Buxton picked up a convincing 3-0 victory against nine man Bedford at home.
Connor Douglas attempted to spark the first real opportunity of the afternoon, slipping a pass in behind for Johnny Johnston, but the delivery carried too much weight and drifted out for a goal kick.
Shortly after, Buxton captain Connor Kirby stepped up from fully 40 yards with a speculative free-kick, though his ambitious strike sailed wide of the upright.
Moments later, Kirby turned creator, lifting a measured ball over the top towards Johnston, only for the striker to be swiftly crowded out by the Bedford back line.
Buxton continued to press and Douglas showcased sharp footwork to glide past two defenders before bending an effort towards goal that took a deflection and looped behind for a corner.
That sustained pressure paid off in the 22nd minute as The Bucks edged ahead. George Ward shrugged off Ben Nugent and cleverly nudged the ball into Johnston’s path, allowing the forward to slot home and make it 1-0.
The visitors’ afternoon deteriorated further on 31 minutes when Ellis Brown was dismissed with a straight red card for an off-the-ball strike on Luke Brennan.
With the extra man beginning to tell, Buxton doubled their advantage five minutes before the interval. Ashton Mee let fly from 25 yards and his effort, aided by a deflection, found the net for 2-0.
There was still time for another before half-time as a slick passing move ended with Johnston applying the finishing touch for his second of the contest.
After the restart, Johnston nearly completed his hat-trick but could only volley narrowly off target as he chased a third goal.
Matters worsened for Bedford in the 53rd minute when a second red card was shown. Tyrone Marsh was sent off for kicking out at Max Bardell in another off-the-ball incident, reducing the visitors to nine men.
Buxton soon handed a debut to new signing Jesurun Uchegbulam, who was quickly involved as he looked to tee up Brennan, whose strike was blocked behind.
The tempo dipped for much of the second half, with clear-cut openings at a premium until the closing stages.
Late on, Douglas whipped a dangerous ball across the face of goal that almost reached substitute Deniche Hill, but it just evaded him.
In the dying moments, a sharp counter led by Cian Coleman released Uchegbulam, and Brennan eventually smashed an effort against the crossbar, only for the assistant’s flag to cut celebrations short for offside.
