Pirates Move into Play-Off Places with Stourbridge Victory
By Will Murray
Real Bedford moved into the Southern League Premier Central play-off spots, with a 3-1 win against Stourbridge at the Ledger Stadium. Archie Jones, Josh Setchell and Joey Evans scored the goals for the Pirates, as the visitors ended the game with 10 men.
It was a cagey start to the match, with Ben Stevens shooting over from long-range after 10 minutes. Stevens looked the most likely to create something, and in the 26th minute, his wide free-kick narrowly missed Sam Cartwright, who was coming in at the backpost.
Three minutes later, the Pirates were in front through Jones. Setchell found space on the right-wing, laying it off to Josh Allen, whose ball across the box was tapped home by Jones to put Rob Sinclair’s side in front.
The visitors were always a threat, though, and in the 37th minute they were level through Joe Hull. An inswinging corner from Blaine Rowe found Hull at the backpost, and his header snuck past Tyler McGregor into the top right corner.
Just before the break, the Pirates nearly regained their lead when Drew Richardson’s powerful strike was saved by Charlie Price, with the opposition goalkeeper also denying Setchell from close range.
Second Half
After a fragmented first-half, which saw a number of stoppages and eight minutes of added time, Real Bedford were able to find their rhythm after the interval.
On the hour mark, a one-touch passing move on the left eventually saw Allen drive the ball across the box to Setchell, who slid in to score from point-blank range.
The pressure kept on coming after this goal, with Stevens and Allen both coming close to extending the advantage.
Chances were few and far between for the visitors, but Jai Verma’s shot in the 81st minute went just over McGregor’s crossbar after a few dangerous set pieces.
Two minutes later, the Glassboys were down to 10 men when Shay Willock was given a second yellow for a reckless challenge on Richardson.
The Pirates made the extra man count, putting the game to bed in the 93rd minute when Ben Weyman put the ball on a plate for Evans, who scored his first goal since returning to the squad on Saturday.
Real Bedford now sit fifth in the Southern League Premier Central, five points behind Spalding United at the top.
In his post-match interview, Sinclair said:
“A really solid performance. First-half we were in control and patient in terms of having to break them down. We got our goal that was deserved, and obviously, we gave a sloppy goal away from a set-piece.
The reaction in the second half was total domination – we could have had more goals – so I’m really proud of the performance.”
Next up for the Pirates is a home game against Ashford United in the first round of the Isuzu FA Trophy on Saturday 25th October. Come down and support the Pirates - get your tickets here.
Lineup: McGregor, S.Ward, Richardson, Cartwright, Hilliard (Simmons 75’), Watkins, Tee (Ahmed 58’), Jones, Stevens, Setchell (Weyman 62’), Allen (Evans 85’).
Unused subs: Hitchcock.
Real Bedford 3-1 Stourbridge
Tuesday 21st October 2025
Kick-off: 7:45pm
Location: Ledger Stadium
