In a historic first encounter, Real Bedford beat Bedford Town 3-2 to win the Bedfordshire Senior Challenge Cup Final on Friday (24 July), earning the Pirates an early piece of silverware, and bragging rights in local football.
Tom Hitchcock’s second half winner completed a comeback from 2-1 down for the Pirates, leaving captain Drew Richardson to lift the trophy, although the majority of the 2,383 in attendance at The Eyrie had already left disappointed.
Facing the Eagles on the Eyrie pitch for the very first time, Bedford’s new boys on the block claimed a landmark victory over the old guard in dramatic fashion.
Bedford Town took the lead twice in the first 45 minutes, but couldn’t hold on as the Pirates battled back to a 3-2 triumph.
With Real Bedford faltering last season in their endeavour to ascend the English Football pyramid, the wait will go on for a league fixture between Bedford’s two heavyweight outfits.
This cup meeting allowed for a glimpse of the rivalry that could ensue in the coming years.
While the Bitcoin-funded could-be giants, Real Bedford, are working on provisional plans for a new stadium, as things stand the two grounds are in touching distance of each other, creating an ecosystem that breathes football and breeds tension.
Read: New sports campus plans revealed at Bedford International Athletics Stadium
Despite a slightly delayed kick-off, it was the heavily favoured Eagles who started the brighter.
Debutants impress
Lewis Franklin on the Bedford Town right was immediately a handful for the Pirates’ backline, stretching them at any given opportunity with his raw speed.
Real Bedford did also make their presence felt in the early knockings of the game. Some neat interplay between new signings, CJ Kiala and Jordan Ponticelli resulted in a lobbed shot from the latter and a smart save from Laurie Walker.
With ten minutes gone, the scoreline took its first turn in the way of the home team, Bedford Town.
George Moncur, one of the Eagles’ few returners from last season, was found on the edge of the box by former Real Bedford man, Ben Weyman, with Moncur dispatching the ball past Real’s trialist goalkeeper, opening the scoring.
Counter to pre-match expectations, the game itself was played at a rather leisurely pace. It was perhaps the price to pay for planning the match at a time where players are still being put through their pre-season paces.
In light of that, players were still eager to impress their respective bosses ahead of the season. One player particularly eager to catch the eye of his gaffer was Real Bedford’s debutant winger, Kiala.
Just 11 minutes after the opener, Kiala demonstrated his appeal in style to equalise for the underdogs.
Kiala did it all himself, cutting in from the right wing to curl a left-footed effort past Walker, who should have done better to save it.
The first half scoring wasn’t done quite yet though, as the tide turned back in the favour of the Eagles just minutes before half-time.
Bedford Town’s loan signing of Reading frontman, Reece Evans was announced by his inclusion in the lineup, choosing to leave it late to reveal their secret attacking weapon.
Evans announced himself to the Eyrie with the goal that put his new team back ahead in the cup final.
Weyman was back again to foil his old side; this time it was his deflected strike which fell kindly into the path of a gracious Evans, who clinically tucked away the chance.
As the teams went in for half-time to the sight of the evening Eyrie sunshine, the National League North side looked in pole position to win the trophy and the Bedford bragging rights.
Hitchcock winner
No personnel changes were made during the break, though Real Bedford looked like a team reinvigorated in the second half.
Conor Tee on the left wing was their most threatening outlet by far, therefore it was no surprise that he had a large hand in creating the equaliser.
It was Tee’s cross from the left side which incisively evaded Town’s covering defenders to find Ponticelli who guided the ball into the top left corner to restore parity. It was game on once more in the derby.
Questions were asked of Rob Sinclair when Ponticelli made way for Tom Hitchcock just four minutes after his pinpoint equaliser, but Pirates fans didn’t have to wait long before those questions would be emphatically answered.
This time the goal came from the Real right and Josh Allen. He eased his way past Greg Taylor before squaring it to Tom Hitchcock who fired into the roof of the net, truly living up to his expectation as a super sub.
Bedford Town struck the woodwork a startling three times in the second half, perhaps an indicator that it just wasn’t to be their evening.
Many of their substitutes looked promising, which is a good indicator for the forthcoming season, but none were good enough to unpick a resolute Pirates defence.
It was Real Bedford who claimed pre-eminence in the first of what could be many iterations of Eagles vs Pirates, and their reward was to lift the Bedfordshire Senior Challenge Cup trophy on their rival’s turf.
A distinctly bitter end to the evening for Bedford Town.
Both sides continue their pre-season campaigns in midweek as Bedford Town face a Luton Town XI and Real Bedford welcome St. Albans City to McMullen Park on Tuesday (28 July).
