Hungerford Town were forced into a late reshuffle before kick‑off when Ramani Medford‑Smith pulled up injured in the warm‑up, handing QPR loanee Jake Leahy an unexpected debut. There was, however, a milestone to celebrate as Matt Berry‑Hargreaves marked his 200th senior appearance for the club.

The match exploded into controversy inside two minutes. Bracknell goalkeeper Zaki Oualah reacted furiously to a challenge from Kyle Tooze, sprinting 25 yards to shove the Hungerford forward to the turf. In what felt like an early omen for the officiating, both players were shown yellow cards.

Tooze continued to cause problems and fired over soon after, and it was the striker involved again when Hungerford took the lead on ten minutes. Thomas Conteh drove into the box and cut the ball back to Tooze, who teed up Josh Marcon. His first effort was blocked, but the rebound fell kindly and his follow‑up crept toward the line. Oualah clawed it away, but the assistant ruled the ball had crossed—a marginal call that left Bracknell protesting and Hungerford grateful for the decision.

The advantage lasted only ten minutes. After a lengthy stoppage, a half‑cleared free‑kick dropped to substitute Jake Coombs, who struck cleanly from outside the area to beat Luke Cairney. Once again, Hungerford were punished from a dead‑ball situation following a break in play.

The remainder of the half was scrappy, littered with niggling fouls that prevented either side from finding rhythm. Cairney was called into action in stoppage time, but the sides went in level at 1–1.

Hungerford nearly regained the lead early in the second half when Louis McGrory’s mis‑hit cross forced Oualah to back‑pedal and punch clear from under his own bar. The Bracknell keeper, already unpopular with the home crowd, did little to endear himself after his early altercation.

Just after the hour, Bracknell completed the turnaround. A needless foul by George Smith on Seb Bowerman gifted the visitors a free‑kick wide on the left. Bowerman swung it towards the far post, and as Cairney came to claim, he appeared to be impeded by bodies in the box. The keeper missed the ball entirely, and it drifted into the far corner. Hungerford’s protests were immediate and prolonged, but after consultation with his assistant, the referee allowed the goal to stand.

The Crusaders pushed hard in the closing stages and twice felt they should have had penalties—first when Conteh was clipped, then when Andrio Brandao was challenged. On both occasions the players stayed upright, and on both occasions the referee waved play on. They were the sort of fouls routinely given outside the area but rarely inside unless the attacker goes to ground, leaving Hungerford feeling punished for their honesty.

Despite late pressure, an equaliser never came. For the second match running, Hungerford were left feeling aggrieved by key decisions that shaped the contest. With the season tightening, Saturday’s trip to Plymouth Parkway now looms as their biggest game yet in the battle for survival.

Team: Cariney, McGrory, Leahy, Berry-Hargreaves, Gyebi (Brandao), Duffus, Smith, Shepherd, Marcon (Francis), Tooze (Squires), Conteh
Subs Not used : Chaplin, Franklin
Attendance : 288
Star Man : Josh Marcon