Harborough Town 2 (Stephens 51, Williams 87)
Bedford Town 1 (Blake 71)
Harborough Town earned their first win in Step 3 as captain Ben Williams poked home late on against Bedford Town to claim all three points.
Despite being played at a high tempo, the first half only produced a handful of chances for either side, with Alex Morris timing his tackle to perfection to prevent a shot from Bedford’s Connor Tomlinson, while Ben Stephens saw his shot saved by Ollie Bosworth before the away side’s shot-stopper denied Kai Tonge on the counter.
The visitors forced Elliott Taylor into a smart save with his legs as Ryan Blake struck his effort from an angle, but the score remained goalless as the teams headed in at the break.
As the weather turned bleaker as the second half began, the home side became brighter, and the Bees reaped their rewards ten minutes after the restart as Ben Stephens continued his excellent form in front of goal by guiding the ball on the volley into the back of the net.
The hosts continued to press for a second goal to kill off the game, with Stephens and Freddie Robinson coming close, but it was Bedford who dealt the next blow as Blake drilled the ball into the bottom corner to emphatically put his side level.
The game was evenly contested following the equaliser, but a moment of quality from Tendai Daire saw the forward divert Connor Kennedy’s free kick into the path of Williams, who duly slotted the ball into an empty net late on to secure a first win for the Bees.
MOTM: Amar Sandhu/Josh Walsh (Harborough Town)
Match Rating: 3*
By Cristian Bratu
