​Bedford Town plunge into the drop zone after defeats

​Graeme Tomlinson’s men have now lost seven of their last nine games and four in a row, being without a win since the thrashing of fellow strugglers AFC Rushden & Diamonds on Boxing Day.

That has now seen them drop into the bottom four, level on points with Kings Langley who sit just outside it but with the teams directly above and below Bedford having as many as three or four games in hand, the situation at The Eyrie is looking evermore serious.

What’s more, Tuesday night’s 3-0 defeat came at home to the side a place below them in the table, Stratford Town, adding to the 2-1 loss at Stourbridge on Saturday which saw Rene Howe put Bedford in front before key man Charley Sanders was sent off and Stourbridge turned the game around.

Bedford now prepare to go to Needham Market on Saturday, who sit two points and two places above the Eagles but with four games in hand, making it a must-win encounter for Tomlinson and his men.

Speaking after Tuesday’s loss, Tomlinson said: “If we’d have got the first goal after half-time, we’d have been in the ascendancy but we then concede the second with a mistake.

“From there, we revert to giving it to the goalkeeper to hit up field and become predictable and the game becomes relegation fodder. In the last half hour, we were absolutely terrible.

"On Saturday we looked comfortable but then another bad decision goes against us and it’s killed us.

"We’ve got eight games to go and probably need to win five of them.”

*Kempston Rovers were beaten 3-2 at Walthamstow on Saturday, seeing a lead overturned twice after Jake Kerins and James Hatch saw them 2-1 up after 23 minutes.

Rovers now host Didcot Town on Saturday, who are fourth in the Division One Central standings, with Rovers 12th and nine points outside the play-off zone.

*Ampthill Town battled hard to earn a crucial point at Amersham last Saturday.

It keeps them in third place in the table in the last week of February as they bid for a play-off place for the second year in a row.

More details at www.bedfordtoday.co.uk