The Bucks’ 20-game unbeaten run came to a shuddering end with a 3-1 defeat at Bedford Town.

The Eagles made a fast start to the game, as they raced into an early lead. Having hit the bar through Junior Gyamfi in the 2nd minute, Bedford went 1-0 up three minutes later when Jid Fridye-Harper underhit a back pass, allowing former Buck Ellis Brown to nip in to give the Eagles the lead.

The rest of the first was a tight affair. Both sides struggled to create any further clear cut chances; Bedford were the more dangerous side but didn’t overly trouble Alfie Brooks in the Bucks’ goal. The Eagles did have the ball in the net shortly before half time when Ty Marsh headed home, but the goal was chalked off for offside. 1-0 to Bedford at the break.

The second half began in equally turgid fashion, with neither keeper having much to do. There was a sudden flash point when Bedford assistant, Tony Joyce, was sent off, presumably for something said to the referee, but on pitch matters were still rather flat.

That changed in the 62nd minute though, when Marsh extended the Eagles’ lead with a good freekick from an acute angle. Bedford’s top scorer caught Brooks out at his near post, hitting a right-footed effort from just beyond the left-hand corner of the Bucks’ penalty area, somehow swerving the ball inside the front post and into the top corner.

But with the Eagles seemingly cruising at 2-0, a red card for Jack McDowell handed the Bucks some impetus. Oliver Cawthorne went close on 71 minutes, but his effort was deflected narrowly wide. But from the resultant corner, Dylan Allen-Hadley’s kick was flicked home by Matty Stenson.

The Bucks had dragged themselves to without touching distance. But no sooner than they had done, they found themselves 3-1 down. Orrin Pendley was adjudged to have fouled Ben Issacson, and Marsh stepped up to confident stroke home his fifth goal in three games for the Eagles.

There was one final twist as Marsh given a second yellow card, seemingly rather harshly for not leaving the pitch quickly enough. Buck while the Bucks huffed and puffed, they couldn’t find a way through the Bedford backline, as Wilkin’s men fell to a first competitive defeat since January.