April 26, 2025
Today saw the last games in the regular season in the Southern League. These diaries reported on Thame’s last match, where they fell to a 1-2 defeat at home to Flackwell Heath, missing a penalty in added on time to draw the match.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2025/04/thame-united-1-2-flackwell-heath-att.html
Consequently, Thame came into today’s game in 6th place in table, needing to win and hope that Hadley lost at Leighton Town, and in the process overturn a 13 goal difference. As today’s opponents were champions Real Bedford, the likelihood of this happening was extremely remote.
Despite the disappointment of almost certainly missing out on a promotion play-off slot, instead Thame could reflect on their improvement after finishing second from bottom last season and only being reprieved from relegation due to two step four sides going out of business, surviving with one of the best points per game ratios of the sides in the relegation places across the step 4 leagues. They also had decent runs in both the FA Cup and the FA Trophy this season.
In addition, Thame had an Oxfordshire Senior Cup final to look forward to next Saturday against step 5 side Ardley United.
Real Bedford
Real Bedford were formed in 2002 following the merger of Bedford United and US Valerio and competed moderately in the Spartan South Midlands league until 2022, when the club was taken over by bitcoin podcaster Peter McCormack, who changed the name from Bedford United and Valerio to Real Bedford.
Real Bedford then won the step 6 Division One of the Spartan South Midlands League, and then won back-to-back promotions to earn promotion to the Southern League Division One Central.
In April 2024 the club announced an investment of $4.5 million from US billionaires Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, who became co-owners of Real Bedford.
Real Bedford play at McMullen Park in Bedford and are known as The Pirates. Home colours are yellow shirts with black shorts and yellow socks.
Merger With Beford Town
After much acrimony between the two sides, in January it was reported that a merger had been agreed between step 3 Beford Town and Real Bedford, with the merged club taking over Bedford Town’s place in the Southern League and playing at the New Eyrie.
However, two weeks ago the BBC reported that the merger would now not be going ahead as the clubs had “been unable to meet a 23th April Football Association deadline to finalise the plan”, and they would continue to play as separate entities in 2025-26.
Bedford Town were three points ahead of Kettering Town in the step 3 Southern League Premier League Central, needing just a draw at home to Stourbridge Town to clinch promotion, and in doing so, remain one division ahead of Real Bedford. Bedford Town’s average home attendance this season was 795.
Real Bedford This Season
Real Bedford had stormed through step 4 to win the league, and so racked up their third consecutive promotion, winning 101 points and scoring 127 goals so far, and losing only twice in the league. Those two defeats came at home to Welwyn Garden City ( 1-2 ) in August and an unexpected 2-3 reverse at lowly Kings Langley in December.
Coming into today’s match they had a 31-6-2 record to be 11 points clear of runners-up Berkhamsted Town, and they had won 19 out of their last 21 league matches since losing at Kings Langley, with two draws against Flackwell Heath ( H 5-5 ), and Berkhamsted ( A 0- 0 ).
In Cup competitions, Real Bedford crashed out of the FA Cup in their first match of season, losing 2-3 at home to step 5 St Neots Town. The Pirates did better in the FA Trophy against step 4 opposition, winning 2-1 at Walthamstow and then hammering Leighton Town 4-0. However, they exited the competition 0-3 at step 3 Bowers and Pitsea. In the Bedfordshire Senior Cup, Real Bedford were beaten 2-0 at AFC Dunstable in the semi-finals.
When these two sides met back in October, Real Bedford won 7-2 with Josh Satchell grabbing a hat-trick.
The Pirates average home attendance this season was 329.
Real Bedford Squad
Real Bedford’s manager was ex-Stevenage, Aldershot and Forest Green midfielder Rob Sinclair, who elegantly graced Oxford City’s midfield between 2017-19. Sinclair featured in these diaries playing for Bedford Town in the first game Fatbear watched after the 2020 lockdown, which Thame won 3-0.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2020/09/thame-united-3-0-bedford-town-att-178.html
The pen pictures provided by Real Bedford for the Thame programme were perhaps the least informative ever prepared. Apart from confirming everyone was brilliant, there was no detail of their history or previous clubs. However, Fatbear was able to do some research on the internet to find out some nuggets on the outstanding Real squad,
Real Bedford had three of the top 5 goal scorers in the division, with Joey Evans having scored 37 goals, Ben Stevens 20, and Josh Setchell with 17. Evans had signed from step 6 Spartan South Midland Division side Moulton FC at the start of 2023/24, Stevens had also signed for 2023/24 from Kempston Rovers after having been a junior at Luton Town, whilst Setchell was previously with Harpenden Town.
Midfielder Drew Richardson was previously with Bedford Town, experienced defender Brett Longdon had played for Chesham United, Bedford Town St Neots, AFC Dunstable and Biggleswade Town, and midfielder Lee Watkins was another ex-St Neots player.
