Brad Russell gets consolation as Bishop’s Stortford lose 2-1 to Bedford Town in Southern League Premier Central

Brad Russell’s 74th-minute goal could not spark a Bishop’s Stortford comeback as they lost 2-1 at home to Bedford Town on New Year’s Day.

The Eagles netted twice in the first period at the RDA Stadium as they took the spoils in the Pitching In Southern League, Premier Central contest.

The Blues, who had won two in a row, have slipped two places to 13th while the visitors, who were promoted last term, are up to third. Only 13 points separate second-placed Stratford Town and third-from-bottom Lowestoft Town.

Stortford return to action on Saturday (January 4) away to 18th-placed Alvechurch.

Bedford took a seventh-minute lead when Dequane Wilson-Braithwaite fired home from close range at the back post from a left-wing cross into the six-yard box.

For the Blues, Cole Dasilva’s shot was kept out by a scrambling Adam Harrison before Presley Evans missed the target from near the penalty spot.

An equaliser seemed on the cards for the hosts, but it was their opponents who struck again three minutes before the break when captain Ryan Blake poked in at the near post after Stortford had failed to clear a cross.

Chances were few and far between after the interval until the Eagles’ Edward Panter forced Elliot Krasniqi into a save in the 73rd minute.

The Blues cleared the resulting corner and went straight down the other end to reduce the arrears as Russell pounced on a loose touch by Carl Mensah before chipping Harrison.

Lewis Green’s deep cross nearly crept in for Bedford and Panter shot wide before the Blues’ Rashawn Scott missed the target with a left-footed effort having cut in from the right.

Late on, academy product Bailey Carless came off the bench to make his Blues debut as a replacement for Evans.

The final opportunity fell to the Eagles, who have done the league double over the Blues, as Panter forced Krasniqi into a superb close-range stop.

Blues: Krasniqi, Dasilva, Warner-Eley (Haines 40, Cook 61), Thompson, Melvin-Lambert (Bennett 46), Russell, Virciglio, Ogwuazor, Evans (Carless 83), Amu (Akinbulumo 12), Scott.

Bedford Town: Harrison, Wilson-Braithwaite, Davies, Dawes, Mensah, Green, Thomas (Taaffe 80), Gyamfi (booked 33), Panter, Winters (booked 23), Blake. Not used: Duggan, Simmons, Coker, Lobjoit.

Attendance: 423.