Real Bedford again showed grit and determination to grind out another 3 points against Eaton Socon. The 10-man Bedford absorbed 40 minutes of pressure from the away side after a dominant first half in which they managed to score twice.

Eaton Socon arrived at McMullen Park looking to inflict a defeat on their local rivals, demonstrating their pedigree this season with wins against Northampton Sileby and Ampthill Town.

Aware of the Socon's quality, Bedford pushed hard first half and dominated possession and territory from the whistle. Despite the early pressure it took 30-minutes for the home side to create their first clear-cut chance. Kevin Owusu, a handful for Eaton Socon defenders, cut inside and crossed a ball, which was met with a thunderous effort from Tom Hitchcock, deflecting off Tom Roberts in the away team's defence.

Sadly for Roberts, he followed his heroic block with an own goal. This time it was Jordan Brown taking on the defence, picking up the ball at the edge of the penalty box before crossing it into the area. The ball deflected off the defender and found the back of the net, providing the spark for Real, and it seemed like the floodgates were about to open.

A few minutes later the home side made it two, with James Ducket and Jim Burnside linking up on the right flank. A clever 1-2 between the two put Ducket behind the defence allowing him to place an expertly delivered cross towards the waiting Jordan Brown, who rifled the ball into the roof of the net. This was Brown's 13th goal of the season, surpassing Dan Walker and becoming Bedford's top goalscorer of this campaign.

Straight from kick-off, the home team regained possession and again caused trouble for the seemingly shaky Eaton Socon back four. Darting down the wing, Kevin Owusu squared the ball to Hitchcock in what has become a regular feature of this Real Bedford side, Hitchcock's effort once again requiring a deflection to keep it out of the net.

Harry Murray nodded the ball down at the front post from the resulting corner and managed to get a scrappy shot away, which needed a goal-line clearance from Eaton Socon's Dixon to deny the Pirates a 3-goal deficit heading into the break.

This was one of Bedford's most dominant first-half displays of the season, leaving the home supporters in high spirits heading for half-time beverages.

Second Half

Real Bedford started the second half similarly to the first, applying pressure from the wings and utilising a high line to snuff out most Eaton Socon forward advances.

Ten minutes into the second period and the game changed. Eaton Socon's Rhys Thorpe found a crack in the orange wall bursting into the penalty area under pressure from James Ducket. The striker managed to find a shot that Tyler McGregor saved well but a light touch on Thorpe was enough for referee Zach Cunningham to give Eaton Socon a penalty whilst also sending Bedford's centre-half for an early shower, showing him the red card.

The decision was far from popular with the McMullen Park faithful, but Dixon remained composed and slotted the penalty past McGregor, and Real Bedford now faced a tricky 40 minutes of football a man down.

Bedford demonstrated their fight with superb defensive stints from Tom Wood and Harry Murray, keeping the away side relatively quiet despite having the numbers advantage.

The Pirates did survive one late scare, but the man for big moments, Tyler McGregor, once again kept the points at McMullen Park. Former Bedford striker Scott Joseph picked up a stray pass from Matt Clifford, and used Thorpe to find Jake Alderson. With time and space, he produced a cracking shot towards Real Bedford's goal, but McGregor met it with another save for the scrapbook.

The Referee appeared to find 13 minutes of injury time, producing a nervy end to the game, but with the odds and conditions against Rob Sinclair's men, Real Bedford still managed to secure the win. The result maintained their 12-point lead at the top of The Spartan South Midland's Division One league table.

The home side will likely reflect on this as one of the most important wins of the season. The whole team needs commending for a disciplined performance which ensured the win.

Real Bedford return to McMullen Park on Saturday 26th November to face London Tigers, the team that inflicted The Pirates first defeat of the season in the Division Cup. Come down and support the lads.

RBFC: McGregor, Gordon, Clifford, Murray, J.Ducket, Wood ©, Owusu, Corbit, Burnside (Walker 79'), Hitchcock (McGrath 64'), Brown.

Unused Subs: Sinclair, R.Ducket, McLeod-Bentley.