⚡️Final Standings⚡️

⚡️ Real Bedford ended the 2024/25 season with a 2-1 victory at Thame United⚡️ REAL BEDFORD END SEASON WITH COMEBACK VICTORY AT THAME UNITED By Will Murray Real Bedford ended the 2024/25 season with a 2-1 victory at Thame United, thanks to a brace from the league’s top scorer Joey Evans. The result meant that the Pirates finished the campaign with 104 points, 15 points clear of second-placed Berkhamsted. It was a quiet start to the first half at the ASM Stadium, with the hosts defending well in a back five. Thame went ahead in the 14th minute through Dan West. He received the ball from Brayden Daniel at the backpost and slotted calmly past Tyler McGregor. Rob Sinclair’s side controlled possession throughout the first half but struggled to create clear-cut chances. Thame, who required a 13-goal swing to finish in the last play-off spot ahead of Hadley, came close to doubling the lead when Oscar Lucey’s cross was headed narrowly wide by West. The Pirates knocked on the door in the closing stages of the opening half, with Evans and Malachi Soile both seeing their efforts from close range narrowly miss the target. Second Half After the break, Jack Morrell thought he had equalised from a corner, but his header was cleared off the line by a Thame defender. Just before the hour mark, Evans’ half-volley from inside the box was impressively saved by Matthew Crowther to maintain the hosts’ slender one-goal advantage. With time running out, it looked like it wasn’t going to be the Pirates’ day, who had only lost one game away from home throughout the season. Evans had other ideas, though, heading past Crowther in the 78th minute after the ball had fallen to him in the box following a quick Ben Stevens free-kick. Tom Hitchcock nearly completed the comeback three minutes later, heading a floated Josh Setchell cross inches wide of the post. In the 86th minute, the Pirates were awarded a penalty after Evans was brought down in the box. He stepped up and emphatically put the ball into the top corner – his 39th league goal of the season and 40th in all competitions. Evans finished the season as the Southern League Division One Central’s top scorer – seven clear of Flackwell Heath’s Wiktor Makowski. The Pirates held on to secure their 33rd win of the campaign, putting them on 104 points after 40 games. After the match, Sinclair said: “In terms of summing the season up, that was probably it. Hard work, the commitment, the belief in the way we play to keep doing it. You could easily get frustrated and to go and score the two goals that they deserved to win the game – I’m really proud.”

⚡️Match Report⚡️ REAL BEDFORD REACH 100 POINTS WITH AFC DUNSTABLE VICTORY By Will Murray Real Bedford reached 100 league points with a game to spare, beating AFC Dunstable 3-1 at the Ledger Stadium, while also being presented with the League Trophy. Ben Stevens, Eniola Agemoh-Davies and Joey Evans scored the goals for the Pirates in their 15th home win of the league campaign. The first half was a tactical affair, with the away side enjoying large spells of possession in the early stages. Evans had the first chance of the game in the 15th minute, shooting just wide after being sent through by Drew Richardson. The visitors had chances to put themselves in front, but Tyler McGregor was on hand to make several important stops. Evans and Archie Jones had half chances to score the opener just before the break, but they were both unable to find the target. Second Half The Pirates improved after the interval, coming close through Stevens in the 49th minute when his right-footed strike forced the goalkeeper to make an impressive one-handed save. He wasn’t to be denied again, though, scoring four minutes later. Stevens received a short corner from Isaac Galliford before curling an effort from the edge of the box into the far corner. The Pirates looked to double their lead shortly after Stevens’ opener, with Josh Setchell shooting straight at the goalkeeper just before the hour mark after receiving a perfectly weighted diagonal ball from Richardson. The OD’s continued to cause problems, though, and were level in the 66th minute via Sean Duodu. He received the ball inside the box after some sharp passing play and tucked it home into the bottom corner. Rob Sinclair made a pair of changes in the 69th and 70th minutes, respectively, including Agemoh-Davies, who replaced Galliford. After Dunstable spurned a couple of opportunities and McGregor pulled off an impressive stop from a free-kick, the left-back put the Pirates ahead with four minutes to play. A Stevens cross was partially cleared to Agemoh-Davies, who took it past a few Dunstable defenders and eventually poked the ball home with his right foot. The third came quickly after, with Evans putting the game beyond the visitors in the 88th minute. After some sharp attacking play between Setchell and Stevens, the number nine received a perfect cross from Stevens and tucked it away to secure the three points. After the match, Sinclair said: “The boys all season, have been sensational and to get over 100 points is pretty remarkable. They should be proud of what they’ve achieved and hopefully we can go and get another three points on Saturday.” The Pirates play their final league game of the season on Saturday at Thame United. A win will see us finish on a tally of 104 points.

