Real Bedford push past Potton under the Tuesday Night Lights
The Pirates got the job done in the first half with three unanswered goals inside 40 minutes, extending their lead at the top of the table to 5 points.
The game got off to an electrifying start, with two goals in as many minutes. Hard work down the left flank from Josh Setchell allowed the winger to cut the ball back to Ben Stevens, who passed it into a vacant net for The Pirate's first goal after just 90 seconds.
It took just another minute for Setchell to find himself in the same position; this time, his cutback pass found Tom Hitchcock, who, like Stevens, stroked it home to double Real Bedford's early lead.
Rob Sinclair's men continued their domination of possession, forcing chance after chance in the opening 30 minutes. The pick of the opportunities was for Tom Hitchcock, who was close to getting a brace as his close-range effort ricocheted off the woodwork.
Bedford got their third deep into the second half. A Charlie Smith corner was met by the head of Ollie Swain, who nodded it down and across the whitewash to make it 3-0 heading towards the halftime break, but out of nowhere, Potton pulled one back. Nathan Mullings dispossessed Lee Watkins inside the Bedford half. The replacement striker curled a lovely shot into the bottom right to return the deficit to two goals.
Second Half
The second 45 minutes were not as eventful as the first, with neither side able to find the back of the net throughout the half.
The best chance for the Pirates came at the 60-minute mark. Catching Potton on the counter, Josh Setchell threaded a ball through to Ben Stevens, who raced into a one-on-one with James Hoskins but was denied by the Potton keeper from close range.
The Pirates had another decent chance 5 minutes later. Another corner saw a goal-line clearance from goalscorer Mullings but only went as far as Richardson. Twelve yards out, his half-volley fired just over the goal, preventing him from bagging his first goal for the club.
Real Bedford now heads on the road to face Harpenden on Saturday. As McMullen Park waits to host the big Christmas bash on the 23rd of December against Crawley Green.
RBFC: McGregor, Corbit, Swain, Knight ©, Richardson, Smith, Setchell, Watkins, Hitchcock, Stevens, Ahmed
Unused Subs: J.Ducket, Sinclair, Walsh, Wood, Burgess
Real Bedford 3 - 1 Potton United
28th November, 2023
Kick-off: 7.45pm
Location: McMullen Park
