10-man Eagles stunned by late goal

Eagles draw 1-1

An equalising goal four minutes from time, denied Bedford the three points against unbeaten Corby Town at the Eyrie on Tuesday evening.
The Eagles went down to ten men on the half hour, when Callum Donnelly was given a red card for a foul. Paul Benson gave the Eagles the lead soon after coming on midway through the 2nd half. Bedford were keeping the 11 men of Corby at bay, before Connor Kennedy received a second yellow card. Miles Smith slid in to score the equaliser for the visitors and Bedford had to settle for just one point in the league.
Even before the game started, Bedford had to make a reshuffle when Brett Longden pulled up in the warm up, and returnee, James Peters was promoted from the subs bench to defence. Ben Ford replaced Peters on the bench.
The game was a fast football game and evenly matched, until the sending off. Play went end to end in the first few minutes. Jermaine Osei put a tame shot in to the Corby goal, allowing Dan George in the Corby goal an easy save. Many potential attacks were denied by both sets of defenders. The first real shot came in the 15th minute when a poor clearance from the visitors went to Jordan Jarrold, on the edge of the area. Jarrold hit a first time shot that must have stung the hands of George, as he stopped the ball. George then denied Mason Watkins-Clark following a Bedford corner.
The defining moment came on 31 minutes when Callum Donnelly looked to have won the ball fair and square, although he caught his marker. Connor Kennedy took exception to the challenge and confronted Donnelly, before he claimed to have been bitten by the midfielder. Donnelly was given a straight red (apparently for the alleged foul alone), and Kennedy was rewarded with a yellow.
Corby took advantage of the extra man, and from the free kick, played the ball across the goal and an attacker sliding in put the ball into the side netting. It was backs to the wall for the Eagles, and despite the extra man and the lovely passing football, Corby couldn’t get near enough to the goal. As the half entered time added on, a low free kick from the right caused confusion and the ball was deflected goalwards, only to be cleared off the line by Dan Walker.
Bedford didn’t exactly put all the players behind the ball, and early on, Dan Walker, making one of his many runs down the right, worn a corner as a defender had to come over to sweep up. The corner came to nothing, but it showed that Bedford weren’t lying down.
50 minutes in, Joel Carta made enough room on the edge of the area to put a shot in with the outside of his foot, with Forster getting down to his right to save. Corby upped the tempo, and Mason Watkins-Clark made a goal saving tackle inside his own area.
Jordan Francis then shot from an angle, and although Forster saved, he couldn’t keep hold of the ball and collected it the second time when the Corby attack were bearing down on him.
With 59 minutes gone, Jon Taylor made his first substitution, putting on Paul Benson for Walker, and it proved to be inspired as the former Luton man put a pass through for Osei, but with enough Corby defenders around, the frontman was thwarted.
You couldn’t take your eyes off the game. A Bedford corner was punched out by George, Corby attacked and Forster was forced out to defend outside his own area.
The visitors then wasted a good chance to take the lead when Jordan Francis slid in at the right hand post to direct the ball, but put it the wrong side of the post.
A minute later (69th) Bedford took the lead, and it was the super sub, Benson who scored it. A cross from the left deflected high off a defender’s back, and as the ball dropped, deep in the area, Benson and George both went for it. The ball dropped between them and Benson reacted fastest to direct it into the net.
Corby boss, ex-Eagle, Steve Kinniburgh, made two quick substitutions to try and remedy the situation, but Bedford kept their shape against the 11 men.
Corby were reduced to ten men with 13 minutes to go, when Kennedy went in too hard on Grant, and received a second yellow card of the match.
With five minutes to go, Bedford should have made sure of the game when Osei, back in a defending position, played the ball up the centre for Craig Daniel, with Connor Furlong to his left and Benson to his right, Daniel played what looked to be the right ball as he fed Furlong. The substitute raced into the area with just George to beat, but saw his shot saved. Furlong tamely hit the rebound towards goal, and George, again saved, this time holding onto the ball.
Corby then assaulted the Bedford goal looking for an equaliser, and found it in the 86th minute when a scramble ended when Miles Smith slid the ball over the line from close range.
Into injury time, Grant put a free kick into the wall, then Forster bravely dived at the ball to save, and was clattered into by the ineffective Elliott Sandy; a player who usually scores against the Eagles.
Rather than a point won against unbeaten Corby, Bedford will view this game as two points lost.
The side take another break from league action on Saturday 13th October, and travel to Tilbury in the Preliminary Round of the Buildbase FA Trophy. 3pm kick off.