Real Bedford battled for another hard-fought 3 points on the road, this time against Langford. Archie Culley got the only goal of the game to put the Pirates one point away from lifting the trophy.

Real Bedford battled for another hard-fought 3 points on the road, this time against Langford, to put the Pirates one point away from lifting the title.

An unchanged Rob Sinclair side from that which drew in Northampton battled hard on a tough surface to overcome Langford, who managed to topple Bedford at McMullen Park in January.

Real Bedford started the brighter of the two sides, a positive trend that has emerged at the back end of this season. The hard work of Archie Culley did not go unnoticed as the young midfielder seemed to be at the heart of all attacking play for the Pirates, threading a lovely ball towards Dan Walker within the opening exchanges to force the first corner of the game for Bedford.

His midfield partner Eddie Corbit was also involved in the action; his shot on the 11-minute mark, despite being off target, was a further warning sign for the Langford defence, who were unable to prevent the Pirates from advancing into attacking positions.

It was Culley, in a rich scoring form since returning to the side, who found the net with the game's only goal halfway through the first half. Some superb build-up play from Curtis Hartley, Tom Hitchcock and finally Kevin Owusu allowed for the winger to swing a low driven cross into the area for Archie Culley to tap into an empty net, a well-made goal from Bedford, who looked bright and on the front foot in Langford.

Towards the end of the half, Langford found their way into the game, forcing a superb save out of Tyler McGregor, who denied Langford from range to keep his 19th clean sheet of the season. Langford utilised their set pieces well and came close a handful of times from corners

Second Half

Knowing that 3 points would see the team place one hand on the trophy ahead of Monday's clash with Ampthill, Real were desperate for a second goal, and the away side were presented with a golden opportunity within the opening minutes of the second half. A ball swung in by Matt Clifford hit the hand of a Langford defender in the area, giving the referee no choice but to point to the spot. Luke Knight stepped up, but it was an uncharacteristic miss from the skipper, blasting his penalty over the bar, keeping the deficit at one goal.

The second half was much more balanced, as both sides had few chances in front of the goal. Real's best came from a solo run from Eddie Corbit, who was brought down just before he managed to get a shot away, leaving the Bedford fans up in arms over the decision not to award a foul.

As the game drew to a close, a Luke Knight corner found Curtis Hartley's head, but Langford somehow cleared his header off the line, denying the defender a goal.

Despite the inaccuracy shown in the second half, Culley's effort in the first and solid defensive work from the Pirates allowed Bedford to not only secure a vital 3 points but maintain their unbeaten record on the road with one away game left in the calendar.

Bedford faces arguably the most important week in the club's history as they host both Ampthill and Thame United Reserves at McMullen Park. Over the next seven days, a result in either game will confirm Bedford as the title winner.

Real look to secure the title against Ampthill Town at McMullen Park on Monday, 9th April. Tickets are available and the game will be streamed live.

RBFC: McGregor, Hartley, Clifford, Knight ©, Wood, J. Ducket, Owusu (Gordon 77’), Culley, Hitchcock, Corbit, Walker.

Unused Subs: R. Ducket, Agaci, Uttridge