Real Bedford Women Put Six Past Northampton Town in Pre-Season Friendly
Real Bedford Women produced an impressive attacking display to record a commanding 6-0 pre-season victory over Northampton Town, with a relentless first-half performance laying the foundations for an emphatic win.
The Pirates needed just two minutes to open the scoring. Excellent link-up play between Gaylor and Puddick down the left created the opportunity for a trialist, who blasted home to give Real Bedford the perfect start.
Buoyed by the early breakthrough, Real Bedford took complete control of proceedings. Gaylor went close with a long-range effort that drifted narrowly wide before sustained pressure saw Lucy Wood twice threaten. A well-worked short corner resulted in Wood’s effort being parried into a crowded penalty area, where the follow-up was ruled out for offside, before another Byrom delivery picked out the forward, whose effort flew over the crossbar.
The Pirates continued to carve out chances. Mehmet struck the post from distance before another dangerous Byrom cross found Wood, who couldn’t keep her finish down. Moments later, Wood rounded the goalkeeper after racing through on goal but was unable to find the target from a tight angle.
The second goal finally arrived just before the half-hour mark. Puddick produced a superb pass to Mehmet, who made no mistake to double the Pirates’ advantage.
Real Bedford continued to dominate possession, with Georgiou firing over from distance before Mehmet turned provider to set up a trialist on the left, whose effort also cleared the crossbar.
The third goal came five minutes before the interval as Wood collected the ball from a trialist before smashing an unstoppable effort beyond the Northampton goalkeeper.
Wood wasn’t finished there. On the stroke of half-time, another incisive pass from the trialist sent the forward racing through on goal, and she kept her composure to finish clinically and claim her second goal of the afternoon, giving Real Bedford a deserved 4-0 lead at the break.
Second Half
Northampton started the second half with an early free-kick that came to nothing, but the Pirates quickly resumed their attacking threat. Puddick embarked on a powerful run before seeing her effort crash against the post, while Wood was denied a hattrick by an excellent save after another perfectly weighted pass from a trialist.
Real Bedford continued to press for more goals. A defensive mix-up almost saw the ball ricochet in off a trialist, before another trialist struck a powerful effort that was tipped onto the crossbar by the visiting goalkeeper.
Although chances became less frequent as the half progressed, the Pirates remained firmly in control and added a fifth with 15 minutes remaining. A trialist embarked on a superb solo run, cutting inside before calmly passing the ball into the bottom corner.
There was still time for one more. Excellent footwork from Mehmet opened up the Northampton defence before she squared for another trialist, who applied the simple finish to round off an outstanding performance.
The final whistle confirmed a comprehensive 6-0 victory for Real Bedford Women, with an exciting attacking display providing another encouraging step in the team’s preparations for the new season.
Starting XI: Meale, Puddick, Trialist, Warren, Trialist, Georgiou, Mehmet, Gaylor, Byrom, Wood, Trialist.
Real Bedford Women 6-0 Northampton Town
Date: Sunday 19th July 2026
Kick-off: 2pm
Venue: Ledger Stadium
