Saturday 28 August 2004 - Twerton Park - kick off 3.00pm Southern League Premier Division

Going into the game with an unchanged line-up from the hard-fought 1-0 win over Tiverton Town it took just two minutes for it all to begin to go wrong. Gary Owers collected the ball in the center-circle and knocked a simple pass back toward Coupe. Inexplicably the defender allowed the ball to roll under his foot and Bedford’s Dillon was suddenly in the clear. He raced away and easily slipped the ball past Justin Shuttlewood into the corner of the net. Five minutes later City received another blow, although at least this one was not self-inflicted. Their most impressive performer in the early stages of this season so far Graeme Power had to be helped from the pitch with a twisted ankle. He was replaced by Grant Monelle, with Mike Trought switching to left-back. Briefly City seemed to be getting a grip on the game after this dreadful start but on 15 minutes, and from the visitor’s next attack, they conceded a 2nd shocking goal. Hayes broke clear down the left from Challinor’s pass. His poor cross should easily have been cut out by Coupe but all he managed was to slice the ball straight to Rydeheard, who turned it home from a couple of yards out. Once again after this blow the game settled into a pattern of City controlling possession but without the penetration that was needed to begin any sort of comeback. A deep cross from Russell Milton was fired over by Jimmy Benefield and then John Williams brought the first save out of Town keeper Brown with a far post shot after Owers had flicked on a Milton free-kick. By contrast every time Bedford ventured into the City half they looked capable of adding to their lead. Dillon flicked a 33rd minute pass into the path of Hayes but he could only lift a shot tamely into the arms of Shuttlewood. Moments later another piece of shaky defending allowed McElroy a shot that just cleared the bar. Finally, seven minutes before half time City pulled a goal back. Jim Rollo’s deep cross picked out an unmarked Williams and he sent a firm header past Brown from 10 yards out. Milton could have drawn City level before the break, weakly shooting at Brown, but City should have gone into the break a goal down to regroup for the second half. However, in stoppage time another piece of suicidal defending saw the Eagles restore their two-goal lead. Hayes was again the creator down the left flank with a cross that saw Dillon dart in front of a static Coupe to plant the ball past Shuttlewood.

City went for broke at the interval using up their remaining two substitutions by replacing Owers and Steve Tweddle with Darren Hawkins and Reinier Moor. And it was Moor who almost provided the goal that may have turned the game back toward City on 48 minutes. He weaved his way through the Bedford defence then picked out Milton with a low cross, only for the City no.11 to blast his shot high over the bar. And within three minutes the game was all but over when Coupe’s third aberration quite literally handed Dillon his hat-trick. This goal was more of a team effort on City’s part as Trought began the move by giving the ball away to Challinor. He sent in a hopeful cross that Coupe should have cut out only to just deflect it into the path of the grateful striker with his arm. The remainder of the game was almost exclusively played in the Bedford half but for all City’s huffing and puffing the nearest they came to adding to their tally was a couple of shots from Milton and Benefield that Brown comfortably claimed. Williams, one of the few City players to come out of the game with any credit, continued to try his best and had a strong penalty shout turned down when Taylor climbed all over him. But it was Bedford who came closest to scoring again before the end when Hayes headed over and a Monelle clearance rebounded off Dillon and flew just wide.