Bedford Town 0-1 Hemel Hempstead Town
Charlie Gorman went from villain to hero for Hemel Town as his late winner at Bedford Town lifted the Tudors off the foot of the table.
Gorman was sent off early in the match as Hemel went down 2-1 at home to Weymouth on Saturday, but the midfielder responded in the best way possible at Bedford.
The result takes Hemel above Cirencester Town in the Evo-Stik League Southern Premier Division, and Tommy Widdrington’s side are now level on points with Evesham United.
It was a deserved victory for the Tudors who never looked in any real danger of conceding, and could have had more goals themselves if it were not for a top performance from Bedford keeper Ian Brown.
It was the hosts who were first to try their luck at goal, with Gareth Price’s effort tipped over the bar by Tudors keeper Mike McEntergart.
Hemel responded with a number of chances of their own, before being handed a golden opportunity to take the lead.
The referee pointed to the spot after an infringement in the area, but Dave Pearce saw his penalty saved by ex-Tudors stopper Brown, before Gorman fired the rebound over the bar.
Both sides came out after the break in search of a winner, and Price again tried his luck on goal but could only find the side netting.
Hemel boss Widdrington attempted to freshen up his attacking options by introducing Lewis Toomey from the bench to replace Ross Lafayette, and Hemel finally forced the breakthrough with eight minutes remaining.
Gorman, fresh from Saturday’s red card drama, put his impending suspension to the back of his mind as he fired home to earn the much-needed win for the delighted Tudors.
Next up for Hemel is a home clash with Bashley in the league on Saturday, in a game in which the Tudors will be looking to build on Tuesday’s success.