Manager of month Jamie Milligan is not getting carried away as Bamber Bridge target higher ground
Boss Jamie Milligan will be refraining from using the P-words in the Bamber Bridge dressing room – for now at least.
The Brig manager was named the NPL Premier Division manager of the month for December after his men moved back into the top half of the table.
They have collected five wins from their previous six games in all competitions – four out of five in the league.
From nervously looking over their shoulders at the beginning of November, Milligan’s men have moved to within eight points of the top five with a number of games in hand on the vast majority of the teams above them.
However, Milligan is eager his men stay focused on the job in hand which is a trip to Guiseley this weekend, rather than look too far into the future at a possible tilt at promotion via the play-offs.
"The lads know from the start of the season that the play-offs are the target,” said Milligan. "Realistically, this squad of players should be in those play-offs.
"But I don’t mention it too often if I’m honest. I just get the lads up for each game and see where that takes us.”
Milligan is proud to have been named manager of the month especially after their good run over the last month or so came after a torrid spell which saw Brig lose five consecutive games.
In mitigation, four of those defeats came against teams currently occupying positions in the top four in the table – including two defeats to FC United of Manchester in the league and FA Trophy respectively.
In recent weeks, Milligan believes his men have been coming out on the right side of the fine margins which they perhaps were not doing previously.
"When we were going through that spell of not winning a lot, we were always in the games,” he said. “It was just little moments didn’t go for us, but at the minute we are playing well.”