⚡️Final game of the season, Real Bedford vs AFC Dunstable highlights⚡️

⚡️Real Befords last game of the season Saturday 26th April⚡️

⚡️Centurions⚡️

⚡️Man of the Match Ben Stevens⚡️

⚡️Managers thoughts after the game ⚡️

⚡️Real Bedford 3 - 1 AFC Dunstable ⚡️ Real Bedford presented with trophy at last home game of the season 🏴‍☠️

⚡ Match review from win over Leighton ⚡ Late goals secure impressive away win at Leighton Town By Will Murray Real Bedford moved closer to securing 100 points in the league, winning 4-1 away at Leighton Town. Drew Richardson, Joey Evans, Ben Stevens and Archie Jones scored the goals for the Pirates in front of a 756 crowd at the Freed Veneers Community Stadium. Before the game, the Pirates were given a guard of honour by the hosts after wrapping up the league title last weekend. The Pirates dominated the early stages, with Stevens and Tom Hitchcock both seeing their efforts narrowly miss the target after some intricate passing play. Hitchcock, who played 90 minutes for the first time since the Bedfordshire Senior Challenge Cup semi-final against AFC Dunstable, was lively throughout and saw his header cleared off the line from a corner in the 27th minute. Rob Sinclair’s side were rewarded for their dominance two minutes later when Richardson won the ball back in midfield and rifled a perfectly placed right-footed effort into the top corner from 20 yards. The hosts responded immediately, with Kyal Williams driving through the midfield and threading the ball to Godlove Oppong, who tapped home from close range in the 31st minute. Both teams had chances to go ahead before the break, including Evans, who chested the ball straight at the goalkeeper from point-blank range after a floated cross from Stevens from the right wing. There was 10 minutes of added time due to a head injury to Lee Cooksey. We wish him a speedy recovery. Second Half The second half was a scrappy affair, with Leighton causing the Pirates problems, particularly through Lynton Goss. Stevens thought he had made it 2-1 in the 63rd minute, placing his free-kick from just outside of the box perfectly into the top corner. The goal was disallowed though due to a foul by Hitchcock in the box. Fabio Silvestri, who replaced Cooksey in the first-half, came closest to putting the hosts in the lead when he hit the post with a right-footed effort in the 72nd minute. With the game finely poised, Evans put the Pirates ahead in the 76th minute in bizarre fashion. George Rose’s clearance hit the number nine’s back and dribbled into the back of the net for his 35th league goal of the season. After his first free-kick was disallowed, Stevens ensured that he wasn’t denied twice. In the 82nd minute, in an almost identical position, he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way and slotted the ball into the bottom corner to put the game beyond the hosts. There was time for one more in the 87th minute, with Hitchcock lifting a perfectly weighted ball to Jones at the backpost, who smashed home from close range. The victory puts the Pirates 13 points clear at the top of the Southern League Division One Central table, needing two points from the last two matches to become centurions. Next up is a home game against AFC Dunstable on Monday 21st April. After the match, Sinclair said: “Getting to 100 points is the goal and the motivation now. When you win leagues before the end of the season, sometimes it can fizzle out, but you look at the boys today, they didn’t let that happen. That’s the target to try and get to that 100-point mark.” The Pirates are next at home on Monday 21st April, facing AFC Dunstable in the league.

⚡️Leighton Town 1 - 4 Real Bedford ⚡️

⚡️Real Bedford Club statement regarding the merger with Bedford Town⚡️ Real Bedford can confirm that discussions regarding a potential merger with Bedford Town FC have ended and both clubs will continue to operate independently heading into the 2025/26 season. Following recent communication from the Football Association, a formal deadline was set for Wednesday 23rd April to conclude merger arrangements. While conversations have been positive, the timeline did not allow enough space to finalise key governance issues and broader details required to complete such a significant move. We’d like to thank everyone in the Bedford community who contributed to the process with their input, passion, and support. We would also like to express our appreciation to everyone at Bedford Town for their part in the discussions, and we wish them the very best for the remainder of their season. Club Statement

⚡️Highlights of Saturdays game against Kings Langley⚡️ youtu.be/5falzy1_Luw

⚡️Highlights of Saturdays game against Kings Langley⚡️

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⚡️Dressing room after the game🏴‍☠️

⚡️ THE PIRATES WIN THIRD CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE TITLE IN FRONT OF WINKLEVOSS TWINS⚡️ By Will Murray Real Bedford secured the Southern League Division One Central title, beating Kings Langley 1-0 at the Ledger Stadium. Joey Evans’ first-half penalty was enough to secure a third title in a row for the Pirates in front of a record crowd of 1,426. Co-owners Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss made their first appearance at The Ledger Stadium, congratulating Rob Sinclair and his side on the pitch after the game following another title-winning campaign. The Pirates struggled to create chances in the first half. Evans had the first meaningful opportunity, lofting the ball just wide of the post from the corner of the box after 30 minutes. Five minutes later, the visitors came close to opening the scoring when a misjudged backpass found Edu Toiny Pendred, but he shot into the side netting. After struggling to break down Kings Langley, the Pirates were awarded a penalty just before half-time after Archie Jones was tripped in the box. Evans stepped up and slotted the ball into the bottom left corner - his 34th league goal of the season. Second Half Sinclair’s side improved after the interval, with Isaac Galliford and Drew Richardson both seeing their efforts narrowly miss the target. Josh Setchell nearly put an end to the game, wriggling past a couple of defenders and striking the post from the corner of the box in the 74th minute. With the clock ticking down, the tension was high in Bedford, but the Pirates continued to pepper Josh Bowler’s goal. The Kings Langley shot-stopper denied Jones with an impressive one-handed save in the 89th minute, but Evans’ first-half penalty was enough to secure a third consecutive league title. After the match, chairman Peter McCormack said: “I love the town of Bedford. I want Bedford to win. There are so many good things happening right now – we have got the football here, the Universal project, so many good little businesses. There are good people in Bedford. “We have the chance to be the fastest-growing town in the country. We’ve got so much opportunity. I just feel really happy for the people in Bedford, there is so much to be excited about.” The Pirates are at home for the final time this season on Monday 21st April, facing AFC Dunstable in the league.

⚡️Manager Rob Sinclair’s reaction.