Real Bedford travel to Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday afternoon as the Pirates look to maintain their position at the top of the Southern League Premier Central.

MATCH DETAILS

Date: Saturday 24th October 2026

Kick-Off: 3pm

Venue: Grundon Community Stadium, Woodside Park, Dunmow Road, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 5RG

TICKETS

Tickets are available on the day:

• Adults: £15

• Concessions aged 60+: £10

• Youth aged 12–17: £8

• Under-12s: Free when accompanied by an adult

OPPOSITION FOCUS

Bishop’s Stortford currently sit 18th in the Southern League Premier Central, collecting 10 points from their opening 12 matches. Three wins, one draw and eight defeats leave the Blues looking for a result to lift them away from the bottom four.

Their most recent outing ended in a 2-1 defeat at Needham Market on Tuesday. That followed a 4-2 home loss to Racing Club Warwick and a 3-1 defeat against Redditch United. Stortford have lost their last four league matches, with their most recent league victory coming at Stamford on 19 September, when they won 3-0. 

The Blues have experienced significant changes in recent seasons. They won the Isthmian Premier Division title in 2022/23, earning promotion to the National League North, before returning to Step Three following relegation in 2023/24. A 15th-place finish in the Southern League Premier Central followed in 2024/25, with Stortford finishing 16th last season. 

The clubs met four times in competitive action last season, with Real Bedford winning both league fixtures after Stortford came out on top in the FA Cup.

The first meeting finished 1-1 at the Ledger Stadium on 30th August 2025. Stortford then won the replay 1-0 at Woodside Park on 2 September to end the Pirates’ FA Cup campaign. 

Real Bedford returned in the league on 17th February 2026 and produced an emphatic 5-0 victory against ten-man Stortford, with Ben Stevens scoring a hat-trick. 

The Pirates completed the league double with a 4-0 home win on Easter Monday, 6th April. Josh Allen scored twice, with Conor Tee and Harry Gray also on target.

GETTING TO THE GRUNDON COMMUNITY STADIUM

Sat nav: CM23 5RG.

For supporters approaching via the M11, leave at Junction 8 and take the A120 towards Bishop’s Stortford. At the next traffic lights, turn left onto the A1250 towards the town, then take the next right into Woodside. The ground is at the bottom of the road.

Supporters travelling by rail should head to Bishop’s Stortford station and plan their onward journey to Woodside Park. 

Parking

Parking is available at the ground for £3 per vehicle. The host club advises arriving early, as the car park fills quickly. 

FOLLOW THE MATCH

Can’t make it to Bishop's Stortford? You can follow the action live via our X account, with key match updates throughout the afternoon. Half-time and full-time updates will also be shared across all our social media channels.

A full match report will be available on the website shortly after the final whistle.

Follow @realbedford on X and Instagram.