In the following season the club again beat Football League opposition in the FA Cup, defeating Norwich City 4–2 at Carrow Road before losing 1–0 at Reading. They finished as runners-up in both 1956–57 and 1957–58, again applying unsuccessfully for Football League membership, although they received one vote in 1957 and two in 1958. The Southern League was split into North-West and South-East divisions for the 1958–59 season, with Bedford winning the South-East section and going on to beat North-West champions Hereford United 2–1 in a championship play-off at Edgar Street. Despite winning the Southern League, they failed to receive a single vote in the 1959 Football League elections.