Harpenden Town won a tense battle with Bedford at Rothamsted Park 2-1 to stay top of the Spartan South Midlands League Division One and maintain their five-point advantage.

With several senior players unavailable or injured the Harps’s makeshift side struggled for supremacy.

But two Sam Jenkins goals, both headers from Harry Hunt set-pieces, were decisive and manager Danny Plumb said: “The result was more important than the performance.

“We had a few players missing but still got three points. Some games you play poorly but still win.”

Town went ahead after 15 minutes when Jenkins made a perfectly-timed run to head home from a Hunt corner but six minutes later Bedford equalised.

The winner came on the hour after Charlie Gould was brought down on the edge of the box.

Hunt took the free kick and Jenkins again slotted away the header.

Harpenden survived a tense final 30 minutes to bring home three points.

The goals took defender Jenkins to six for the season.

Tom Warren, returning from a long term injury, had a solid game at left back cutting off many speculative long balls upfield confidently.

Town now face two crucial matches against top sides in the next few days.

Sixth-placed Kensington Borough visit Rothamsted Park on Saturday at 3pm before third-placed Biggleswade arrive on Tuesday, December 6, for a 7.45pm kick-off.

Chairman Roman Motyczak said: “I hope loads of supporters can turn out to back our team because these two games could really cement our top-of-the-table run.”