Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Ledbury Town Reserves concluded their latest season in Division One of the Herefordshire Football League with a second defeat of the season against league runners-up Ewyas Harold at New Street.

David Butcher and Harry Powell’s side had hoped to end their latest campaign with revenge over the Welsh border outfit, having been dealt two defeats by them in being knocked out of the first round of the Ross Cup in a muddy midweek encounter under the floodlights at New Street in mid-October, when a Luke Price brace and additional goal from Matthew Norton overcame the 40th minute opener from Kieran Loveridge and very late goal from Ledbury man of the match Alistair Holder, with a second 2-1 loss resulting at Ewyas Harold’s ground on Bonfire Night with Dave Preece found the consolation goal as Norton and Price again netted for the hosts.

Man of the match Morgan Skidmore this time found the only goal for Town’s second string as the visitors later went on to find the net three times, with Butcher being disappointed over the result but still hopeful for the 2023/24 season:

“It was unfortunately not the result we wanted to end the season with. We will regroup however over the off-season, and go again to hopefully do better next season.”

After an unlucky start to the season with winnable draws at home to Shobdon in mid-September and away to Hereford Pegasus Colts in mid-October, the reserves can take solace in having finished the league in fifth place, exactly mid-table a healthy eight points clear of both Kington Town Reserves and Bartestree beneath them, with the Mill Street outfit having incurred a three-point deduction for non-fulfilment of an away fixture against Ewyas Harold towards the end of February.

Despite an early exit from the Ross Cup, Butcher and Powell’s squad also managed to make it to the penultimate stage of this season’s Herefordshire FA Junior Cup competition, only being undone by a 2-1 defeat to Wellington Colts at New Street back in February after a confident 4-0 victory over Hinton Reserves at Broomy Hill in the opening round at the start of October, a dramatic 4-1 win on penalties over Leominster Town in the second round at home in mid-January when the scoreline stood at four goals apiece even after 120 minutes of play, and a comfortable 5-0 win over league newcomers The Broadleys over at Credenhill in the quarter-finals at the end of January.