- Spalding United are unbeaten in their last 4 home fixtures (W3, D1).
- Real Bedford FC have failed to win their last 2 away fixtures (D1, L1).
- Spalding United have scored 25 goals in 9 home fixtures in the league this season (2.78 per game).
Cup double for Spalding on Saturday
Spalding Utd’s 7-0 win at Redditch United was followed by their 4-1 home victory over Leiston. Both results confirm that Jimmy Dean’s side can really cut loose on their day and could be a handful when Real Bedford come to Spalding on Saturday.
Dean has transformed Spalding into a team that plays a patient, possession-based style and they are usually the better side when they probe patiently and create overloads in the middle third. The Saints are flying high in the Southern League Premier Division Central with 47 points from 22 games and have the firepower to blow teams away on their best days.
Real Bedford FC, by contrast, have a different style entirely with their collective discipline and pressing game. The visitors are not a long-ball team, but do press high up the pitch and get forward quickly in numbers when they win the ball back. They can be dangerous on the break as a result, particularly if they get players in behind.
Rob Sinclair’s side have 34 points on the board from 18 fixtures and are still in the promotion picture in sixth spot. There is little to split these sides on paper and only 3 points and bragging rights at stake in this all-Midlands matchup, but the visitors edged a 2-1 home victory over Spalding earlier in the season and will fancy their chances of repeating the feat.
Spalding should edge a good game
The hosts are favourites at 16/25, but the underdogs are available at 83/25 here and that looks much too long with the draw also available at 71/25. Real Bedford have won five, drawn two and lost only two of their nine away league fixtures this term and have all the qualities to make this a battle on Saturday.
But Spalding are a solid outfit at home with six wins, two draws and only one defeat and there is enough firepower in their ranks to see them through here. The contrast between the styles should make for a fascinating game in the early stages at least with Real Bedford pressing and the hosts trying to control the tempo.
Spalding’s goals per home game average is among the highest in the division and they should get the win in this one, although the pressing of Real Bedford could lead to a few scruffy moments for the home side. The Over 2.5 Goals market at 61/100 looks like a good alternative as both teams will be keen to exploit each other’s obvious defensive vulnerabilities.
Ben Stevens has scored two of Real Bedford’s last four goals and is a key part of a direct attack, while Spalding have a few goal-getters and should prove too strong in the end.
