Real Bedford returned to winning ways in Southern League Premier Central with a 3-0 triumph over struggling Stamford at the Ledger Stadium on Saturday (21 March).
A first half strike from Josh Allen was supplemented by second half goals for Josh Setchell and Ben Weyman as Real posted their first league victory since 24 February as they keep up the pace for an expected play-off spot come the end of April.
Stuttering form throughout much of March has seen Rob Sinclair’s Real drift slowly back towards the chasing pack for a play-off spot, with both Spalding and Harborough Town fighting it out for the title at the top.
Opposition, that has included Harborough and Quorn in recent weeks, have not been easy assignments, and while Stamford have battled their way off the foot of the table, they are still a team embroiled in a relegation battle and were underdogs on Saturday.
A succession of early corners for the Pirates set the tone for the afternoon, while both Drew Richardson and Conor Tee were both denied in the early stages as Real started well.
Tom Jackson was also on hand to deny Ben Stevens with an excellent stop as Real set about their usual game plan of slick passing and attacking endeavour, but their rewards came late in the half.
Moments after Mikey Armstrong saw a rare effort blocked for Stamford, Real Bedford found themselves ahead in first half injury time, as Josh Allen squeezed an effort into Jackson’s near post, with the help of a slight deflection from a blue shirt.
Sizzling Setchell gets deserved goal
Two more late goals in the second half sealed the deal for Real, but they had to withstand some pressure from the visitors first, who were not going to go down without a fight.
Ryan Wilson’s free kick caused the Real back line some problems, before an overhead kick from former Bedford Town talisman, Leon Lobjoit went over.
Craig King was also called into action with a smart save low down, but when the hosts settled into the half, they were back to creating chances, led by player of the match, Josh Setchell who eventually got his goal.
He would be front and centre of a number of home attacks as the half wore on, but Real couldn’t find the finishing touches to put the game to bed, before Setchell got his deserved goal after 86 minutes.
It was a messy effort, ended with Setchell firing home, but it gave Bedford the buffer they needed, made all the more secure by a third in the 89th minute, as Ben Weyman followed up on Setchell’s searing drive that was kept out by Jackson.
It capped a deserved 3-0 win for Real Bedford, who remain a solid third in Southern League Premier Central, ahead of a key seven days, where they once again face Harborough Town, this time on home turf on Tuesday, 24 March before hosting fourth placed, Halesowen next Saturday.
