CHIPPENHAM Town caretaker manager Gary Horgan described the Bluebirds’ qualification for the National League South play-offs as “an amazing achievement.”

Going into the final game of the season, eighth-place Chippenham knew they had to beat seventh-place Havant & Waterlooville in order to snatch the final play-off spot.

After an even – and ultimately goalless – first half, Jordan Young struck twice late on to ensure the Bluebirds stunned almost 2,500 Havant fans and booked a play-off eliminator clash with Dartford thanks to a 2-0 success.

Having taken over the club following Mike Cook’s departure in early April, Horgan said everyone associated with Chippenham this season deserves to bask in the club’s glory.

Horgan said: “It’s an amazing achievement for everyone involved throughout the whole season.

“No one would have probably given us a chance of reaching the play-offs. If you had asked everyone at the club if we could finish in the play-offs this year, I don’t think anyone would have realistically believed it.

“We certainly believed we were capable of a top-10 finish with the squad we assembled, but it’s a fantastic achievement.

“I’m really pleased the lads, the supporters, Neil (Blackmore) the chairman, and just everyone connected with the club got to experience that moment.”

While Young was rightly heralded as the match-winner, the former Swindon Town and Coventry City forward missed a glorious chance to give Chippenham the lead in a frantic first half.

And after the Bluebirds had battled back from a testing start, the visitors then saw Alex Bray forced off through injury.

Despite a couple of setbacks, Horgan felt his side were well worth the win in the end as they coped with any final-day pressure more efficiently.

Horgan said: “In the build-up, you could feel there was certainly something on game, but I think that is a nice pressure for us really.

“There was probably more pressure on Havant to win in front of their own fans, but we certainly felt something too.

“Once the game got going, I actually felt quite comfortable. In the first 10 minutes, we had to do what you have to do in any away game and that’s ride any kind of storm and quieten the crowd.

“There was almost 2,500 there so we knew we had to quieten them down, and we did that.

“We controlled it quite well in the first half, and then in the second half we were by far the better side.

“The two goals gave us that cushion, and from there we saw out the game really, really well.”