Milton Keynes Irish 1 v Biggleswade FC 3

A 10-man Milton Keynes Irish side fell to their second consecutive league defeat of the season against Biggleswade FC, who ran out as 3-1 winners on Tuesday. 

Owen Brooks fired Milton Keynes Irish into the lead after seven minutes when his driven strike found its way past Ibrahim Rashid, who, at full stretch, couldn’t stop the ball from nestling into the bottom corner. 

Biggleswade FC continued to look dangerous with their quick passing moves, utilising their wingbacks to create crossing opportunities and forcing Tom Ladyman to make numerous saves throughout the match, which telegraphed large periods of this match.  

Terry Shrieves’ men could have doubled their lead when Brooks weaved his way into the box and flashed an effort across goal, but Rashid came out on top this time with a strong hand down to his left. 

Biggleswade would go on to equalise when Ladyman made a great save, which ricocheted onto Muzaffar Amoako’s arm on the goal line, leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot and dismiss the defender after 23 minutes. 

Daniel Bond took on the responsibility to find Biggleswade an equaliser, and he made no mistake, sending Ladyman the wrong way and cushioning the ball into the bottom right corner. 

The introduction of Nathaniel Beecher shored up the MK Irish defence in the first half under heavy pressure from Biggleswade, but Sonny Coughlin Brown had a great chance to take the lead for the visitors; however, Ladyman set a precedent for the rest of the game, making an excellent save against the winger. 

The second half was no exception, when Charlie Hayford received a pull-back on the edge of the box, forcing Ladyman into an incredible flying save, leaving Beecher to head the ball away from the onrushing Biggleswade attackers.

Milton Keynes Irish employed a counterattacking system after going a man down, and the home side forced a fine fingertip save from Rashid when Harry Guess’ superb cross was directed goalwards off a Biggleswade defender. 

MK Irish had another chance to take the lead only minutes later when Spence and Brooks worked the ball well together to Ryan Smith, who saw his effort fly over the crossbar from 18 yards out. 

Biggleswade were relentless throughout the match, and the MK Irish resistance was finally broken when Raf Wielblad curled an effort from distance over the in-form goalkeeper, with the ball smacking the underside of the crossbar to hand the away side the lead. 

Milton Keynes Irish looked downhearted after their strong defensive efforts were rendered meaningless when Wielblad’s effort found the back of the net, and their desperation began to show when Matthew Haworth and Guess saw their efforts blocked by a stubborn Biggleswade backline. 

There was still time for some heroics from Ladyman, when his trailing leg denied Coughlin Brown in another one-on-one situation and atoned for a poorly distributed pass to Bond with an expert save to keep the deficit to one. 

With time running out for an equaliser, the MK Irish players allowed their heads to drop, and the extra man advantage started to show as the game progressed to the 87th minute, and Alex Marsh smashed the ball past Ladyman to make it 3-1. 

Biggleswade FC’s win kept their unbeaten streak in the Southern League Division One Central going, whilst MK Irish continue their quest for their first league win in Step 4 in the club’s history. 

MK Irish will be hoping to end their losing streak on Saturday when they welcome Arlesey Town to Manor Fields, where they will compete in the FA Cup’s Preliminary Round at 3pm.