Allen Hat-Trick Makes it Three League Wins in a Row
By Will Murray
Real Bedford made it three league wins in a row, thanks to a 4-1 victory against Banbury United at the Spencer Stadium. A Josh Allen hat-trick and a first-half Josh Setchell strike lifted the Pirates to eighth in the Southern League Premier Central table.
Rob Sinclair started with an unchanged lineup from Saturday’s 3-1 win against Worcester City. The Pirates raced into the lead after only two minutes when a swift counter attack eventually saw Ben Stevens cut the ball back to Setchell, who tucked the ball into an empty net.
The lead was quickly doubled when another fast attack led to Allen’s first goal of the night. Setchell turned provider this time, breaking free on the right wing and cutting it back to the number 19, who made no mistake from point-blank range.
Despite a nightmare start to the game from the hosts, they provided a constant threat throughout the first-half. Jonathan Lawson and Josh Flanagan both had presentable opportunities midway through the half, but were unable to find the target on both occasions.
Chances kept on coming for Banbury, including a free-kick in the 31st minute from Luke Stokoe, which grazed the top of Tyler McGregor’s crossbar.
The Pirates still threatened on the counter attack, though, and came inches away from making it three in the 43rd when a dangerous low cross from the right wing was met by Archie Jones, but his effort dropped just wide of the post.
Just before the break, Banbury halved the deficit through Yaw Ofosu. A deep free-kick from Stokoe was not dealt with by the Pirates’ defence, and the striker found space at the backpost to bring the ball down and fire past McGregor from close range.
Second Half
The end-to-end action continued after the interval, with Stevens coming inches away from extending the lead with a right-footed effort in the 51st minute.
Three minutes later, McGregor made a pair of crucial saves to deny Ofosu and Alex Worley after a succession of dangerous corners from the hosts.
The Pirates survived this wave of Banbury pressure and were rewarded with a third goal through Allen in the 67th minute. Stevens won the ball back deep into the Banbury half before finding Allen, who went round the goalkeeper and calmly slotted into the net.
Banbury continued to cause problems from long throws and corners, with Drew Richardson and Lewis Hilliard both making crucial last-ditch blocks to deny the hosts’ attackers.
In the 78th minute, Allen completed his first hat-trick for the club to put the game beyond Kevin Langmead’s side. A ball over the top found the 21-year-old striker, who took it in his stride and fired a low left-footed strike into the bottom right corner.
The victory is Real Bedford’s third consecutive win in the Southern League Premier Central, putting them within two points of the play-off positions.
In his post-match interview, Sinclair said:
“Absolutely superb performance from the boys. The way we counter attacked, centrally and out wide, was phenomenal to watch. They couldn’t live with the pace when we broke.
It was an incredible performance against a really good side, so I’m delighted.”
Next up for the Pirates is a home game against Stamford in the FA Trophy third qualifying round on Saturday 4th October. You can buy tickets for the match here.
Lineup: McGregor, S. Ward, Richardson, Morrell, Hilliard, Stevens (Weyman 81’), Watkins (Simmons 79’), Jones (Weyman 64’), Tee (Ahmed 88’), Setchell (Soile 82’), Allen (Hitchcock 88’).
Banbury United 1-4 Real Bedford
Tuesday 23rd September 2025
Kick-off: 7:45
Location: The Spencer Stadium