Defender Shaheim Ward joined from MK Irish, Jack Morrell was ex-Biggleswade Town, midfielder Archie Jones was with Peterborough United as a youngster, and attacking midfielder Issac Galliford numbered St Neots, Hitchin Town, Hemel Hempstead, Royston Town and Kings Langley amongst his former clubs.
Matchday Information
According to AA route planner, the journey from Bedford to Thame’s ASM Stadium is 44 miles and should normally take one hour and 10 minutes.
Admission for today’s game was £10 for adults, £5 for OAPs, £3 for Under 16s and free for the Under 5s. Team-sheets were available at the turnstile.
The weather at the 15.00 kick off time was overcast but 17 degrees.
Real Bedford made three changes from the side that beat AFC Dunstable 3-1 on Easter Monday with ex-AFC Dunstable midfielder Callum Nicolson, ex-Plymouth, Bristol Rovers, Crewe, Rotherham, MK Dons and Stevenage striker Thomas Hitchcock and full-back Malachi Soile coming into the side, with Galliford, Shaheim Ward and Jones all dropping to the bench.
Thame also made three changes from the side that lost to Flackwell Heath last Saturday with Oscar Lucey, Rocko Tamplin and Ty Deacon replacing Lewis Thorne and Ethan Lack, who were amongst the substitutes, and the suspended Greg Hackett.
Real Bedford were playing in a change kit of all white with black trimmings on the shirts, whilst Thame were in their usual red and black stripes.
One of the assistant referees today was Abdul Kadir, but he wasn’t the legendary Pakistani leg-spinner !
Match Report
Thame sportingly gave champions Real Bedford a guard of honour and warm applause as the visitors took to the field.
Thame kicked off attacking the ring-road end but there was little action in the opening 10 minutes as both sides slowly got into the game. The pitched looked bumpy, which wasn’t helping the passing in the early stages.
Setchell got to the byline but his cross was cleared by veteran Jefferson Louis playing centre-back today, and Thame launched a counterattack through Tamplin and Deacon but Dan West was offside.
The first corner of the game came in the 10th minute when Finlay Murray’s back-pass bobbled under the foot of keeper Matt Crowther to give Real Bedford the corner, which came to nothing. A minute later Setchell tried to run clear but good defending from Murray allowed the ball to run through to keeper Crowther.
Murray and Crowther then got in each other’s way but Crowther’s clearing kick struck Hitchcock and rose high in the air for Crowther to catch. Richardson then let fly from 25 yards and the effort bounced in front of Crowther, which the keeper gathered at the second attempt after the ball hit his chest.
Slightly against the run of play, Thame opened the scoring. Tamplin did well to get past Soile and to the left-hand by-line, and crossed to the far post. Daniel’s header was blocked but the ball reached Tutton, who played a square pass to the unmarked West, who sided footed into the corner from 8 yards as the Real Bedford keeper McGregor dived the other way across his goal. 1-0 with 15 minutes played.
The Pirates looked to immediately hit back but Stevens was stopped by an offside flag when well clear on the left wing, after which Daniel set-up Tamplin for a left-footed shot from the edge of the area that was blocked by a sliding Real Bedford defender.
Real Bedford took a stranglehold on the rest of the half, but without creating too much in the way of chances. Setchell got past Lucey and played a one-two with Stevens to run into the Thame area but good cover defence conceded a corner. Jack Tutton and Louis both made headers to clear the corner.
With 24 minutes on the clock Setchell released Stevens to the right-hand by-line but the drilled low cross with blocked by Murray. Stevens then returned the favour to Setchell with a cute flick, but again the cross led to nothing, with Mark Riddick getting in the way of it. Richardson then played a lovely pass through the massed Thame defence to find Stevens, but the left-footed shot was blocked.
A rare foray by Thame in the Real Bedford half saw Tamplin and Lucey find Deacon who then put Lucey in space on the left. The cross found West unmarked 10 yards out, but the header was steered just wide of the far post. So close to becoming 2-0 to Thame !
The game was then held-up for nearly 6 minutes whilst Soile received treatment for an injury, enabling both sides to take a drinks break. However, I’m not why Soile couldn’t have been moved the few yards off the pitch and enabling play to continue, as he didn’t appear to be seriously injured and he was allowed to come back onto the pitch right away with no apparent discomfort.
Shortly after the resumption, the impressive Setchell delivered a superb looking cross but Louis was on hand to head away. Real Bedford then won a free-kick close to the left-hand corner flag, but Stevens and Nicolson wasted it by playing short, and Thame forced a throw-in in their favour.
Setchell again made space from himself of the right, and his low ball to the near post was met by Evans, who put the ball a couple of feet wide.
As the game moved into the 44th minute, Setchell sent another cross into the Thame area which Louis headed away. The ball only went as far as Nicholson, whose first time volley headed for the far corner flag, and Setchell was unable to keep the ball in play.
The visitors continued to probe as the first half moved into added time, and Stevens free-kick was headed wide by Soile from a good position, and following another combination between Setchell and Stevens, Lucey was able to block the first cross from Setchell, with the second attempt sailing beyond the far post and off for a goal-kick.
