Southern League club Berkhamsted are making headlines by storming towards promotion and winning all 22 home games this season.
The club have picked up 74 points from 28 games played, won 24, drew 2, lost 2, scored 76, conceded 22 and a +54 GD in the Southern League Division One Central overall.
Of that, at home, in the league, they’ve played 14, won 14, drew 0 and lost 0. And away from home, they have played 14, won 10, drew 2 and lost 2.
Chris Devane’s side are currently 18 points ahead of Biggleswade at top of the standing. To be promoted to champions, they need just four points from their last remaining eight league matches.
They could have been closer had the home match against Welwyn Garden City last Tuesday hadn’t been postponed by a waterlogged pitch.
Berkhamsted chairman Steve Davis talked to the BBC’s Non League Show about the prospect of promotion to the 7th tier
He said: I think we’ve known for a couple of weeks that we’re nearly there. The lads have done brilliant. They’re saying they’re not there yet, but I think we do know we’re near enough in the bag.
Ollie Bayliss said: That defeat for Biggleswade, midweek makes it ever closer. If Biggleswade had dropped points today, you could have done it on Tuesday night. Biggleswade’s game has now been called off today, so it won’t quite be done on Tuesday night. Is it a little bit frustrating you’ve not got another home game now until April the first because it feels like it might be done before then and you’d want to do it in front of your home fans, wouldn’t you, if you can. Maybe a couple of draws before then so that you can mathematically, mathematically seen it on April the first? Or is it a bit of a luxury to be planning it like that?
Chairman: It’s funny, as you say. Actually, I was having a word with Chris the other week and we were saying it’d be nice to win it in front of the home fans and with the Welwyn game being called off and Biggleswade to lose it. So it was looking like we might get home, Kidlington might have been the day, but we got a lot of supporters going down to Hertford in a few weeks, in a week’s time, so hopefully there’ll be enough there to see the lads bring it home.
OB: Last season, you were so good for so much of the season, weren’t you?And then the kind of cruel nature of the playoffs, that defeat against North Leigh, who at one point weren’t even in the playoffs. It was due to be, Welwyn Garden City, wasn’t it? And then Welwyn Garden City were in, then they were out of the playoffs and in the end, the ground grading didn’t pass and North Leigh snuck into the playoffs, actually finishing 6th and ended up beating on the night at home. It was such a long and tough campaign last year and you did so well throughout it. And then cruelly beaten in that one off playoff game. It must feel like a relief that it seems like you’re going to get the job done in the league and win it and avoid those horrible playoffs this season.
Chairman: Yeah, you can go back three, four years to the COVID period where we were sitting top then and it seemed like a wasted season. Then we get in the playoff semifinal and get beat by a good North Leigh side on the night. Won’t be ready, I don’t know. I know we’re ready now. I think we’ve got some good sponsors behind us and, yeah, we’re ready to go and give step three and we’ll go next season.
OB: What about the ground? Is the ground good for step three? Is there anything you need to do to it togo up and are you able to do it? We’ve also covered the situation that the ground is leased. Are you able to do work to the ground if you need to go up?
Chairman: Yeah, we’ve got things in place and then we need another 100 seats, which the planning permission is going in for, that we don’t have to do it to the end of next March, I think, so we’ve got a little bit of time. We got to put a little one more urinal in the outside toilet, believe it or not, around grading rules and obviously open up the third turnstile. So not too much. I mean, the stands the main cost, but with a little bit of funding and stuff, we’ve got that in hand.
OB: It’s a slightly odd tick sheet, I mean, seats and you understand urinals being denied promotion because urinal short is a bit of a bit of an odd circumstances.
Chairman: I wouldn’t put it past them
OB: Well, we’ve talked about square footage of referees changing rooms before and Aylesbury Vale Dynamos prevailed. Dynamo has been relegated on those grounds. So, yes, I wouldn’t put it past them either. The FA love a rule, don’t they? Are you able to obviously, because we’ve talked about it before, the Berkhamsted Sports Ground Charitable Association own the ground. Are they quite happy to kind of say, you can develop our ground and keep building it up, then, and keep doing work? I presume they’re not chipping in for the work, even though they technically own the ground. Are they happy for you guys to just develop it as you see fit if you get planning permission?
Chairman: Yeah, they have been over the years. We’ve had a lot of little issues with the SGA, but we seem to have gotten it back on board a little bit now. And they’re even talking about joint funding applications. Obviously, we’ve got a lease till 28 now, so everything’s in the right door. And if we do progress even higher, then obviously we might need to be talking about moving grounds. So swing back the other way to them discussions again. But the SGA, I think, now are on board. They see our vision and, yeah, I think everything’s looking a lot better than it was, mate, anyway.
OB: Yeah. What’s quickly bring people up to date with that situation, then? If you got a longer lease and is the idea of you being kicked out of your current home and moved on to the A41, is that dead in the water or is that still a possibility?
Chairman: I think there’s still things in the background that I think the SGA are looking to improve sport in Berkhampsted. And I think if there was an opportunity to move us to a ground in Berkhampsted that’s suitable and it helps everybody else with sport in the town, then it’s just discussions we got to have and we might need them discussions, if we go up to the Conference South, we might be looking for a new ground. So everything’s in the open now.
OB: The other thing that’s nice to see is that it feels like relations with Berko Raiders are a lot better.Is that fair to say? At one point, things a little bit tense there, but they’re now ground sharing with you and actually the club and even yourself are promoting their games that are taking place. It feels like things are a lot more friendly with the Berko Raiders, who obviously also play in the town.Y
Chairman: Yeah, I’ve always got on well with most people in Berko Raiders side, so it’s no secret to say I didn’t get on with one person, but that’s football. Things have improved now. I’ve actually just come off the pitch, getting their game ready for this afternoon, so it’d be nice to see them today. We haven’t got a game, so I’m going to watch them play and have a beer with Andy and Paul afterwards and, yeah, we’re just in the process of doing another year’s lease for them for next season, so everything’s looking good on that front as well.
OB: And given everything else in the bigger picture, top of the league looking very much like you. You’re going to seal the title in the, in the next couple of weeks. A pretty good season so far. We’ve talked about kind of development and things then with the pitch, finally is Chris Devane going to be knocking your door looking for more money next season to bring in more players and are you going to provide him with that cash?
Chairman: I’m sure that’s a conversation that me and Chris have got to have. There’s other things that we got to put together back behind the scenes as well. So once then things are in place, me and Chris and the board can sit down and discuss finances andI know that we want to have a go. We don’t want to just go up and be an also ran in that division. We want to compete and be in that top half of the table. So I’m not going up to that league and not competing. That’s a sure fact. It’s not in my character and that’s the way we’ll be going.
Twitter users reacted on the Southern League club storming towards promotion winning all 22 home games this season…
@RobsonOReardon: Unreal! Absolute pleasure to be part of the club this season! Step three here we come! Just donβt do it at a game I canβt make!
@wfcHJames: Been a few times this season would recommend
@scottbiggy: What a season!
@hammers_dave: Top chairman top bloke
@foreverayellow: incredible to see, absolutely smashing it, ive been to the town and absolutely loved my visit, head to a match there if you can
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