Bedford Town pipped by single goal again in defeat at Chorley
Bedford Town came away from Chorley empty-handed on Saturday, after suffering their second 1-0 defeat in a week.
This time, instead of just after half time, the eventual winning goal was scored just before the break by the home side, who ended the contest with 10 men after a late red card.
That saw late drama as the balance in play favoured the Eagles, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.
Lee Bircham made two changes from the side beaten by Anstey the previous Saturday, with Ellis Brown and Cole Kpekawa coming in for Shaun Jeffers and Eddie Panter.
In the first half each side had turns to attack for a period of time.
With 10 minutes on the clock, a speculative 25 yard half volley from Tom Carr went wide.
A corner then gave Ellis Brown a chance from 22 yards, after a tame clearance, but the midfielder fired wide.
Into the 20th minute, Tyrone Marsh started and nearly finished a move, as he fed Josh Phillips down the right.
Phillips then played the ball back to Greg Sandiford, who pushed the ball into the path of Gyamfi, who tested Matt Urwin, who could only palm his shot, with Marsh reacting quickest, although his flick hit Urwin.
The Browns then combined, when Sam went on a decoy run into the area, to allow a gap for Ellis to have a go, but Urwin saved his effort.
Just before the winning goal in the 44th minute, Bedford should have taken the lead, when Tyrone Marsh fed the ball forward for Greg Taylor to run onto inside the area.
But,with just Urwin to beat, he fired an angled shot into the sidenetting.
From the goal kick, the home side got the ball upfield, won a free kick on the left, and scored when it was played in, after taking a glance from Jack Sampson, which was enough to put it into the corner of the net.
The second half wasn’t defined by the parameters of the opening 45 minutes and an early Chorley corner set a pattern of hitting the ball to the far post.
An improvised scissor kick was then executed by Connor Barratt, forcing Urwin to save.
Another improvised effort occurred a few minutes after, when Ellis Brown’s overhead kick was caught safely by Urwin..
On 82 minutes, Joseph Nolan came on as sub for Chorley. Three minutes later, he was walking off again, after receiving a red card for a scything tackle on the halfway line.
Chorley defended deeply after this, even with six minutes added time.
Bedford were reduced to a Sam Brown shot that went wide and ,right at the death, Ashmore, who had been on the halfway line, went up for a corner that Chorley defended.
Gyamfi won the ball back, and squared to the Bedford keeper, who from 25 yards out, and the away fans willing him to shoot, were deflated when he pushed the ball into the danger zone with no Bedford player close enough to stop it going off.