Back to back wins in Nationwide South still elude Sutton this season after two second-half goals enabled Bedford to end their own poor run of three consecutive league and cup defeats and move back above Us in the table.

After all the optimism that was brought back from Bognor the previous week it was a disappointing outcome, although there were positives to take from a performance that produced some pleasant enough football at times but no real end product.

With Charlie Ide recalled by Brentford, and playing a full 90 minutes in their defeat at Nottingham Forest, the lone striker's role on Saturday fell to Eddie Akuamoah, whose tireless if fruitless efforts possibly underlined just how well Ide had played at Bognor, although Bedford's defence was a good deal more uncompromising than Us had encountered in Sussex, and Gavin Hoyte used height and weight advantage to avert trouble on several occasions.

On another day, though, Us might have taken at least a point and it was only a brilliant opportunist goal by substitute Michael Lyon three minutes from time that gave Bedford's victory a misleading impression of comfort.

Things started promisingly for U's, with Akuamoah fouled on the edge of the penalty area in the first minute but Matt Gray's free-kick disappointingly close to goalkeeper Ian Brown, and at times in the half there was some fine movement and passing, notably one raking crossfield pass from Gray that gave Warren McBean the chance to cut in and hit a shot that deflected in to the air and was punched clear by Brown from inside his six yard box and cleared by Hoyte, with Us slow to put the defender under pressure.

Although Us had more of the ball, though, it was Luke Naughton who was called in to action more than Brown, competently dealing with shots from Ben Farrell and Ian Draycott, and grateful to see a Barrington Belgrave header hit the outside of the goal frame.

Both sides came closest to scoring in the last minutes of the half, with McBean not quite able to organise his feet after the ball fell to him inside the area after a good run by Gray, and Akuamoah then lifting the loose ball over the bar, and Draycott then allowed clear when Lewis Gonsalves failed to cut out Hoyte's long pass but seeing his fierce shot turned aside at full stretch by Naughton.

The start of the second half saw referee John Steel take centre stage as his zero tolerance approach produced a rash of yellow cards, the afternoon's final total being seven in what was some way from being a seven bookings match, and Akuamoah and Hoyte in particular were left bemused by what seemed a considerable over-reaction to the mildest of disputes as they contested a ball on the touchline.

The official was unlucky, though, having booked Lee Howarth for a foul on Ross Gaynor after first allowing a possible advantage to develop, that after the move broke down Bedford launched the attack that saw them take the lead.

Derwayne Stupple's run and pass, and Belgrave's neat lay-off gave the in-form Draycott the chance to clip a shot past the advancing Naughton and inside the far post.

Us response was to introduce Richard Harris for Akuamoah, which gave the home defence more of a physical presence to worry about, and they should have levelled when a fine run and pull back by McBean seemed to have set Gray up, but he tried to take one touch too many and was crowded out.

McBean also headed over from a Gaynor corner, while Brown had to be down quickly to cut out a low cross from the highly promising Craig Tanner, but Us couldn't put the home goal under any sustained pressure and were finished off in stunning fashion three minutes from the end as Tony Quinton was dispossessed just inside his own half.

When the ball broke to Lyon not far outside the centre circle he immediately launched it goalwards, and Naughton, somewhere near his 18 yard line having made himself available for a possible pass back, could only watch as the shot sailed over his head and dropped in the net.

Sutton: L Naughton, R Palmer, L Gonsalves, J Scarborough, L Gonsalves, T Quinton, M Gray, W McBean, E Akuamoah(sub R Harris 61), R Gaynor, B Alimi. Subs n/u R Blackwell, P Honey, S Clayton, M Maan. Booked: Akuamoah(50-unsporting behaviour), Gaynor(55-foul), Tanner(80-foul).

Attendance: 457 Sutton play their first home league game for five weeks on Saturday when league leaders Histon are the visitors.

The Cambridgeshire side, who took four points from the games between the sides in their debut Nationwide South campaign last season, opened up a three-point lead at the top with their defeat of Lewes on Saturday coupled with Salisbury's last minute loss at Eastbourne.

Us are also at home to Cambridgeshire opposition on Tuesday when they play Cambridge City in a game rearranged from October 28.

Last season's meeting produced possibly the best game of the season at Gander Green Lane, Matt Gray's last gasp winner giving Us a 3-2 result after Cambridge had levelled twice - it was U's first win since December 10.

Sam Clayton scored Us goal in last Wednesday's friendly against AFC Wimbledon, which finished 1-1.

Clayton pounced on a rebound off goalkeeper Danny Andrews five minutes after half time, cancelling out Danny Grieves' header three minutes before the interval.

Sutton have been drawn at home to Nationwide South rivals Braintree Town in the third qualifying round of the FA Trophy, which will be played on Saturday 25 November.

Us won at Braintree on the first day of this season, John Scarborough scoring, but the last cup meeting between the sides was in 1996-97 season when Braintree, then in the lower divisions of the Ryman League, beat Us over two legs 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals of the Isthmian League Cup.

Meanwhile, Us have been given the chance to avenge one of their more humiliating defeats in recent years after being drawn away to Corinthian Casuals in the second round of the Surrey Senior Cup on Tuesday December 12 (kick off 7.45pm).

The last competitive meeting, in September 2000, saw Casuals, who were in Division Three of the Isthmian League but now play in Division One South, beat Us 1-0 in the first round of the League Cup, with Us misery compounded by the sending off of current team captain Ryan Palmer. The winners will be away to Egham Town or Colliers Wood in the third round.

Sutton's reserves retained top spot in the Suburban League despite a heavy defeat at Hayes on Saturday.

They went down 4-1 after Jason Henry had missed a first half penalty, Alex McKay netting a consolation goal eleven minutes from time.

This Saturday they visit Camberley in the second round of the Suburban League Cup, having played AFC Wimbledon at Croydon Athletic's ground this Thursday in the Surrey Premier Cup.