Bedford Blues 32 Doncaster Knights 29 (4th May 2024)
Surprisingly good weather and an unexpected lack of decent football alternatives had me looking at checking out Bedford’s Goldington Road ground for my afternoon’s sport fix, with another foray into rugby below the top tier.
Bedford Blues might be in the Championship, but the town of Bedford is definitely in the Premiership when it comes to traffic jams. I had planned to have a little look round the town, but delays limited that to an unusual 360 degree circuit of a pretty little market square, before being able to head off in the direction of the car park I’d picked out.
After a little stop in a pub nearby, it was just a short walk to Bedford’s home, and there’s something special about a town centre ground. Many clubs, in all sports, have sold their traditional old town centre grounds for modern rebuilds on the outskirts, and it’s easy to understand why, but a ground isn’t just about the rectangle of land it sits in. It’s about the surrounding area, and being walkable from the centre makes the ground an intrinsic part of the town. It gives the place soul. When it comes to the matchday experience, no amount of face-painting, family fun, and music over the PA at an edge of town ground will replace that.
Walking into the ground, there’s something endearing about a rugby crowd on an afternoon like this. Don’t get me wrong – I love a good football atmosphere, but the relaxed feeling here, with no hint of tension among the fans, makes for a really pleasant vibe. It’s a nice place to be.
The fact that it’s taken as read that the fans won’t be stupid means people wanting a beer before (or during) the game aren’t forced to sit behind a screen, a stay in a breeze-block bunker underneath the stands, and that definitely helps. It was announced that there are no fewer than seven public bars around Goldington Road, all with a view of the pitch, along with the suites and hospitality areas, which give the ground a sense of enclosure.
The only genuine stand is an old-style stand for about 1500 people, delightfully old-fashioned, but still offering a decent view, and surprisingly light and airy. There are a few crush barriers dotted about, but the rest of the ground is mainly just two of three wide steps of terrace. Completely adequate for the crowd that nudged just of 3000 on this day, but I’m not sure what sort of view latecomers would get with a 5000 full house. The least developed side of the ground is backed by a line of mature trees, which give a pleasing backdrop, adding to the relaxed nature of the place.
Bedford have reached the top flight twice, in the earlier years of professionalism, and are consistently one of the better championship clubs, but I wonder if the are content to just stay that way. There probably is just about the room to rebuild on the same site to give the club a ground holding 10,000 or so, if they had the money and inclination, but weighing that up against what they would lose in the charm of the current experience, just for the right to lose money in front of bigger crowds, would it be worthwhile?
Maybe it’s a pity that there’s not more attention given to club rugby below the Premiership, as it has a lot to offer, and personally I’d rather see this part of the game grow, rather than see clubs overstretch themselves shooting for the moon in a bid to join the big boys at the top table.
I certainly picked the right game to go to for a bit of RFU Championship action. Talk in the programme notes was about how rare away wins were in this fixture, and fate certainly didn’t like being tempted like that in the first half with visitors, Doncaster Knights, leading 24-10 at HT. Bedford had lead briefly in the half, and done well to level at 10-10 with a man in the sin-bin, but Doncaster just seemed to have an extra bit of composure in key areas, and took full advantage.
Another early second half try for Doncaster, pushing the lead out to 29-10, had things looking bleak for the hosts. It took until the hour for Bedford to pull one back, but the conversion was missed, leaving them 15-29 down with 20 minutes left.
It was still a lot to ask to get back, but momentum had shifted, and it was now Bedford playing on the front foot. The intensity increased, and the number of handling errors decreased, and it was now Bedford looking the effective team, while Doncaster looked to be playing within themselves, not wanting to take risks, to eat up the clock. I don’t know if that really was their plan, but the initiative was fully handed to Bedford.
In the 67th minute Bedford bundled over the line to reduce the gap to 22-29, and spark an intense push to level. Doncaster were holding firm though, even pushing into the Bedford half. With a minute left, it was looking like it was just going to go down as a ‘brave effort’, but a surge forward changed things. Just a few metres from the line, and a high challenge from Doncaster saw them reduced to 14 for the remainder of the game. With the crowd roaring on, one final effort, with time in the red, saw the ball forced over, under the posts, with the conversion levelling it up at 29-29.
That would have been enough for most, but due to a ruling my limited rugby knowledge doesn’t allow me to know, the game restarted despite time being up. Bedford won the ball back, and piled forward. The 14 of Doncaster were desperate against the 15 of Bedford, looking to force the turnover that would end the game. It didn’t come. Instead the ball was passed back to Louis Grimoldby, and looking to have the only calm head in the ground, he slotted a drop goal through the posts for the most dramatic of winners.
My next two rugby games will be the Premiership Final, and the European Champions Cup Final, but they’ll have to go some to beat the drama of today’s game. Rather fewer spectators will have the luxury of being able to walk home, too.
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