Dramatic fightback sees Bedford Town stay top and clinch play-off spot with win at Lowestoft Town

Kettering Town stay three points behind the Eagles while AFC Telford and Halesowen mean they are now four points from the top.

After a game in which both sides ended up with 10 men, delighted Bedford boss Lee Bircham said: “That was draining.

“I have had some games before - and that was right up there.

“Never in a million years should we have been 2-0 down – it was five minutes of madness.

“On another day we'd have been two or three up if we'd taken our chances. We have been very wasteful these last few weeks.

“It was an horrendous pitch to play on.

“It was all about the next goal – and it took a long time to come.

“So I was delighted with how we came back – it shows our character. They all put in a proper shift.

“Play-offs are now guaranteed and if you'd have said we'd been anywhere near that at the start of the season I would have said you're absolutely crazy.

“It has probably been the most enjoyable season we've ever had, whatever the outcome.”

Bircham and the Eagles are certainly giving the fans a season to remember.

Two first half goals gave hope to the hosts in their quest to stay in the division, but strikes from Tarrelle Whittaker, Junior Gyamfi, and a dramatic last minute winner from top scorer, Leon Lobjoit made sure the points travelled back to Bedfordshire.

The only downside to the day was Gyamfi’s sending-off after he had scored following a melee.

The three games previous, Bircham had kept the same starting line up, but was forced into a change for this one, as Elliot Simmons came in to replace the suspended Harlain Mbayo.

On a hard, bumpy and dusty pitch, it was the home side that had the first chance, when the dissembling Harvey Sayer pushed a low shot goalwards that Carl Mensah cleared, although Jonathan MacAulay looked to have it covered.

Bedford then came back with a couple of corners, with Lewis Green heading just wide, and then the defence clearing.

Gyamfi then stuck the ball over the defence for Eddie Panter to race onto, before giving it to Lobjoit, but the striker was on his weaker foot, and dipped the ball just over the bar.

Carl Mensah had a shot saved by Warren Burwood, after some intense defending from the Trawlerboys, and this prompted a rare attack for the hosts, ending with a shot across goal from Sayer.

Lobjoit was left frustrated a couple of times, as the Eagles looked for the opening goal.

He was caught offside when heading goalwards, then a desperate boot from a defender blocked a shot.

As the half entered the last third, Ryan Blake elected to seek out Gyamfi on the edge of the area, instead of having a shot himself, and the midfielder shot wide.

Travis Cole then earned a place in the referee’s book for a foul.

The sides looked as though they would go in at the break still at stalemate, but right on 45 minutes, Lowestoft took the lead when a long diagonal pass found Joao Soares-Rangel near the left corner of the area, and his resulting shot came off Lewis Green and looped over MacAulay for a sucker punch.

Worse was to come for the Eagles, when a penalty was awarded against Elliot Simmons following the faintest touch on Sayer prompted the home player to dramatically fall to the ground - not for the first time.

After some treatment, the striker got up to dispatch the penalty to give Lowestoft a 2-0 half-time lead, with Bircham and Panter looking especially aggrieved because of two penalty claims waved away earlier in the half.

Khanya Leshabela replaced Simmons at the break, and from the restart, Bedford attacked their hosts, facing a 10-man defence for a lot of the half.

A double substitution was made just after the hour mark, with Bruno Andrade and Tarrelle Whittaker coming on for Panter and Jack Davies.

Under four minutes later, in the 68th minute, Whittaker, with his first touch of the ball, had the away following celebrating, after a Gyamfi effort cannoned off a defender, and from the right corner of the goal area, the Bedford sub deftly directed the ball over Burwood to nestle in the goal.

Under two minutes later, and Bedford were level, when Louis McIntosh was dispossessed by Lobjoit, who tried his luck.

Then Gyamfi squared for Leshabela, but his shot was blocked, before the ball went back to Gyamfi, and one sidestep later, he fired into the net.

Blake went to retrieve the ball from the net, but was hampered by Cole, resulting in a melee in the goal itself.

Gyamfi had the ball taken from him by Burwood, and it looked as though the Bedford midfielder pushed the Lowestoft keeper away, who went down clutching his face.

In the aftermath, Gyamfi received a straight red, while Cole was downgraded to a yellow - his second of the day, and both sides were down to 10 men.

As the teams adjusted to just 10 men each, play became a bit stale.

A shot from Blake went wide after the ball bobbled just before he connected. Burwood then saved his side, saving from a close range shot.

However, the jubilant Eagles took the points back to Bedfordshire with a winning goal in the 90th minute, when a long clearance from Green bounced over the defence for Lobjoit to run onto. Bedford’s top scorer shrugged off the attentions of a defender, and with just Burwood to beat, fired low and into the net.

Apart from a free kick that MacAulay saved from Sayer, there was no fight left in the hosts, as the inevitability of relegation came at the full time whistle.

Easter Saturday sees Stratford Town visit the Eyrie, while two days later, on Easter Monday, Bedford travel to Hitchin Town.

The last scheduled game of the season is on Saturday, 25th April as Stourbridge visit.

All games are 3pm kick offs.

Supporters have been advised to get their tickets online to all these games, to avoid disappointment at bedfordtownfc.ktckts.com.