Bedford Town face an FA Cup replay after they failed to see off Royston Town in the first qualifying round as they drew 1-1 for the second time this season.
Ryan Blake burst in behind to break the deadlock after just 17 minutes for the Eagles, with the Royston response coming five minutes before the break, as Oluwakoyejo Dawodu unleashed a left-footed effort from the edge of the area.
It was a welcome break from league action for Royston who sit just a point above the bottom four with a paltry points tally of five.
Contrastingly, The Eagles have taken like a duck to water at step three, currently perched comfortably in mid-table after a win over Bishop’s Stortford on Bank Holiday Monday.
In typical FA Cup fashion, a drum beat accompanied the bellowing chants of the away end and a few people living in the neighbouring houses watched attentively from their windows, waiting for the first slice of action to arrive.
With little more than 15 minutes on the clock, Bedford made the breakthrough.
Royston Town’s long-term left-back James Brighton made a blasé back pass in the direction of his goalkeeper, Dixon Hodge, but Ryan Blake was on hand to give Lee Bircham’s side the lead.
He saw the opportunity to steal in before the Crows number-one and took it, speeding away to finish expertly from an acute angle giving the Eagles had a one-goal lead all of Blake’s own making.
Moments later, the game sprung from zero to sixty for a second time as Akubine looked to catch Bosworth off his line with a ripping strike that could be denied only by the crossbar.
The rebound fell the way of Hookard who had his shot heroically blocked by Lewis Green. Bedford managed to cling on, but their lead was coming under increasing threat.
An equaliser appeared imminent for Royston in the next 20 minutes with the forced substitution of Green unsettling the harmony of the Bedford back four and a chance for Coldicott-Stevens squirming just wide of the post.
It eventually came courtesy of their wideman, Dawodu as the Crows’ number sixteen dipped inside onto his favoured left foot and let fly past Bosworth who had been wrong-footed by a devilish deflection.
One apiece was the score going into the second forty-five minutes with a coveted spot in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup hanging in the balance.
Scrappy second half see replay in 48 hours
It was perfectly poised to be a half of raw and exciting action, but in reality, we received an indubitably vapid footballing display from both sides, punctuated by discontinuity.
Garden Walk may sound like a place of tranquility and calm, but during the second half of this encounter, it became a hotbed of tiffs and brawls. Barely a minute could pass without argument or injury, leading to growing frustrations from both dugouts.
The so-called “magic” of the FA Cup was inarguably absent in this weekend’s tie, but effort was still at a maximum, with everyone in white and orange straining determinedly to reach each ball.
The closest either side came was a free-kick that dipped just over the bar for Royston Town’s James Brighton, as he looked to make up for his earlier error with a winner for the Crows.
Although a late turn of fate wasn’t in the script this time around, there will be another chance for both teams to advance on Monday night as they meet for the third time this season in a replay at Hitchin Town’s Top Field.
