A dominant second half display this Saturday (20 December) earned Lee Bircham’s Bedford Town a 1-1 draw against playoff-chasing Marine, distancing them from the drop in National League North.
It was Bedford’s new kid on the block, Jago Godden, who scored his third in four league games to rescue the Eagles a point with half an hour to go.
Frustration has been the watch word of late for Bircham and his team. The Eagles have rarely been well beaten this season, consistently holding their own against established opposition, yet failing to secure precious points when it matters.
Their crutch of conceding late goals has cost Bedford dearly in recent weeks, leaving them with four losses and one draw from their last five games.
A result this weekend was now imperative for the Eagles to escape the clutches of the National League North’s bottom four spots.
Marine began the day just two points beneath the play-off spots, targeting a win at The Eyrie this weekend to intensify their pursuit of the top seven.
Unlike Bedford Town, the Mariners’ form has been steady of late, losing only two games since mid-October.
In-form Godden cancels out Jolley opener
As the league table might have suggested, the visitors started as the better of the two teams. Marine winger, Finley Sinclair-Smith, stung the palms of Nathan Ashmore just five minutes in with a low effort bound for the bottom right corner.
The Eagles had come out with less vigour than their Merseyside counterparts, failing to find their stride in transition – a typically key part of their free-flowing, counter-attacking style. Soon, Marine would make their authority on the game count.
In the 23rd minute, a lofted ball up found its way to Marine’s Adam Thomas. He flicked the ball onto the marauding Charlie Jolley, who guided a header past Ashmore from 12 yards, opening the scoring for the away side.
Bedford’s response to going behind was far more full of intent than their performance in the first 20 minutes. Just six minutes after going a goal down, Bedford almost delivered the perfect response.
A teasing free-kick, whipped speedily into the box by Greg Sandiford, was headed goalwards by Callum Ebanks, forcing a save from Everton-loanee, Fraser Barnsley.
The introduction of club captain, Edward Gyamfi for the injured Josh Dawodu with just minutes remaining in the half promised to give Bedford a greater attacking force in the second 45 minutes.
The ever-reliable Carl Mensah also joined the fray as he was brought on for Adam Chicksen at half-time.
Once the whistle blew for the second half, it was all Eagles.
They penned Marine in from minute 45 to 60, barely allowing the visitors a foray forward. Chances were not clear-cut for Bedford, but it seemed sure that their relentless pressure would pay off eventually.
Alongside Gyamfi and Josh Phillips, the sensational Jago Godden was leading Bedford’s push for an equaliser in the second half. So when it came, there was no surprise that he was behind it.
Having drifted onto the right wing from his central role, Godden arced in a cross towards the back post, but instead of finding a teammate, the ball dipped underneath the far post and into the net to restore parity for the Eagles.
Minutes later, Callum Ebanks looked destined to complete the comeback and double his tally in Bedford colours, but his header from Greg Taylor’s cross hit the foot of the post.
The closest chance for either side after that came from a Mariners counter attack. A cross from Sinclair-Smith was nodded on by Jolley to substitute Bell, whose effort was clawed off the line miraculously by Nathan Ashmore.
While Marine seemed rather happy to walk away with a point on the road, Bedford Town’s players appeared rather dejected at full-time, seeing it as an opportunity for three points missed after their second half performance.
Next for the Eagles is a Boxing Day trip to the Midlands to play Leamington, a side who currently sit last in the National League North, before hosting King’s Lynn at The Eyrie on 30 December.
Needless to say that Bircham is in need of that winning feeling again, as Saturday marked their sixth consecutive game without a win.
