Buildbase FA Trophy
Loughborough Dynamo…1
Bedford Town FC…3
The trip into Leicestershire for the Eagles was always going to be tough with Loughborough unbeaten at home in ten matches and top of their equivalent level league, like Bedford only losing their opening fixture.
The weather was also awful, aquaplaning up the M1 to reach the destination there was still doubt whether the fixture would go ahead. The pitch itself was wet, very wet, but the match survived.
Gary Setchell again rung the changes for this Buildbase FA Trophy match, with some of the big guns benched or rested.
Tom Hitchcock and Connor Tomlinson started upfront, Matt Harriot made his first start since his period of injury and once again, like the last round Josh Hill was in goal.
The match started as a fairly even affair, with chances at both ends, in the opening minutes Hitchcock had a chance after a pass from Tomlinson, but his shot bobbled past the goal, the tight angle of the shot just to much to steer it in.
The home fans were the first think it was going to be their day as they went ahead in the thirteenth minute.
Tristan Matthews found himself alone in the area and without pressure was able to slot the ball past Hill for the first goal of the day, and the first conceded by the Eagles in over 300 minutes of football.
After the goal Bedford were still edging the chances, but still couldn’t find a way through the dogged Dynamo defence.
That was until Setchell junior decided to bypass the defence entirely. From 25 yards out he launched a truly unstoppable shot, that looked like it would just miss, and had this reporter ducking as it headed in my direction.
But instead it glided into the very top corner of the net, giving the keeper no chance, and becoming the current top choice for goal of the season.
Loughborough did find the net again, but the referee’s assistants flag was raised and the teams went in level at half time.
Five minutes into the second half Setchell made his first change of the game with Harriot replaced by Matt Sparrow. Soon after the Eagles went ahead, thanks to a great individual effort from Man of the Match Will Summerfield.
He took a pass from the left by-line, controlled it in the area. and slotted it into the bottom right hand corner of the net.
Summerfield was also involved with Bedford’s final goal with a typical run into the box he was brought down by the defence. The resulting penalty slotted calmly away by Hitchcock for his first Eagles goal of the season.
With the clock ticking down Dynamos rang the changes making their three substitutions as they tried to get back into the game.
Bedford themselves also changed with Dan Walker coming on for Tomlinson and with four minutes remaining Craig Mackail-Smith replacing Hitchcock.
Moments before Mackail-Smith’s arrival, Loughborough had their best chance of pulling one back as substitute Nuno Gomes Monteiro powered his way into the area and shot across goal from the right.
His shot beat Hill, and came off the inside of the left hand post before spinning across goal and off for a goal kick.
Bedford held firm and now advance to the first round proper of the Trophy, with the draw due to be made on Monday.
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