Pirates held to a stalemate at McMullen Park in front of a record crowd
One thousand plus fans packed into the home of Real Bedford on Saturday to watch a tense 0-0 draw, as the Tring Athletic defence held firm across the 90 minutes.
The title chasers had plenty of chances, and 20 minutes in, Mo Ahmed made a dangerous run down the touchline before squaring it to Ben Stevens. The midfielder's effort was swept away off the line by Adam Sawyer though, keeping the scores level.
Just before halftime, Eddie Corbit won the ball in the midfield before finding Lee Watkins, who headed it onto Joey Evans. The striker flicked the ball into the path of Josh Setchell, who was inches away from finding the bottom left corner from a tight angle.
Second Half
The Pirates knocked on the door for the whole second half but struggled to break down Tring's solid wall of defenders. However, with under 15 minutes to go, Real Bedford got another chance to take the lead. Mo Ahmed and substitute Eniola Agemoh-Davies combined well on the left before finding Ben Stevens in the area, but his shot was deflected just over the bar.
Tom Hitchcock, Joey Evans, and Ben Stevens soon combined in a congested midfield to pick out Agemoh-Davies on the left flank. Dan Gould made the bold decision to rush off his line, and it paid off. Agemoh-Davies took a heavy touch heading into the box, forcing his attempted cross to be smothered by the rushing Tring keeper.
With a quickly taken corner, Real Bedford tried to catch the visitors unaware; Setchell floated a cross towards the back post, where Tom Hitchcock headed it wide of the mark.
With seconds left to play, The Pirates were then handed a lifeline. Harry Jones lunged into Josh Setchell in the area, giving the referee little choice but to point to the spot. Luke Knight stepped up to take the penalty, but Dan Gould saved it.
Therefore, both teams walked away with a point, with Rob Sinclair's men unable to capitalise on the sensational support from the McMullen Park crowd.
Real Bedford now face London Lions in a crucial clash that may determine the winner of the league under the Tuesday Night Lights. Tickets for the match are available here.
RBFC: McGregor, Corbit, Longden (Agemoh-Davies 75'), Wood ©, Richardson, Smith (Knight 79'), Setchell, Watkins, Evans, Stevens, Ahmed (Hitchcock 83')
Unused Subs: Gordon, Ducket
Real Bedford 0 - 0 Tring Athletic
13th April, 2024
Kick-off: 3pm
Location: McMullen Park
