defeat signalled the end of a torrid March for Bircham and his men, but the squad are in a far better shape now than they were then and the Eagles are playing with great confidence.
Waltham are in good form themselves however, remaining unbeaten since 19th March when they lost 3-2 at Aylesbury Utd and that late win at The Eyrie in late March will give them belief that they can repeat the trick.
Head to The Eyrie early
While over 1,000 fans came to the semi-final, Bedford Town are expecting a much larger crowd on Bank Holiday Monday and urge the Eagles faithful to come to the ground early to avoid longer than usual queues.
The turnstiles will open at midday, with kick off at 3pm.
Additional parking spaces have been made available, with a £1 fee (cash only). However, it is recommended to use the public transport links or lift share to avoid congestion.
Buying your tickets in advance will also be advantageous, and you can buy matchday tickets online here.
By 5pm, we will know who joins Biggleswade Town in gaining promotion, and after a long slog of a season, Lee Bircham will be hoping his side achieve that in his first full season in charge.
