Real Bedford Overcome Stansted FC In Front of Record Crowd
With nearly 500 packed into the home of the Pirates, Rob Sinclair's men matched the energy off the field with a composed performance, scoring goals either side of the half courtesy of Ben Stevens and Matt Clifford.
With the home crowd expecting a win, the away side nearly upset the party, creating the game's first clear chance. On the back of a well-earned draw against MK Irish last weekend, Stansted were keen to frustrate the Bedford faithful at McMullen Park. Within 9 minutes of the half, Corey Davidson caught Real Bedford on the counter, unleashing a shot from the right flank and forcing a superb save from Tyler McGregor.
Real Bedford was soon up the other end; a quick throw-in from Lewis Burgess found Ben Stevens in the midfield, who laid it off to Charlie Smith, who struck from range, but, unlike his effort in the week against Biggleswade, Charlie Turner, in the Stansted net, saved the shot.
Fifteen minutes later, Bedford broke free again. Mo Ahmed played a quick ball through to Ben Stevens, who flicked the pass to Joey Evans out wide. Stansted's Jack Mitchell got in between the striker and the ball. However, his clearance deflected off Joey Evans to Stevens in the box, who curled a shot into the top corner, sending the Pirates' fans into delirium on the sidelines.
Moments later, Real nearly scored again. A Lewis Burgess long throw-in put Bedford in possession in the final third. Josh Setchell picked up the ball on the left flank before laying it off to Stevens on the edge of the area. His cross into the box found the head of Matt Clifford, who flicked it towards the goal but was denied by the superb reflexes of Turner.
Just before the halftime whistle, Bedford was in again. Mo Ahmed played a nifty through ball down the right to Ben Stevens, whose low-driven cross towards goal was inches away from the outstretched foot of Joey Evans. It was a marginal miss that stopped Real Bedford from doubling their lead going into the break.
Second Half
Stansted came out the blocks well in the second half and, minutes after the restart had their best chance of the game. Joe Pullen's long cross towards the back post found Davidson, who smashed the ball past Eddie Corbit and off the woodwork, deflecting back into the path of Lewis Burgess, who cleared the danger for the home side.
The game hit somewhat of a stalemate, with limited chances for either side, until the 75th minute, when The Pirates were awarded a Corner. Charlie Smith stepped up and whipped a ball into the box. Sergio Uyi initially cleared the ball at the back post, but only as far as Ben Stevens, who smashed it towards goal. The chance ricocheted back into a melee of Real Bedford and Stansted players before finding the feet of Matt Clifford. His effort deflected off two Stansted players before trickling over the line and into the back of the net to make it 2-0.
Stansted appeared to lose momentum as Real Bedford had most of the possession in the final quarter. The last two chances of the game fell to the home side with the clock in the red. Eddie Corbit and Josh Setchell linked well on the right flank before the latter whipped a teasing cross into the area. With opposite full-back Matt Clifford pouncing on the end of it with a half-volley effort that was struck straight at Turner.
The final chance, two minutes later, was created in a similar position; this time, Josh Setchell floated a cross in from the right towards an unmarked Tom Hitchcock, who smashed the ball over the bar.
However, Bedford had done enough to keep Stansted at bay, recording back-to-back home clean sheets in the league, confirming a big three points to push the Pirates further towards St Panteleimon at the top of the table. The win also continues the winning form momentum for the home side heading into the crucial FA Vase clash with local rivals MK Irish on the road next weekend.
RBFC: McGregor, Corbit, Clifford, Wood ©, Burgess, Smith, Setchell, Watkins (Knight 84'), Evans, Stevens (Gordon 88'), Ahmed (Hitchcock 77')
Unused Subs: J.Ducket, Swain
Real Bedford 2 - 0 Stansted
14th October, 2023
Kick-off: 3pm
Location: McMullen Park
