St Ives Town VS Real Bedford Match Preview
Date: Monday 25th August
Location: The Quattro-Tech Westwood Road
A quick turnaround from Saturday’s 2-0 away defeat to Harborough Town sees Ives prepare to take on league new boys Real Bedford, as Bank Holiday football returns to the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road.
The Saints will be looking to bounce back from their previous result which saw a Riley O’Sullivan brace inflict defeat on manager Ricky Marheineke’s side, who were the only team to do the double over the Bees last season.
It’s a victory that would have been sweet for Bees manager Mitch Austin, who previously worked under Marheineke as his assistant following the departure of Craig Adams in June 2020.
The visit of Real Bedford to the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road will provide a slightly different test for Ives, which Marheineke touched upon in his programme notes ahead of Monday’s game.
“I am really looking forward to the game. It will be another very tough fixture that will test us. We’ll need to perform at the top end of our game to get the result.”
“Rob has done an exceptional job at Real Bedford. Not only gaining success on the pitch, but also navigating the expectation with all the media hype surrounding the club.”
Despite Saturday’s defeat, Ives fans will be relieved to hear that their side made it through the 90 minutes without picking up any further injury concerns. Theo Alexandrou, who was a doubt for the game after picking up a knock against Stourbridge, played from the start and made it to the 70th minute before being substituted for Neo Dobson.
Club captain Michael Richens was the only unused sub on the day as the coaching staff continue to manage his minutes on his journey back to full fitness.
Real Bedford
The Pirates have endured a tricky start to life in step 3 with last season’s Southern League Central champions sitting one place below Ives in 13th having picked up four points from their opening four games.
Manager Rob Sinclair’s men followed up a 2-1 opening day win against Spalding United with a draw at Needham Market and two defeats against early frontrunners Halesowen Town and Kettering Town respectively.
As Marheineke mentioned in his pre-match notes, Real Bedford will be making the short trip to Cambridgeshire with a couple of former Ives players in their ranks, with forward Josh Allen and defender Eniola Agemoh-Davies returning to the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road.
There will also be some familiar faces in the dugout for Monday’s visitors, with new Ives assistant coach Frankie Fry having been taken from under the noses of the Pirates just before the start of the 2025/26 campaign.
Last Time Out
This will be the first time that these two sides have met in a match of any kind, but with both sides looking to bounce back from disappointing results in their previous fixtures, it’s sure to be a mouth-watering occasion for all in attendance on Monday afternoon.
