Real Bedford exits the FA Cup after a 7-goal thriller with MK Irish
MATCH SPONSOR - PUBKEY.
Goals from Joey Evans and a brace from Ben Stevens were not enough to beat MK Irish as the visitors scored four goals to knock The Pirates out of England’s most prestigious competition.
Real Bedford started the game on the back foot, and 10 minutes in, MK Irish got their first goal. A miss pass from Tom Woods at the back gave MK Irish possession in a good position. Andre Olukanmi then made space out wide to cross the ball into George Shrieves, who tapped it home for the Irish to give them an early lead.
However, Bedford looked to respond quickly, with Lewis Burgess’ long throw-ins seeming to cause problems for the MK Irish defence. Still, the best chance came after a delivery from Burgess slipped through the hands of goalkeeper Kyeremateng forcing MK Irish captain Ty Ward to clear the ball off the line.
With Bedford looking to respond, MK Irish doubled down on the halfway mark. George Hirst swiped the ball from Charlie Smith in the midfield, and as Real Bedford players awaited the whistle for a foul, Irish pounced, Mason Spence getting his first goal with a well-timed finish on the turn to double their away team’s lead.
This time, Bedford did manage to capitalise immediately. A teasing pass upfield from Charlie Smith found Joey Evans, who raced Kyeremateng for the ball, but the keeper brought down The Pirates striker as he looked to round him. The challenge left the referee pointing to the spot, giving Evans a chance to half the deficit, which he managed to do with a well-taken penalty to get The Pirates off the mark.
Real then brought the game level just before the halftime whistle. Intricate play in the midfield unlocked the Irish defence giving Ben Stevens a chance to smash the ball into the back of the net and cancel out MK Irish’s lead inside 5 minutes.
The home side could have gone into the break ahead. Ben Stevens found himself able to race into the box from the wing, but his shot hit the post.
Second Half
The visitors similarly started the second half to the first. More good work from George Shrieves down the wing threatened the Bedford goal, and his first run of the second half was defended well. Still, the ball ended up at the feet of Ryan Smith, who put in a well-timed cross for Mason Spence, who headed the ball into the back of the net for his second of the afternoon and MK Irish’s third.
Five minutes later, and Irish were threatening again. The Pirates failed to clear a corner, which gave Ryan Smith a free shot at goal, increasing the goal difference back to 2 with 30 minutes left on the clock.
Bedford pushed to come back again, with chances going begging for Ben Stevens and Joey Evans, as well as a reasonable effort from Jordan Brown, who smashed the ball into the side netting at the near post.
The Pirates reduced the deficit to one goal with 10 minutes to go. The goal came through after some more good interplay within the Bedford midfield, where a deflected shot from Evans fell to Ben Stevens once again, who found the back of the net for the second time with a curling shot past the keeper and off the inside of the post, to give Real a fighting chance in the dying stages of the game.
Knowing that a draw would take The Pirates to a replay on Tuesday, Bedford pushed hard for their fourth goal. Once again causing issues in the box, Joey Evans gained the ball from a well-worked set-piece, accelerating towards goal; the striker was brought down by Kyeremateng once more, forcing the referee to point to the spot for the second time this afternoon. However, as Evans stepped up this time, he couldn’t find the back of the net. A good save from Kyeremateng pushed the ball out for a corner that Bedford could not capitalise on, giving MK Irish the win in a dramatic final few minutes.
Bedford returns to McMullen Park next weekend as they face Rothwell Corinthians in the first round of the FA Vase. Tickets are now available on the club website.
RBFC: McGregor, Gordon, Burgess (Clifford 89’), Wood (c), J.Ducket, Smith, Setchell (Brown 65’), Watkins, Evans, Corbit (Ahmed 59’), Stevens
Unused Subs: Bozward, Hartley, Swain, Taylor
Real Bedford 3 - 4 MK Irish
19th August, 2023
Kick-off: 3pm
Location: McMullen Park
