Real Bedford head to the top of the league with a win over Arlesey Town
The Pirates put on a 5-goal thriller at McMullen Park in torrid conditions to take Bedford to the top of the Spartan Premier Division for the first time this season.
With heavy rainfall as kickoff approached, the referee delayed the start of the game by 30 minutes as the Real Bedford ground staff got to work ensuring the pitch was playable.
With the match finally underway, The Pirates got off to a great start, opening the scoring inside 10 minutes. Joey Evans found himself through on goal, but Jake Galatis saved his shot but only as far as Mo Ahmed, who smashed the ball into an empty net from 2 yards out to give Bedford an early lead.
The next goal came similarly to the first. An incisive pass from Eddie Corbit put Evans through on goal again; Galatis again saved his shot, but Stevens was on hand to tuck away the rebound to double Real’s lead.
Luke Knight then came close to extending the lead from a free-kick. A perfect delivery in the box from Charlie Smith gave the captain a free header in the area, but his effort was narrowly off-target.
Stevens managed to grab his brace within 30 minutes. This time, a clever passing chain between Charlie Smith, Evans and Stevens unlocked the Arlesey defence, putting the latter through on goal. Stevens made no mistake to claim his 15th goal of the season.
Bedford got their fourth goal just before the halftime break. A well-weighted pass from Ben Stevens found Joey Evans, who rounded the keeper before striking the ball toward goal. Although the shot seemed like it was drifting wide, Dan Wappett’s attempted clearance ensured the ball crossed the line, making it four goals in the opening 45 minutes for The Pirates.
Second Half
As the second half started, so did the downpour. Rain turned from heavy to torrential, threatening to end the game early. Charlie Smith got the first decent chance of the half, after good interplay between Mo Ahmed, Harry Hurst, and Smith gave the midfielder space in which to strike the ball from range, only to travel straight into the path of Galatis, who collected it in the second time of asking.
Things turned from bad to worse for the away team, as defender William McClelland was shown a straight red card for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity as he took down Joey Evans, who was in on goal.
Harry Hurst came close to a home debut goal, as the ball fell to him at the back post. But some heroic defending from Matt Gilbert denied the fullback the chance to get the strike away.
Bedford’s fifth goal did eventually come. More superb interplay between Smith, Stevens, and Ahmed allowed the winger to come away with the ball in the box. Ahmed took his chance from a tight angle, burying the ball in the bottom right to take it to five goals on the day. It was a crucial score that meant Real Bedford would top the table on goal difference going into Tuesday’s clash with Potton United on the road.
Bedford return to McMullen Park on Saturday as part of an all-important cup double-header with Real Bedford Ladies, as both teams look to continue on the road to Wembley. Tickets are available for the Isuzu FA Vase clash with Biggleswade here.
RBFC: McGregor, Corbit (A.Sinclair 76’), Hurst (Walsh 86’), Swain, Steele (J.Ducket 61’), Smith, Setchell (Hitchcock 80’), Knight ©, Evans, Stevens, Ahmed
Unused Subs: Gordon
Real Bedford 5 - 0 Arlesey Town
4th November, 2023
Kick-off: 3pm
Location: McMullen Park
