Sofia Stovold’s 94th-minute winner helped Real Bedford to a third consecutive league victory as they beat Actonians 2-1 at the Ledger Stadium on Sunday (9 March) to take another step towards the National Women’s League Division One South East title.
Now unbeaten in 17 league games, Real Bedford are one point ahead of Norwich City but importantly, have two games in hand on the chasing pack heading into the business end of the campaign.
Last weekend’s 5-0 thrashing of Queens Park Rangers felt like a procession, but this encounter against fifth-placed, Actonians was anything but.
Read: Real Bedford Women thrash QPR to go top of the league
The away side were fastest out of the blocks, forcing Real’s Chloe Sansom into a smart save from Jasmine Williamson in the early moments before Leyla O’Brien’s header soared past the right hand upright at the other end.
O’Brien also saw a free kick fly just wide with Abbie Bensted shooting over as Real Bedford began to exert themselves, and their pressure paid dividends towards the end of the first half.
Visiting goalkeeper, Elisa Dogor had expertly kept out a Real Bedford effort just a minute earlier but could do nothing about the game’s opening goal.
One of last week’s five strikes against QPR was scored by Amber Gaylor from near the halfway line, and it was another sensational effort that broke the deadlock this time as her first time effort soared into the top corner on the stroke of the break.
Dogor was on hand to deny Bedford a quick second goal, with some last ditch defending helping Actonians escape to the sanctuary of the changing rooms just one goal behind.
The second half started as the first had ended with further long range efforts for Gaylor and Gemma Biggadike failing to trouble Dogor, and Real Bedford were made to pay for not scoring their second as the visitors equalised after 75 minutes in stunning fashion.
It was substitute, Amber Dredge who caught a wonderful volley from thirty yards out and it flew over Sansom and into the net to restore parity with a moment of brilliance for the side in blue.
Real went back on the attack in search of a winner, and their golden opportunity came two minutes into stoppage time but Breon Grant planted her shot over the bar from close range, as it looked like both sides would have to settle for a point apiece.
However, there was still time for late drama as Real Bedford were awarded a free kick in the fourth of seven additional minutes, which was lobbed into the area and found Sofia Stovold who steered her header into the corner to send the home bench into pandemonium.
Destiny for Real?
The 94th-minute intervention from Stovold are the kind of moments that titles are won off the back of.
A league season is a long campaign, but Real Bedford manager, Charlie Bill will be aware that the two extra points snatched at the death could prove to be the difference come the end of April.
“It feels like a massive win”, said Bill after the game.
“As much as last week’s 5-0 win was big, these kinds of results are big, if not bigger, when other teams are looking at that and seeing points slip away.
“These are the moments you work hard for for eight or nine months and you feel like it could be destined for us.”
Real Bedford are back in action next Sunday (16 March) as they travel to Ashford Town before taking on Luton Town in the final of the Bedfordshire FA Women’s Senior Cup at Kenilworth Road on 20 March.
