BASINGSTOKE Town full-back Tom Bird says that he and his team-mates will be “disappointed” if they fail to win promotion from the Vanarama Conference South.

It’s been an excellent season for Town, who sit third in the table with just eight games to play, having spent most of the campaign in the top five.

It looks set to be a nail-biting end to the season, but Town have put themselves in a good position in terms of the play-off places. Bromley are strong favourites to win the league and claim the automatic promotion spot, but Bird insists that Basingstoke are still in the title race.

“We have got to believe that the title is still in our sights,” he said. “Bromley have been in a similar position in the past and have not been able to get the job done.

“We will be disappointed if we do not go up this season. We’ll just take each game as it comes, but we should be reaching the play-offs at least. We have been in the top five for most of the season, so that is the minimum we should be achieving.

“A lot can happen between now and the end of the season. There are eight games to go, so we just need to go on a run and see where that takes us.

“We have had a couple of hiccups, and we are having one at the moment, but when we have had bad results so far this season, we have got together, shown good character and come out of the other side in a good position.”

Bird, who grew up in Lychpit, first came to the attention of the Basingstoke public in 2006, when he finished third in Sky One show Football Icon, a programme that gave young footballers the chance to win a contract with Chelsea.

Despite not winning, Bird did spend time playing for the Premier League club’s youth team, before making 12 appearances for Town as a 19-year-old back in 2008.

He spent time playing for a number of clubs in the Ryman League, most notably Kingstonian and Carshalton, before returning to his home-town club last summer.

“I always wanted to come back to Basingstoke,” the 26-year-old added. “I made that quite clear in the past when I spoke to people from the club and it’s really good to be back here.

“I’m enjoying it. The team spirit, banter and way we are with each other makes it a great environment to be in, and I enjoy the style of play.

“Jason Bristow and Michael Gilkes said that they wanted me as an attacking full-back the moment I came here. My first job is to defend and anything I can do going forward is a bonus, but they do want me to get forward whenever I can.

“We are trying to get out of this league by playing football. It’s not something that has been done too often, but we are doing well.”

Watching Bird’s performances over the course of the season, it’s hard to understand how he spent most of the previous six seasons playing in the Ryman League.

“You’re not the first person to say that to me,” Bird says when I put that to him. “I had quite a few groin problems, losing the best part of two seasons, which had a massive impact on my career.

“A few years ago, I was very close to going to a Football League club. The deal was almost done, but I injured my groin and needed an operation. Last season was the first one since then that I managed to stay injury-free.”

Bird and his team-mates are without a game this weekend due to the demise of Salisbury City, but they are in action on Tuesday night, when in-form Weston-super-Mare will visit The Soccer AM Stadium (7.45pm).

Weston are in the midst of an incredible run of results. Having looked like candidates for relegation at the start of the season, they are now safely ensconced in mid-table. They beat local rivals Bath City 4-2 on Tuesday to secure their third win in a row, with five of their last six outings ending in victory.

Looking ahead to the game, Bird said: “At this time of the season, there are no easy games. Everyone is playing for something.

“Weston are doing well, but so are we. It’s a long journey for them midweek and we need to take advantage of that.”

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