Another Allen Brace as Unbeaten Run Continues
By Will Murray
Real Bedford extended their unbeaten run to seven matches in all competitions, thanks to a 2-0 win against Royston Town. Josh Allen scored another brace for the Pirates, meaning he has now scored 10 in his last six games.
It was a frantic first-half, with both teams coming close on multiple occasions. Archie Jones and Thomas Avgoustidis narrowly missed the target in the first 10 minutes.
Archie Locke and Josh Boorn also had shots well blocked by the Pirates’ defence, who stood firm under significant pressure from the visitors.
Rob Sinclair’s side had penalty appeals waved away in the 19th minute when Jones was brought down in the box.
The Crows grew in confidence after this and had the best chance of the game when Kian Harness headed over after a swift counter attack.
Lee Watkins also had a chance from close range to open the scoring just before the break, but he was denied by Jamie Head.
Second Half
Chris Watters’ side, who have only won one game in the Southern League Premier Central, continued to challenge the Pirates’ defence after half-time, with Adam Murray forcing Tyler McGregor into a smart save in the 51st minute.
Two minutes later, the Pirates were in front through the in-form Allen. A perfectly weighted through ball from Shaheim Ward found the number 19, who took the ball in his stride and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner.
The Crows looked dangerous in the closing stages, with Sisanda Maguranyanga missing a presentable chance in the final 10 minutes.
Real Bedford were more clinical, though, and in the 85th minute Allen put the game beyond the visitors with his second goal of the afternoon, and his tenth in his last six appearances.
This time, Ben Stevens won the ball back in the Royston half and played through Allen, who calmly slotted a low strike into the bottom left corner.
The victory keeps Real Bedford eighth in the table, two points behind the play-off positions, with a game in hand.
In his post-match interview, Sinclair said:
“The game was chaotic - Royston wanted to create that in terms of the physical battle because they’re really good at it.
The first-half was chaotic, so credit to our boys for the way they dealt with that. As their energy dipped, we got on top and controlled it more to get the goals we deserved.”
Next up for the Pirates is a home game against Stourbridge on Tuesday 21st October. Come down and support the Pirates, get your tickets here.
Lineup: McGregor, S. Ward, Richardson, Morrell (Tee 41’), Cartwright, Hilliard, Watkins, Jones (Weyman 77’), Stevens (Simmons 89’), Setchell, Allen (Hitchcock 90+3).
Unused subs: Evans.
Real Bedford 2-0 Royston Town
Saturday 18th October 2025
Kick-off: 3:00pm
Location: Ledger Stadium
