AFC 3 Real bedford 4
AFC Dunstable 3 Real Bedford 4 (2-0 Half time)
Beds Senior Cup match
Creasey Park Tuesday 7th October 2025.
Attendance – 78
Match report by Richard Church.
For the second time in the space of four days, we came up against a team from step three in a cup game, and gave a good account of ourselves. It was good to measure ourselves against a team that won our league by a country mile last season.
AFC started the stronger and took the game to our visitors. Maks had the first chance of the game with barely three minutes played when he had a clear shot from a nicely delivered corner but the keeper pulled off a fine save. Bedford were unlucky not to score on 15 minutes when a fierce strike cannoned off the bar and the rebound was smacked over the bar – the game was very even at this point, but it was not long till AFC took control.
On 21 minutes Kyle sped his way through a back pedalling defence and played the ball to Ike who hit a first time shot that deflected off the keeper on its way in to the net to put us one up. Seven minutes later, we went further ahead when Avto found himself one on one with the keeper – the keeper made a decent save but the ball fell nicely back to Avto who rifled the ball over the prostrate keeper and in to the goal. 2-0 to AFC and pretty much in control of the game. The turning point came on 40 minutes when Wits was red carded for (presumably) denying a goal scoring opportunity on the edge of the box. Although the resulting free kick was blazed high and wide, we still had 50 minutes of the game left to play with one player short. Even so, we produced a great chance to go 3 up with just a minute of the half to play. Following a great exchange between Avto and Ike down the right, Avto looked certain to score but he hit his shot agonisingly just over the bar.
Real Bedford came out with a new purpose in the second half and started to put the pressure on the home side. Within the first minute a stinging shot saw a great save from Matt. On 53, Carm showed some great determination to run the ball out of defence and eventually played the ball out to Avto on the wing. Avto cut in to get a shot off but it was well blocked by a retreating defence.
Just after the hour the game swung back in Real’s favour. Two absolutely superb shots from Ben Stevens (on 63 and 65 minutes) both found the net giving Matt no chance of getting anywhere near the ball. 2-2 and very much game on. A couple of chances came and went for AFC – Ike hit a superb first time shot following a corner that the keeper saved with his legs and then a chance for Maks that was deflected wide. Real took the lead on 78 minutes with a Josh Allen shot hit low from the right of the goal.
As we went in to added time, we finally got the break we deserved when the ball was played in to the box and Kyle managed to get there to smack the ball home and make it 3-3. Penalties to decide the game looked the likely outcome but we were hit with a sucker punch just a minute later when Josh Allen scored the winning goal following a quick breakaway to make it 4-3. Just after that the whistle went. Real knew they had been in a battle and celebrated wildly on the pitch.
So, out of the county cup that we so brilliantly won last season at the first hurdle. Fair play to Real – on balance of play they just about scraped it but if only we’d managed to keep 11 players on the pitch, I’m sure it would have been a different outcome.
Man of the match (as decided by the AFC committee) was Ike – a constant menace to the Real Bedford defence and on the scoresheet once again.
Team line up (subs in brackets); Matt Bonsu, Aaron Addy (Ben Lynch 42), Carmichael Uchenna, Tali Jallow, Shawn Joseph, Mwita “Wits” Mgoyo, George Joyce, Maks Jarzabek (Bruce Nsang 81), Avto Akhsiashvili (Tra Lucas 81), Ike Okwusogu (Gabriel Adelowo 75), Kyle Brooks
