Pirates Advance in FA Trophy with Stamford Win
By Will Murray
Real Bedford progressed to the first round of the FA Trophy with a 3-1 win against Stamford at the Ledger Stadium. Archie Jones, Josh Allen and Ben Stevens scored the goals for the Pirates on a windy afternoon in Bedford.
Rob Sinclair’s side started positively, with Stevens shooting inches wide after only four minutes. Stamford had chances of their own, with Kai Sanchez Tonge’s dangerous cross in the ninth minute headed just over by Fletcher Toll.
Despite the blustery conditions, the Pirates looked confident in possession and continually tested the visitors’ backline.
In the 23rd minute, they found themselves in front through Jones, who scored with his second attempt after an initial save by Nykah Liburd-Hines. Shaheim Ward played the ball through to the midfielder and after his sliding effort was saved, he guided a header into the far corner.
The Daniels continued to come forward after the opener and equalised in the 37th minute through Toll. After seeing his free-kick blocked, Jaden Charles lifted a ball into the box, with Toll beating the offside trap and poking it past Tyler McGregor.
Second Half
After the break, Jones came close to completing his brace when he was released by Allen. From just inside the box, the midfielder narrowly missed the bottom right corner, though.
Five minutes later, Jones and Allen combined again, with the former lifting a ball over the top to the 21-year-old striker. He took the ball in his stride and fired a perfectly placed left-footed effort into the far corner to regain the lead.
The pressure kept on coming, with Conor Tee causing problems for the visitors on the left wing. He was released in the 65th minute before cutting the ball back to Stevens, who curled a right-footed effort in off the post to extend the advantage.
It could have been more for the Pirates, as Tom Hitchcock and Tee had opportunities in the closing stages, but they were unable to find a way past Liburd-Hines.
We will now find out our first round opponent in the FA Trophy when the draw takes place at 1pm on Monday.
In his post-match interview, Sinclair said:
“Delighted to progress in the competition. I thought in the first-half we were a little bit safe in our play.
In the second half, we completely dominated and played a lot more aggressively in our football and got our rewards with the goals.”
Next up for the Pirates is an away game in the Bedfordshire Senior Challenge Cup against AFC Dunstable on Tuesday 7th October.
Lineup: McGregor, S. Ward, Richardson, Davies (Morrell 63’), Hilliard, Watkins (Weyman 67’), Jones, Stevens (Ahmed 75’), Setchell, Allen (Hitchcock 73’), Tee.
Unused subs: Weyman, Cartwright.
Real Bedford 3-1 Stamford
Saturday 4th October 2025
Kick-off: 3:00pm
Location: Ledger Stadium
