Bamber Bridge boss Jamie Milligan believes he has personally learned from last season’s promotion near miss.

For all intents and purposes, Brig enjoyed a superb 2022/23 campaign, finishing third in the NPL Premier Division. They eventually won through to the play-off final but were agonisingly beaten to a place in the National League North by Warrington Town.

While delighted to see his men have such a fine season especially considering the budgetary constraints a club like Brig has to work within, Milligan admits it was a bitter pill to swallow to agonisingly miss out on promotion.

A young manager himself, the former Everton, Blackpool and Fleetwood Town ace believes the experiences he has gained will benefit him in the future.

Brig begin the new campaign away at Matlock Town on Saturday, August 12 before hosting Hyde United the following Tuesday.

"I have learned from the play-off final,” said Milligan, who guided Brig to sixth spot the season before in what was his first full season as a manager following the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I have analysed it, I have watched the final back and I probably made a couple of mistakes. It’s easy to see looking back when the game’s done but I have learned from it.

"I am still learning and I think I will always be learning really, this will only be my third full season as a manager.

Tempers flare in the play-off final between Brig and Warrington Town (photo: Ruth Hornby)

"I think losing that game, even though it was hard to take, I learned a lot from it.

"I think it taught me to be a little bit more braver, a bit more braver with my substitutions if I am being honest.

"I should have made substitutions earlier, if I would have done that then we would have had a chance.

"To lose did take a long time to get over – it’s the first time I have been in that situation. As a player I have been lucky enough to have never lost in a play-off final. It was sickening because we had the game in the palm of our hand.”