McCormack said: “The short term goal was always football league for the men’s side in ten years.

“If we go up this year that will be three promotions in three years, leaving us with three left to do in seven years and I think that is ambitious, but we think we can do that.”

Regards the merger, he said Bedford Town was “waiting to hear back from the FA and the Southern League, do they approve it and where they will position the team in the pyramid”.

If it gets approved, McCormack said they would use Bedford Town’s ground that has a 3G pitch, which is “pretty cool” and “so we wouldn’t lose games due to the weather”.

Legal agreement for the merger has to be done by the end of March to be ready to merge by the end of the season, he said.

Bedford Town’s director Jon Taylor previously said: “This proposed merger represents a unique opportunity to build on that legacy and take football in Bedford to the next level.”