Setchell then saw another right-wing cross headed away by the Thame defence, this time by Brayden Daniel.
At the break, Thame led 1-0 although the visitors had enjoyed nearly all of the position. However, the home keeper had not been called upon to make one save, and the two best chances of the match had fallen to Thame, and they had taken one of them.
Real Bedford came close to equalising within a minute of the second half commencing, but Jack Morrell’s header from a corner hit Lucey standing on the line at the near post, and Crowther was able to gather.
The pattern of the second half became virtually a case of attack versus defence, with Real Bedford in the role of the attackers.
Richardson sent a long cross-field pass to send Setchell scampering down the wing, but his lay back to Stevens saw the shot blocked for a corner. Two minutes later another cross from the right wing saw Murray’s clearance hit Hitchcock in the face and go off for a goal-kick.
With 56 minutes played, a lovely pass on the edge of the Thame area put Evans clear with just the Thame keeper to beat, but the league’s top scorer slammed his shot against the outstretched leg of Crowther, and the ball bounced over the on-rushing Nicolson with the goal gaping. It was a big let-off for the home side, who broke quickly through Daniel, and a cross from Stranks was met by West at the far post, but the header went a couple of feet wide.
The Pirates’ Richardson got annoyed as the referee twice allowed play to continue after robust challenges from Thame players, one of them being an advantage to Real, and was perhaps fortunate to not receive a yellow card for his abuse of the official.
In the 62nd minute, Longden flicked the ball over the Thame backline but Crowther was off his line to gather ahead of Evans.
Thame had named only four substitutes and they decided to bring them all on in one change. Curtis Brown almost made an immediate impact, intercepting a stray pass and running deep into the visitors’ half. His pass found Deacon inside the penalty area, but Soile was able to play the ball back to McGregor. Deacon tumbled to the floor in the process, it was obviously not a penalty.
Brown then skipped past Nicolson but his ball to the near post from the right was claimed by the Real Bedford keeper.
The Pirates were soon back on the attack, but Jones’ 20-yard volley went out of the ground. With less than 20 minutes remaining Setchell went on a give and go but could only run into Louis, with a goal-kick to Thame the outcome.
Shortly after, Tutton sent a 30 yard effort bouncing just wide of the post after Lack’s run had been stopped by Longden, only for the Real centre-back to pass straight to Tutton.
An element of desperation seemed to be creeping into Real’s play, as substitute Tyriq Ward optimistically went for goal from over 30 yards, and the ball went harmlessly well wide. Soile got to the byline but his cross was well ahead of his team-mates, then Morrell played a defence splitting pass only for Agemoh-Davies to let it run out of play before crossing.
The pressure told as the equaliser eventually arrived. Real took a quite free-kick which Stevens played into the danger zone. Thame were unable to clear, and after a bit of a scramble the ball looped up for Evans to get his head to the ball, which floated into the far corner past the despairing dive from Crowther. 1-1 after 78 minutes.
The visitors went in search of the winner, but Hitchcock’s header to Setchell’s cross from 6 yards was weak and trickled several yards wide. Agemoh-Davies had a shot blocked by Thorne, and Brown surged forward, went past Agemoh-Davies but his cross was put out for a corner. Lewthwaite jumped the highest to meet Tutton’s delivery, but the header went wide.
The game’s decisive moment came 4 minutes from time. Agemoh-Davies made yards down the left and played the ball to Evans inside the Thame area. The striker hit the deck after being challenged, and the referee immediately pointed to the spot. The Thame players protested furiously, and from my vantage point it looked soft, but Evans dusted himself down, and sent a fabulous spot-kick into the top corner, giving Crowther no chance. 1-2 with 86 minutes on the clock.
Less than a minute later Hitchcock’s shot hit the outside stanchion, and as the game entered added on time Lewthwaite went on a strong run and won a corner for Thame. Louis got his head to the corner, but McGregor punched away on his bar under pressure from two Thame players, and the referee blew the final whistle to bring the league season to an end.
Real Bedford had dominated the majority of the game and were deserved winners. They looked a very good side, who should do well at step 3. The result was a little harsh on Thame though, who defended resolutely and looked dangerous on their occasional breaks. Thame ended the season in 6th place, three points adrift of Hadley.
As a post-script, a crowd of 2,186 turned up to watch Bedford Town beat Kettering 2-0 to secure promotion, to probably National League North.
Link To Online Programme : https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/files.pitchero.com%2Fclubs%2F13461%2FjD44NCyPTyqqOuGYQz66_Match+Day+Programme+Real+Bedford.pdf
Thame United : Crowther – Stranks ( Thorne ), Louis, Murray, Lucey – Daniel ( Lack ), Tutton, West ( Lewthwaite ), Riddick – Deacon, Tamplin ( Brown )
Real Bedford : McGregor- Soile, Longden, Morrell – Stevens, Richardson ( T.Ward ), Nicolson ( Agemoh-Davies ), Watkins ( Jones ) - Setchell, Hitchcock, Evans
