Real Bedford Exit the Beds Senior Challenge Trophy
Real Bedford fell short in the first round of the Beds Senior Challenge Trophy with a 3-1 loss to Leighton Town on the road.
With a heavily rotated side from the weekend, The Pirates conceded two late goals and exited the competition at the hands of the Step 4 side despite having the majority of possession throughout the 90 minutes.
The best chances of the first half fell to Real Bedford. A good ball from Claston Gordon on the right flank found the head of Tom Hitchcock, but Karl Daley tipped his header around the post to deny The Pirates the opening score. Bedford were nearly off the mark off the resulting corner, Ollie Swain rising highest off the set piece, but Daley just managed to tip his header over the bar.
Real Bedford also had a solid red card shout in the first half. A long ball over the top of the defence found Joey Evans, who looked to tap it past Karl Daley, who had sprinted out to meet the striker. The collision between the two players saw Evans hit the deck; however, the referee only brandished Daley with a yellow card despite being the last man, as Evans appeared to have pushed the ball out wide.
Second Half
The game lit up in the second period, with all the goals coming with 20 minutes to go. Leighton got the opener off a corner, with the ball flicked on by Albie Hall to Jake Watkinson at the back post, who nodded it in for the hosts to take the lead.
Real Bedford responded to the goal instantly as Leighton failed to deal with a long Lewis Burgess throw-in in the box. The ball eventually sat up to Josh Setchell, who smashed it home on the half-volley to level proceedings with 10 minutes of the 90 to go.
The home side regained their lead not long after. A miscommunication at the back for The Pirates gave Jake Watkinson possession with McGregor off his line. The striker slotted the ball towards the goal, with substitute Ben Shepherd smashing it home as the ball was about to cross the line.
Real Bedford then put everything towards finding another leveller, with multiple chances off of set-piece. But with all their players forward, the visitors were caught on the counter late on. Karl Daley collected the ball and smashed it downfield towards Jake Watkinson, who found himself one-on-one with McGregor, bagging his brace and taking the game out of Bedford’s sight.
Real Bedford return to league action at the weekend to face Crawley Green. The game will be played at McMullen Park and live-streamed for fans outside of the UK.
RBFC: McGregor, Corbit, Burgess, J.Ducket, Swain, Knight © (Smith 70’), Setchell, Watkins, Evans, Hitchcock, Gordon (Stevens 79’)
Unused Subs: Walsh, Ahmed, A.Sinclair
Leighton Town 3 - 1 Real Bedford
24th October, 2023
Kick-off: 7.45pm
Location: Bell Close
