Eagles start FA Cup campaign at White Hart Lane

The Eagles started their FA Cup campaign with an emphatic win in North London on Saturday afternoon, dispatching Haringey Borough’s tenants, Greenhouse London, 6-2
Overnight rain prompted a morning pitch inspection as a precaution. Two steps below and yet to win in the league, the hosts have played just as many FA competition games since the start of the season - scoring 15 goals in four games, including an impressive 3-0 victory over Calor League Central side, Potters Bar Town, in the last round.
Ironically a 0-0 draw wouldn’t have been all surprising as a turnaround from the combined total of 62 goals that the two sides have seen scored and conceded already this season, but the trend continued as early as the sixth minute when Bedford opened the scoring.
It came from the penalty spot after Sam Gyasi - playing his first match since dislocating his finger in pre-season - was sent tumbling in the area by Sam Owusu. The striker got up to take the spot kick and casually passed the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net.
Bedford took control of the match. Round the 10th minute and within seconds of each other, Gyasi and Lorenzo Ferrari both saw edge of area shots hit the left hand post, and a little later, John Sonuga headed just wide from a Jordan Jarrold corner.
Gyasi then tussled with Akin Akinola after a long kick from Dan Green bounced into the opposing area, managing to break free, to eventually put his effort wide.
Jarrold then combined with Andrew Phillips with the latter feeding the defender, whose angled shot was saved by Mason Durell.
Sonuga was afforded a fair bit of time upfield on set pieces, with David Femiola patrolling the defence, and on 24 minutes should have bagged Bedford’s second, but totally mis-kicked a floated ball. The rebound went to Paul Cooper, whose low shot from a tight angle on the right was saved at the foot of the post.
The Eagles didn’t give their hosts too much to go for in the 1st half, and on 28 minutes Owusu fired wide. From the goal kick Green launched the ball upfield to Jarrold, on the left, and after a little run along the wing, Jarrold swung the ball to the far side of the area where Jordan Davis’ first time shot flew into the net for 2-0.
Bedford claimed their third just before the half time whistle. With five minutes left, Phillips’ shot was saved, but a couple of minutes later was guilty of a missing an easy chance when Gyasi’s cross was missed by Durell, but the tap-in went the other side of the post.
Greenhouse didn’t clear properly from the goal kick and this time Davis surged down the right to cross in and Phillips, in determined mood made no mistake this time, heading past Durell.
Despite a couple of misses for Bedford, a gilt-edged chance to pull a goal back came just before the break when Tony Cookey, in taking the ball forward, capitalised when Green’s stretch meant that the ball came off his fingertips, but the striker snatched at his shot and pulled it wide when the empty net beckoned.
Five minutes into the 2nd half, Akinola’s 20-yard effort forced Green to effect a save, but Sonuga deflected the ball out for a corner.
Bedford’s fourth goal, in the 56th minute, was another spot-kick after the culprit from the first penalty, Sam Owusu, gave away another when his tackle sent Ferrari sprawling. Owusu received a yellow for this and instead of Gyasi, Phillips stepped up to fire past Durell.
Greenhouse pulled a goal back a minute after the hour when Cookey ran onto a through ball. With the defence claiming offside, Cookey raced towards goal, but dwelt on the ball a bit too long, allowing the defence time to try and regroup. The striker, however, was always going to atone for his miss late in the 1st half and slotted home despite the best efforts of two defenders to block the ball.
Bedford went nap on 69 minutes. Ferrari’s run into the Greenhouse area prompted a scuffed shot that went off for a goal kick. The kick was returned via Ferrari, whose cross into the area found Phillips, whose tap-in from close range gave the striker his seventh goal of the season and also the match ball after notching his hat-trick.
It was Phillips’ last contribution in the game, as before the restart he was replaced by Dominic Lawless.
Sham Barnwell, the tall substitute for Greenhouse, went close on 78 minutes when he ran at the Bedford defence only to fire wide.
a Couple of minutes later Cooper’s run into the opposition D ended with a simple push to the right for Lawless to run onto and stroke the ball past Durell for goal number six.
Jarrold nearly emulated his goal on the opening day of the season when his free kick, midway in the Greenhouse half and on the right flank had to be tipped over the bar by Durell, denying Bedford a seventh goal.
The scoring ended with a second for the hosts two minutes before the final whistle when Barnwell’s inch perfect ball through the defence allowed Solomon Ofori to race through and make no mistake in placing the ball past Green and into the net.
This was a much needed shot in the arm for Bedford after shipping ten goals in their last two away games, and the win netted the club £3000 in prize money.
The draw will take place on Monday 16th September and with Haringey Borough winning their tie, the Eagles could conceivably return to Coles Park for the 2nd Qualifying Round.

Eagles: Dan Green, Paul Cooper, Jordan Jarrold, David Femiola, John Sonuga, Jeremy Nash, Jordan Davis, Eugene Asante, Andrew Phillips [c](Dominic Lawless 69), Samuel Gyasi (Claude Seanla 75), Lorenzo Ferrari (Max Onambele 77).
Subs not used: Ashley Farmer, Kerran Birch, Taylor Rhiney, Curtis Shaw.

Greenhouse London: Mason Durell, Matt Duberry, Andy Greenslade, Akin Akinola, Janel Alexander [c], Billy Reynolds, Reece Hamilton (Solomon Ofori 72), Sam Owusu, Tony Cookey (Sham Barnwell 72), Andrea Mantovani (Billy Pike 71), Harry Honesty.
Subs not used: Kofi Appiah, Conor O’Leary, Jordan Izengo, Luca Pecorari.

Attendance: 62.