Pirates Progress in the County Cup
By Louie Truman
Real Bedford advance through to the Semi-Finals of the Bedfordshire County Cup after a 3-1 away win against Biggleswade United. It was an impressive performance from the Pirates, marked by clinical finishing from Joey Evans and a brace from Tom Hitchcock.
During the opening stages of the game, the hosts had a slightly better start. Kingsley Joy-Bates had a big chance which hit the side netting, and just one minute later, Biggleswade had another opportunity which just went wide. United scored the opener in the 14th minute, with Ezenwaka slotting home calmly.
Setchell appealed for a penalty in the 20th minute, but the referee thought otherwise. Biggleswade continued to press forward, and Watkins was forced to make a sliding challenge on the edge of his box. Just after this, the Pirates had another penalty claim, which was waved away by the referee.
Goalkeeper King had made multiple key saves during the first half, and he made another important stop in the 34th minute. Rob Sinclair’s side managed to find the equaliser through Joey Evans. A back-pass from United’s back line wasn’t dealt with by the keeper, and Joey had an easy finish. Just before the break, King made an excellent save to keep the game level.
Second Half
After a 20-minute delay to second half, due to a change in match officials, Biggleswade had a good chance, which just went wide of the goal. Following this, Sam Ezenwaka had another big chance, but goalkeeper King made another crucial save.
Tom Hitchcock scored, which put the Pirates ahead. A swift attack allowed Setchell to cross into the box, where Hitchcock was there to make it 2-1. In the 62nd minute, Rob Sinclair made his second change of the night, with Malachi Soile being replaced by Shaheim Ward. Real Bedford went on and continued their momentum after this; multiple blocks stopped the Pirates from scoring a third. Ben Stevens had a brilliant impact after he was subbed on at half-time. He had a free-kick which just went over the bar in the 79th minute.
The hosts kept pushing for the equaliser, but Real Bedford stayed disciplined at the back and prevented them from scoring after United had a couple of good chances to go level. In the 95th minute, Tom Hitchcock scored his second of the night. It was a great goal as Joey passed the ball across the box and Hitchcock was there to finish.
Next up for the Pirates is a home game against Bromsgrove Sporting on Saturday, 13th December. Come down and support the Pirates. Get your tickets here.
Line-up: King, Davies, Morrell, Soile (S.Ward 62’), Hilliard, Galliford, Deall (Tee 84’), Watkins (Stevens 45’), Setchell, Evans, Hitchcock
Unused subs: Richardson, Jones
Biggleswade United 1-3 Real Bedford
Tuesday 9th December 2025
Kick-off: 19:45pm
Location: Verdant Stadium
