Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

A Holme Lacy striker just about manages to evade defensive pressure from both Dale Taylor and home man of the match Pete Jeynes either side of him at the edge of the box (📸: Chris Ponter)

Ledbury Town’s long-awaited new 2022/23 Herefordshire Football League Premier Division campaign got off to a great start this week, as goals from captain Joel Skyers and Ben Febery achieved an important opening 2-0 victory over old rivals Holme Lacy at a bright and breezy New Street.

With an impressive crowd of just over a hundred spectators gathering in the sunshine to enjoy this highly-anticipated opening league game, a fairly scrappy first half eventually led to Skyers making the breakthrough five minutes before the interval, before a better and more lively second period saw Febery’s late 81st minute effort being inadvertently helped into the net by a Holme Lacy defender.

Man of the match Pete Jeynes used his head in a very literal sense to deal with two opening corner balls from the visitors, before some solid defensive work from Skyers against an opposing attacker forced the ball over the touchline to give new Ledbury goalkeeper this season Alex Goode a goal kick.

Jeynes and Goode then just about managed to deal with a tenth minute aerial ball at the near post which resulted from a first Holme Lacy free kick of the encounter, before an opening spot kick from Skyers was struck to curl around the quartet of visiting defenders forming the wall upfield to land behind the net.

New assistant Town coaches Sam Dixon and Scott Roberts, taking care of the dugout for usual manager Ian Merrick for this inaugural game, were forced to make an earlier-then-expected first substitution of the game on the 20th minute when injured newcomer Jordan Thomson was replaced with more established forward Josh Burns, before a mis-timed clearance from Goode saw him recover the ball away from a plucky incoming striker who tried his luck against the home goaltender.

Goode made full amends in pulling off a brilliant close-range save to stop a threatening effort in its tracks after an opposing attacker managed to evade both Dale Taylor and Jeynes either side of him at the edge of the box, with Tom Trigg then being successful in forcing the ball off for a Holme Lacy corner.

The set-piece was played to a visiting forward who scuffed the ball just shy of the near post in the box, before Town players and supporters alike let out cries of anguish when an opening shot from Burns flew wide of the far post.

The half-hour mark saw both a free kick and a further corner ball from the opposition being successfully dealt with by the home defence, with Burns then passing the ball on to Cosmin Micula back upfield as the strike from the newcomer from Newent this season sent the ball over the bar and behind the netting.

Skyers finally broke the deadlock after racing in to finish an assist from Burns, as a corner ball from Micula sailed over the heads of everyone in the box back up the far end.

One final first period free kick from Holme Lacy was then nodded clear only for a long cross from the near wing to send the ball back in, even if it was struck just that little too far for the blue and green shirts to reach it at the far post.

The second period began with visiting goaltender Liam Campbell seizing the ball in the air from an incoming Burns, before the village outfit had to make a very early second half change of personnel after one of their midfielders required treatment on the pitch for a head injury following a collision during a 50/50 challenge between himself and Febery.

The free kick which was nevertheless given to Ledbury was struck by Skyers to be cleared out of the box by the opposing defence, enabling one of their forwards to race away on the break upfield only to be stopped by an expertly-timed challenge from Jeynes.

A high cross from Burns back downfield on the far sideline was volleyed on by Skyers in the box to be met with a good save from Campbell, before Ryan Pugh was flagged offside by assistant referee Stuart Buchanan as the most recent Town newcomer attempted to gain control of the ball against a Holme Lacy defender on the near wing.

An impressive cross-shot from Pugh at 25 yards out on the left-hand wing was caught by Campbell, before Micula was sent flying through a late challenge committed by a visiting defender just outside the centre-circle.

Dixon and Roberts took the opportunity to substitute Chris Wickham for Lewis Williams as the ensuing free kick from Skyers was passed on to be easily dealt with by the opposing defence, and, as the hosts began to become frustrated over persistent fouling from Holme Lacy as both Febery and Williams were brought down, Febery’s free kick given after the latter challenge was met with a superb save from Campbell to send the ball over the woodwork.

The resulting corner ball was again struck by Skyers to result in Febery falling in the box in front of Pugh at the near post as Buchanan flagged for a goal kick regardless, with Pugh’s great cross to Burns being again fired over the bar to audible shouts of agony around the ground.

Ledbury frustrations were done no favours when a strong shot from Pugh flew wide of the near post, before a further free kick from the visitors on the near wing back upfield soared over the heads of the line of players running in from the edge of the box before being cleared by Taylor.

Burns’ 75th minute cross saw his side being given yet another corner ball opportunity after it came off both Williams and an opposing defender, with the set-piece again delivered by Skyers seeing two of his team-mates coming down in the box although with nothing being given by referee for the day James Cairns.

Both sides continued to express their disapproval over apparent fouls and handballs going unpunished, but after Goode made a further great close-range save at the near post, Town finally achieved the security of a second goal when a squandered corner from the previous save allowed Febery to break out of the box, crossing the ball to Williams on the near wing as his ball back to Febery saw the keen home marksman scuff the ball forwards with just enough power to result in an unfortunate defender firing the ball into the top corner in a desperate attempt to clear it.

An ill-advised challenge from Ledbury’s latest goalscorer against Campbell at the far corner flag then resulted in words from Cairns, even if no cards were produced to the disgust of Holme Lacy as Skyers was retired at a job well done for Asten Griffiths to take over for the remaining few minutes of play.

A last-ditch Holme Lacy corner ball was slotted just shy of the near post in what was their last real chance to grab at least a consolation goal from the encounter, as this opening result sees Town begin their season fifth in the table, leaving their opening opponents to make amends after being sent to the second-from-bottom spot above Hinton.

Merrick’s men have a first away game of the season this coming weekend against league newcomers Coppertops FC, who compete from the St. John’s Sports Centre at the University of Worcester (KO 2:30pm), only having three days to recover before being back in action at New Street against newly-promoted Worcester United, who finished Division One champions in the then-Herefordshire FA County League last season (KO 7:30pm).