Concerns for Hull as AFC hold Eagles

Southern League Division One Central: AFC Dunstable 2 Bedford Town 2
Action from AFC Dunstable's 2-2 draw with Bedford Town on SaturdayAction from AFC Dunstable's 2-2 draw with Bedford Town on Saturday
Action from AFC Dunstable's 2-2 draw with Bedford Town on Saturday

AFC Dunstable were held to a 2-2 draw by local rivals Bedford Town in a game overshadowed by illness to Eagles skipper Tommy Hull in the closing stages.

With 15 minutes remaining, Hull, who has also played for Barton Rovers amongst other sides, fell to the ground with no-one around him.

Concerns were high when he reported he had trouble breathing as he was stretchered off and taken to hospital.

After a 30-minute break for treatment, it was decided to finish the game, but both sides understandably couldn’t reach the levels they had previously and the spoils were shared.

Bedford had come to Creasey Park having tasted defeat only once in their last 10 league outings, although AFC had triumphed 3-1 over their opponents in the Beds Senior Cup during that run.

With play-off places still up for grabs, the hosts knew a win for Bedford would cut the gap between the two teams to five points with a game in hand.

Both teams were on the front foot from the kick off as visiting striker Lee Roache weaved into the box on four minutes only to shoot wide.

AFC responded, as BJ Christie set up Jermaine Hall who shot over, before the hosts were ahead on 23 minutes, Nathan Frater beating keeper Enol Ordonez Suarez to Garry Malone’s clearance, poking home.

With the half time break looming, a rasping strike from Ryan Auger had AFC’s Malone scrambling across his box but his effort flew just wide.

The opening 20 minutes of the new half saw three goals as firstly Bedford restored parity, when an Auger shot (54) took a deflection which wrong-footed Malone.

AFC regained the lead on the hour mark though as from a Newman Carney corner, Leon Cashman was left unmarked to head home.

The scoring was not finished, when good work from Chris Marsh saw the Bedford midfielder cross for Roache to stoop low and head past Malone four minutes later, although neither side could then find a winner.

AFC boss Steve Heath said: “I thought both sides put in a great shift.

“We knew Bedford would come at us to close the gap in the league table and coped well with their early pressure, so a draw was a fair result.”

AFC visit Kempston Rovers in the Beds Senior Cup tomorrow night.

AFC: Malone, Bishop (Massay 55), N Carney, Griffiths, Morgan, Olaleye, Hall (Mannion 85), Cashman, Christie (B Carney 85), Humbert, Frater.

Subs not used: Murphy, Byron.

Eagles: Ordonez-Suarez, Ashley, Lofthouse-Smith, Hull, Swain, Peters, Tshikuna, Auger, Roache, Marsh, Phillips.

Subs: Karkari, Sawyer, Naseri, Adesida, Harpur.

Attendance: 152.