Bedford Town’s five game Southern League winning streak came to a frightful end on Saturday (4 January) as the Eagles were thrashed 5-1 at home by Spalding United.
In what manager, Lee Bircham will be hoping is a forgettable blemish on an otherwise spotless form sheet, Bedford Town were dealt their first league defeat at The Eyrie since early November.
Bedford Town’s formidable festive form had seen them rise to third in the table which they have retained courtesy of the postponement of Telford and Halesowen’s games this weekend.
Despite starting the game as the Southern League Premier Central’s hottest prospects, Bedford started the more timid of the two teams.
A free kick from deep within their own half revealed the Spalding game plan very early on in the game, and it centred around the vertical capacity of their six foot five number nine, Bartosz Cybulski.
Breeden launched it forward and a contested flick-on from Cybulski saw Colchester United academy graduate, Dion Sembie Ferrers race in behind. Fortunately for the Eagles, Adam Harrison’s midriff took the brunt of Ferrers’ eventual effort.
Quickfire double
With Scott Thomas almost single-handedly grappling to keep Bedford afloat, it wasn’t long before the away side broke the deadlock. This time the attack came from the left flank and more specifically, Joseph Nyahwema – a player who wreaked havoc upon the Bedford defence from minute one to ninety.
He played the ball in to Kieron Freeman who opened his body up and effortlessly curled a strike past Harrison and into the back of the net to give the Tulips a lead they were more than worthy of.
It was only eight minutes after the opener that Spalding would make their dominance count for double, and it was courtesy of the same combination.
Instead of aiming for a packed penalty area much like his many other first half corners, Freeman opted to play this one to an unmarked Nyahwema on the edge of the box.
Despite the helpless efforts to close down the Spalding winger, Nyahwema fired his shot powerfully past Harrison to provide Spalding with their second and set them well on their way to a rare away victory.
After what one can only assume to have been fifteen minutes of the hairdryer treatment from Lee Bircham, judging by his animated first-half touchline demeanour, the Eagles came out swinging in the second half.
But, after just fifteen minutes and one headed attempt from Eddie Panter, it appeared that the adrenaline had worn off for the Eagles, and they were punished for their toothlessness.
It was a corner again, and this time a flailing clearance from Harrison led to a round of pinball in the Bedford box, finished off by a close-range hammer blow from Spalding’s Sano Sane, leaving Bircham’s men with a mountain to climb.
Undoubtedly, it was a summit that they had left it too late to reach for, and if that wasn’t accepted as factual after the third goal, it certainly was just four minutes later following the fourth.
This one came via route one, via the dangerous Cybulski.
Breeden launched it long in search of the Polish hold-up man who flicked it in behind for Nyahwema. He squared it for Sembie Ferris who – despite the strenuous efforts of Carl Mensah – was able to tap in from close range.
A Lewis Green consolation goal would follow just two minutes later as a half-hearted Tulips clearance fell to the Bedford number six who found the bottom right corner from 20 yards.
To rub salt into Bedford wounds in stoppage time, James Clifton – a player whose loan at Bedford Town ended just last month after scoring five goals in three appearances – swept in a fifth for Spalding.
It truly was a misery compiler on what was already a considerably bad day at the office.
There is no time to wallow for Bedford Town as they welcome their Shropshire based promotion rivals, AFC Telford to the Eyrie next Saturday (11 January).
A win could see them advance within a point of league leaders Kettering Town.
