MATCH SPONSOR - BREWPOINT.

Real Bedford got their league season off to the perfect start with a 1-0 victory over a strong MK Irish outfit at McMullen Park on Tuesday Night.

In front of a record crowd of 362, new signing Joey Evans bagged a 78th-minute winner, which capped off a resilient display from The Pirates, who showed the same defensive strengths that helped win the league last season.

Despite winning, there was little to separate the sides, especially in the first half, but it was the away side who created the first chance of the match, a mere 3 minutes in. A cross from George Shrieves found the head of the unmarked Ty Ward, who failed to head it towards the target, keeping the scores level. MK Irish then caught The Pirates on a strong counterattack 15 minutes later, leaving Shrieves one-on-one with McGregor, who pulled off his first of many superb stops to deny the MK Irish attacker from opening the scoring. Not long after, Irish were on the attack again, before being halted by Luke Knight in a nasty challenge. The skipper got away with a yellow but could have seen red on another day.

Bedford showed promise up the other end of the pitch, too, with Ben Stevens putting in a wicked cross towards Joey Evans in the 19th minute, but the striker couldn’t get a touch on the ball to guide it into the net.

MK Irish then got the best chance of the half. Winger Andre Olukanmi drove down the flank before cutting inside and releasing a shot which was initially parried by McGregor and forced over the bar by the head of Luke Knight; with MK Irish players swarming the box in search of a rebound, the skipper did well to keep things at bay.

The final opportunity of the half saw another superb stop from McGregor in goal. This time a Shrieves cross found Mason Spence in the middle, whose headed chance was deflected away at point-blank range by the keeper, ensuring the game remained goalless heading into the half-time break.

Second Half

Real Bedford came out the blocks well in the second half. Good footwork from Watkins and Corbit in the midfield unleashed Gordon on the flank, who found a direct pass to Jordan Brown. The Bedford striker went down after a clumsy tackle from the Irish defence, but the referee dismissed calls for a penalty and instead brandished Brown with a yellow card for grabbing hold of the ball.

On the hour mark, it was MK Irish with another chance. George Shrieves continued to cause problems down the wing, where, this time, he cut in before unleashing a shot. However, McGregor blocked it well for Corbit to clear the ball.

Fifteen minutes later and Bedford finally broke the deadlock. Great interplay between Lee Watkins and substitute Josh Setchell gave Claston Gordon room on the wing. His perfect cross found the head of Joey Evans, who guided it in off the far post and over the line. McMullen Park erupted as Bedford gave themselves a lead with just over 10 minutes to go.

The final few moments were not without tension. MK Irish continued to knock on the door with more chances for Ward and Shrieves, who were the biggest threats throughout the game, but ferocious defending from The Pirates meant that the home team walked away with all three points.

Rob Sinclair’s men now travel to FC Clacton on Saturday to commence their FA Cup campaign, full of confidence off the back of this victory against a competent MK Irish side.

RBFC: McGregor, Gordon, Clifford (Swain 63’), Wood, Knight ©, Smith, Corbit, Watkins (Ahmed 80’), Evans, Stevens, Brown (Setchell 74’)

Unused Subs: Owusu, Walker