Bedford bounced back in style with another 3 points away from home under the Tuesday Night Lights in Letchworth. A goal either side of halftime capped off a solid and dominant performance from Rob Sinclair’s men against a well-oiled Letchworth Garden City Eagles.

Following Saturday's first league defeat against Rugby Borough, Real Bedford was looking to send a message to the rest of the league in what could have been a tricky game in Letchworth.

The home team has had a mixed season but wins against Winslow and Moulton coupled with close defeats to Amersham and Chenecks, demonstrate that the team is a threat to anyone in the league.

The first half was a dominant performance by Real Bedford, creating almost all the chances as they put sustained pressure on the Letchworth defence. Jordan Brown twice had shots fade across the face of the goal, and a header at the back post from Tom Hitchcock was inches away from creating the opening goal.

New signing Claston Gordon made his full debut for the away side and nearly created the opening goal. A constant threat on the right, he floated a perfect ball into the box for Brown, who lost sight of the ball in the floodlights and headed back across the goal when he appeared sure to score.

Brown made amends shortly after, finally finding the net in the 35th minute. Good work in the middle of the park from the ever-impressive Corbit caught Letchworth napping. Taking possession of the ball, he threaded it through the middle to Hitchcock, who put Brown clean through. One-on-one with the keeper, he made no mistake planting the ball comfortably in the bottom right-hand corner for his 11th goal of the season. It was a deserved goal and gave the away side a slender lead at half-time.

Second Half

Real Bedford came out for the second half with a similar intensity to the first; however, the home side returned to the pitch, demonstrating their intention to cause an upset. Letchworth played some excellent football in the middle but could not create clear-cut chances.

Bedford continued to create chances themselves, with Jordan Brown a constant threat. Corbit nearly doubled the lead, with Brown pivotal in the move. The striker crossed a teasing ball towards Tom Hitchcock, who couldn't find the right connection. A poor Letchworth clearance landed at the feet of Corbit, and the teenage midfielder let off a rocket of a right foot which whistled just over the bar.

The same three players linked up for the next Bedford opportunity; this time, it was Corbit to deliver the cross, which Hitchcock controlled with a header laying it off to Brown, whose shot just strayed off target.

As Bedford looked to close the game out, Rob Sinclair deployed Dan Walker from the bench, Bedford's leading goal scorer returning from the treatment table to the pleasure of the away fans. Walker's impact was immediate, his size and pace causing a problem for the Letchworth defence, and he was instrumental in the second goal, which put the game out of reach for the home side. A darting run behind the Letchworth defence from Brown's lobbed ball allowed Walker to place an exquisite cross into the box, which was met by Eddie Corbit a yard from goal.

Welcome back, Dan Walker!

His night was far from over, and Bedford nearly scored again straight from the kick-off. James Ducket headed the ball through to Brown, who was tripped in the box by Letchworth skipper Sanni leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot. Walker raced over to collect the ball, but his penalty attempt went over the bar preventing him from adding to his 11-goal tally in the league and leaving the score line at 2-0.

The final chance of the game fell to an unlikely candidate, and it was Brown once again involved. He sent a cross towards wing-back Matt Clifford from the byline, but the left-back playing on the wing tonight saw his shot kiss the bar on its way over.

Real Bedford finished the game in complete control heading into another tough challenge on the road this coming Saturday (22nd October). The Pirates face 7th-placed Moulton for the second time this season; we hope to see another good away crowd to help ensure Real Bedford can continue their newly created winning streak.

RBFC: McGregor, Gordon (Walker, 77’), Clifford, J. Ducket, Wood, Uttridge, Corbit (McGrath, 85’), Knight ©, Brown, Hitchcock (Sinclair, 83’), Owusu (McLeod-Bentley, 87’).

Unused Substitutes: Culley.