We are delighted to announce that Jon Taylor will remain in the post of manager. Jon is entering into his fifth season at the helm and wishes to continue to stride the club forward as we push for promotion to step three. Since becoming an owner, Jon has also had to deal with the organisation and promotion of the club off the field. Pressures surrounding this role have led to his wish to share responsibilities, and we are pleased to announce that Nathan Abbey has agreed to set up to join Jon as joint manager for the coming season. The Executive Committee of the club are grateful for the commitment shown by Nathan throughout the course of last season, and look forward to working with him in a greater role going forward.

Speaking to www.bedfordeagles.net, Abbey commented “After a successful 2018/2019 campaign where the football club reached the play off semi-finals, I'm delighted to step up to the role of joint manager with the gaffa Jon Taylor. After assisting throughout last season, implementing some fresh ideas which Jon took on board, we worked very well bouncing thoughts off each other and fully respected each other's views, with Jon having the final say.”

The new joint manager continued; “Jon has offered me the opportunity to step up even further, to have more of a say and work even closer with him making key decisions that gets results on the football pitch. This was an offer that I couldn't refuse and I'm now looking forward to helping in our quest to go one step further and building on last year’s progression. We have already been working tirelessly in the close season to improve our squad from last year, and I believe we are getting closer week by week in achieving a competitive squad that can mount a good challenge for the title.”

Nathan finished by wishing all connected with the club a good close season break, and stating he was looking forward to seeing all back in preseason for the big push.
Also returning for the coming season will be coaches Gil Octave and Brian Mapley. Both Gil (fitness coach) and Brian (goalkeeping) have been working as part of Jon’s team for a number of years, and we are thrilled they are back for another term. Malcolm Prior will also be helping on a match day when able.

Two members that are not returning next year are Gordon Boateng and Darren Sarll. Gordon worked closely with us last year as a performance analyst, but has taken the decision to review offers for management at other clubs. Darren, who was involved on an informal base with coaching last year, has successfully been appointed to the role of Manager at Vanarama National side Yeovil Town. We wish both of them all the very best for their new roles in the future.

Speaking to www.bedfordeagles.net, manager and owner Jon Taylor said “I’m delighted that Nathan has agreed to step up and help with the day to day running of the side. Being an owner and manager comes with certain pressures, and hopefully we can work together to produce the best results on the field.”

Taylor continued “Being able to utilise Nathan’s football league experience, having played over 350 games in total over the years, is a massive knowledge. Along with Gil and Brian, we have a management team that is committed to achieving promotion and look forward to the preseason schedule we have set up.”

Further information on the preseason schedule, including admission prices, will be released over the weekend.