AFC Dunstable End Real Bedford’s Cup Run with 2-0 Semi-Final defeat
By Will Murray
Real Bedford missed out on a place in the Bedfordshire Senior Challenge Cup final, losing 2-0 to AFC Dunstable at Creasey Park. Kyle Brooks and Sean Duodu scored the goals for the hosts, meaning they will face Barton Rovers in the final at Kenilworth Road.
Rob Sinclair’s side beat the OD’s 1-0 in a tightly contested league match on Boxing Day. Similar to the league game, Dunstable pressed relentlessly throughout the 90 minutes and came close to scoring after only a couple of minutes when Albert Wood shot over the crossbar.
Despite this, Bedford still managed to play some intricate football and could have gone ahead in the seventh minute when Archie Jones laid the ball to Tom Hitchcock in the box, but his shot was straight at Matthew Bonsu.
Midway through the first half, the Pirates came close again when Hitchcock flicked a header from a throw-in onto Isaac Galliford, who dragged his left-footed shot narrowly wide.
Both teams struggled to create chances for the remainder of the half, with Dunstable providing a threat from wide areas, especially through Khyan Frazer-Williams, who impressed for the hosts.
Second Half
Dunstable broke the deadlock in the 56th minute when Bedford lost the ball building up from the back – eventually resulting in Brooks being played through and firing past Tyler McGregor.
The hosts didn’t settle for their 1-0 lead and continued to press high in the Pirates’ half. In the 70th minute, a free-kick for Dunstable just outside the box on the left byline led to a goalmouth scramble and was somehow cleared off the line by Lee Watkins.
Six minutes later, the hosts were awarded a penalty when Eniola Agemoh-Davies brought down Wood in the right corner of the box. Duodu stepped up and hit a low effort into the bottom right corner to double the lead.
The Pirates pushed to halve the deficit in the late stages, coming close through headers from Agemoh-Davies and Shaheim Ward. Both chances narrowly went over the bar, though, and Dunstable held on to secure their place in the Bedfordshire Senior Challenge Cup final for the second year in a row.
Next up for Sinclair’s side is a trip to Kidlington in the league – a team they beat 5-1 on 2nd November 2024 at The Ledger Stadium.
After the match, Sinclair said:
“Another tough game on Saturday. I don’t believe Kidlington’s position in the league tells what they’re about. I think in the game we beat them 5-1, five of them were set-pieces, so in terms of their all-round game, they are a tough opposition, but we’ll go into that game full of confidence and hopefully get a result.”
The Pirates are next at home on Tuesday 11th February hosting Stotfold in the league. Tickets for the match are available here.
RBFC: McGregor, Morrell, S.Ward, Soile, T.Ward (Richardson 63’), Agemoh-Davies, Nicolson, Jones (Watkins 46’), Galliford (Evans 63’), Knight (Setchell 72’), Hitchcock.
Unused subs: Stevens
AFC Dunstable 2 - 0 Real Bedford
4th February 2025
Kick-off: 7.45pm
Location: Creasey Park
