Real Bedford ended their winless run of seven games in all competitions with a 2-0 victory against fellow promoted side, Bury Town at the Ledger Stadium on Tuesday night (9 September) for just their second league win of the season.
Early goals from the returning Joey Evans and Josh Setchell were enough for three points, as Rob Sinclair’s team relieved some of the early season pressure that has come with the unfamiliar feeling of three league losses in four games with a confident performance.
The action at the Ledger Stadium began before a whistle was blown, as the Pirates announced their latest new signing.
Lewis Hilliard, who had been instrumental in helping near neighbours Bedford Town win this division last season, is the second former Eagle to cross the divide at Meadow Lane for this campaign, following the summer signing of Jack Davies, and the midfielder was straight into the starting line up.
Read: Bedford Town’s Jack Davies crosses the divide to join neighbours Real Bedford
The visitors were Bury Town, also promoted from step four last season via the Isthmian League North play-offs, but they were met with a resurgent Real Bedford who were desperate to get three points on the board after an underwhelming start to their own campaign.
The old guard make the difference
While the pre-match talk was taken up by the new arrival of a former Bedford Town player; on the pitch, the vital goals came from familiar faces.
Bury Town had the first opportunity of the game as George Quantrell struck the side netting, but in the blink of an eye, Real were two goals up.
Both goals were provided by the dangerous, Conor Tee, first of all cutting in from the right wing to play it across goal for the returning Joey Evans to smash home, before repeating the trick to set up Josh Setchell for the second after just 12 minutes.
Tee would also test the opposition goalkeeper on multiple occasions in an excellent first half display, while chances up the other end were few and far between, although Cemal Ramadan tested McGregor who was on hand with a superb stop.
Bury came out on the attack in the second half and put up a better account of themselves despite being “limited to nothing” in the words of Real manager, Sinclair.
Joseph Carroll headed over in the early moments of the second period, before Quantrell shot wide, but the visitors didn’t look overly threatening despite another good save from McGregor late on.
It was in fact the home side who looked like adding a third in the final stages; Hilliard missed a late chance for a debut goal before Evans was denied a second late on by a last ditch save from Charlie Beckwith, but the Pirates were not to worry too much as they sealed the three points.
“Spot on”
“We asked for a reaction from the boys [following 2-0 defeat against Redditch], and in the first twenty minutes, we absolutely blew them away and could have been three or four”, said Sinclair after the match.
“We asked them to play forward quicker, which they did and we were really impressed. In the second half, we have to defend but we limited them to nothing really, so as a whole it was spot on.”
The victory takes Real Bedford up to 15th in Southern League Premier Central, and they have a rare Saturday off this weekend as the FA Cup takes precedence once more with the second qualifying round.
Bedford Town, who are 21st in National League North, enter the competition at this stage and host Dagenham and Redbridge, who are 21st in National League South. The game kicks off at 3pm at The Eyrie on Saturday (13 September).
Real return to league action on 20 September, as they travel to Worcester City who play their home games at the 12,000-capacity, Sixways Stadium, more often used for rugby and a ground Bedford Blues will also be visiting this winter.
