National League One

Bedford Blues 17 Moseley 15

Pretty it was not, but Bedford Blues claimed a last-gasp 17-15 win against Moseley at Goldington Road tonight (Friday).

On a still, foggy evening, the Blues recovered from an 8-0 half-time deficit to partially banish the memory of their crushing reverse at Doncaster.

Following an impeccably observed minutes silence for the late Dave Ledsom, it was the visitors who opened on the front foot with a lineout and scrum in a threatening position.

This served as a wake-up call for the hosts who quickly found their stride but five minutes of possession found nothing in the way of end product.

A hangover from the previous weeks drubbing at Doncaster was almost inevitable for the Blues but, in stark contrast from six days previous, their defence was displaying a far more solid look.

It wasn't until the 17th minute that the scoreboard operator was called into action, Oliver Thomas slotting a penalty as reward for a decent spell of Moseley pressure.

With a lack of confidence still evident in their play, it was crucial that the Blues hit back strongly but they missed an opportunity when Brad Davies – back in the starting line-up after a 10-week absence – pulled a penalty attempt wide of the left-hand post.

Thomas missed an overly-optimistic 50-yard penalty but Moseley, who had a monopoly over possession, were proving dogged opponents who were not allowing the Blues any room in which to operate.

Unable to get their hands on the ball, the hosts went further behind five minutes before the break when Nathan Williams crossed wide on the right although the lead stayed in single figures as Thomas missed the subsequent conversion.

The Blues pressed as half-time drew near but they were unable to penetrate a stubborn defence and went into the interval deservedly trailing 8-0.

Needing a response, the Blues came out for the second half with a quicker tempo and they dragged themselves back into the game when Ian Davey was sent over in the left corner. Davies reduced the deficit to just a solitary point with an accurate conversion.

The pace and precision that was badly lacking in the opening 40 minutes was paying dividends and Davies, with a 35-yard penalty, earned the home side the lead for the first time in the 50th minute.

With the crowd finally coming to life in response to the increased quality of the fare on offer, Moseley squandered the chance to regain the lead when Thomas' weak penalty came up short.

Despite being in the ascendancy, the Blues contrived to shoot themselves in the foot when a poor clearance found Nathan Bressington who easily sidestepped the covering Will Harries to touch down, Thomas converting to make the score 15-10.

The Blues drove straight up the field from the re-start but lost possession in front of the posts which was the signal for the visitors to exert themselves unsuccessfully in Bedford's 22.

As the clock ran down, it was all Blues and, after their most fluent play of the night, they played their get out of jail free card to perfection as Rory McKay got on the scoresheet.

James Pritchard added the simple conversion and a minute later the whistle went to signal the end of a contest that the Blues were fortunate to come out on top of.

BLUES: Harries, Dodge (Pritchard 70), Burke, Roberts, Davey, Davies (Vass 70), Walshe (Dickson 51), Walsh (Cecere 57), Richmond, Boulton, Cannon, Botha (Howard 59), Tupai (Gillanders 70), Harding, McKay.
Subs: Locke.

Attendance: 2,406