Match Preview | Real Bedford (H)
The Yeltz host newboys Real Bedford for the first ever time at The Grove as they look to build on the win against Barwell
Written by Ben Ditchfield
The Yeltz on a current 15 match unbeaten league run in the regular season stretching back to the start of January welcome a Real Bedford side who have picked up 60 points in 2025, and not lost a single game.
Head to Head
Well this is easy… there has never been a single meeting between us and our visitors who were established in 2002 after a merger between Bedford United and US Valerio.
Russ Penn’s Thoughts
“We showed flashes of what we might be able to do this season on Tuesday night, even though I was frustrated in the first half at times particularly with our concentration levels. We came out in the second half and blew Barwell away. It was nice to see Cowley and Finn get on the scoresheet on Tuesday. We were dealt with the blow of losing Donnelly and Tee over the summer but we wished them the best because football moves on. I believe we will see at the end of the season we now have two better players for different reasons. I feel we have a new player in McKauley Manning the way he has started the season as well. We sat with him in the summer and told him what we wanted from him, and he has started with two goals to start the league season, and when he is on it there is no better player in the league. Real Bedford are a team that are heavily backed, and have momentum having achieved a few promotions. They are a good side. I know the manager well, as I used to play against him, and know he has a bit of grit about him. We will respect them because they play a different way to other sides. We have looked into their strengths and weaknesses, but overall the focus is on us today, and adding more points to the table.”
Opposition Preview
New Arrivals
Strangely there have not been many new arrivals through the door at Real Bedford, a side who received £4.5 million from US investors in 2024. Five new faces have arrived in Bedfordshire, and one of them you Yeltz fans will know very well. Conor Tee made the move away from The Grove after one season here at the club, where he scored 17 goals and got nine assists, across 46 games. His 26 goal contributions (goals + assists) across the season was the second most of any Yeltz player, behind Kieren Donnelly’s 38. Tee was the most recent arrival for The Pirates, but the first was Jack Davies. The midfielder made the journey of a matter of yards from Bedford Town’s ground of The New Eyrie to Real Bedford’s McMullen Park, and featured 21 times in the former’s run to the Southern Premier Central title last season. The five Pirates incomings all came within a week of each other, and the second was Ben Weyman. A talented 22 year old midfielder from Royston, Weyman scored the winner when we played the Crows last season away from home in December, amongst his total of five in the league. He featuring in all 42 of Royston’s league games last season. The third Real Bedford arrival was announced a day later, and it was wide man Josh Allen. The winger spent the start of last season at AFC Sudbury, where he scored five goals in 15 league appearances, before moving to St Ives Town and scoring seven times in 27 league games. Completing the three successive days of new signings announcements from the 17th – 19th June for our visitors was Spalding United defender Sam Cartwright. The 25 year old defender featured in 35 of the Tulips league games last season, scoring three times and keeping 11 clean sheets.
Summer Departures
Well, there have simply been none.
Players to Watch
The main few exciting faces at Real Bedford are the ones I have just spoken about, but there are a few more. Let’s start by going over there two line-ups for their two leagues games so far. Tyler McGregor featured in goal for both opening fixtures, and the shot stopper featured 40 times last season in the league, every single game, and kept 17 clean sheets. The defense in the first two games featured both Jack Davies and Sam Cartwright, but also defender Ben Stevens who featured in all of their league games last season at step 4. The defense has also seen Shaheim Ward feature in both opening games, with the one start, and Jack Morrall who featured on the opening day but not against Needham Market on Tuesday. In the midfield, Drew Richardson in the main man alongside Ben Weyman, and Conor Tee, the starting three in the middle for the opening two fixtures. 23 year old Richardson was one of three players alongside McGregor and Stevens to feature in all 40 league games for The Pirates in the last campaign. In the attacking third, Josh Allen has featured as a substitute in both leagues games, while Archie Jones, Josh Setchell, and Joey Evans started as the three men up top. 23 year old Jones featured in 24 league games last season scoring eight goals, Setchell 39 times scoring 19 goals, while 25 year old striker Evans featured in 38, scoring an incredible 39, yes 39 league goals. He scored a brace in their opening day win against Spalding United last weekend too, which took his 2025 tally of goals to 29.
Statistical Insights
Real Bedford
• Real Bedford have picked up 60 points so far in 2025, 12 more than the next best in this season’s Southern Premier Central, Harborough Town.
Halesowen
• Only AFC Telford United (41), Spalding United (35), and Bromsgrove Sporting (32) scored more first half goals last season than the Yeltz’s 30, tied with Lowestoft Town, Bedford Town & Royston Town.
• Only Spalding United (19) and AFC Telford United (17) scored more goals in the 15 minute period before half-time in the league last season than the Yeltz’s 15.
• No other side in the league last season conceded fewer goals in the 15 minute period before half-time in the league last season than the Yeltz (5).
• Only AFC Telford United (23), Spalding United (21), and Bedford Town (19) won more points from losing positions in the league last season than the Yeltz’s 18, tied with Redditch United.