Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Alistair Holder is beaten to a 35th minute corner ball delivered by captain Nick Bolton, as goalscorer that evening Kieran Loveridge looks on from the foreground (📸: Chris Ponter)

Ledbury Town Reserves pulled off a remarkable comeback during a well-attended Wednesday evening fixture at New Street this week, coming back from being 2-0 down after just twenty minutes to score a 4-2 victory over Weston under Penyard in the opening round of this season’s Ross Cup competition, with man of the match Tom Skittery picking up a hat-trick.

Despite the fixture being rearranged to take place at Ledbury’s floodlit venue rather than at Weston’s ground, as had originally been scheduled over a week previously with the game having to be postponed at the last minute due to no referee being available, the home advantage didn’t appear to pay dividends for David Butcher and Nick Blakeway’s young squad at first.

The visitors opened the scoring from a free kick just before the quarter-hour mark, swiftly going on to convert a penalty six minutes later as it was Skittery’s first of three goals scored that night just before the interval which proved critical in keeping the game open going into the latter half of play.

Whatever Butcher said to his young players in the changing room over the break then appeared to work wonders, as a seemingly transformed reserves outfit equalized through Kieran Loveridge barely four minutes from the restart.

Both a Charlie Jones free kick and a forgiving crossbar enabled Skittery to complete his treble, booking his side a well-deserved place in the quarter-finals of the competition against all the odds after such an unfavourable start.

Skittery gained a chance to find his first goal before ten minutes of play were up when his opening free kick was struck past the four-man wall of opposing defenders to be caught by the keeper, before a volley from James Kenny positioned a few yards outside the box cleared the ball away back downfield.

Weston were denied a goalscoring opportunity on a very-much-unlucky thirteenth minute for the visiting outfit when Jake Bramley flagged one of their forwards offside while running the near sideline for the hosts, with the red and black shirts quickly replying by knocking the ball on past Blakeway, taking up goalkeeping duties for his side that evening as the free kick was finished to end up in the net.

Skittery saw an effort slip past the keeper and clip the post back up the far end, and after Tom Reid was forced to exit the field with a shoulder injury to be replaced by Samuel Palmer-Young in an earlier-than-expected first Ledbury substitution, the bad news continued for the hosts as referee for the occasion Nick Fish deemed Palmer-Young to have committed a foul in the box, enabling the opposition to fire home the penalty which further secured their lead.

Butcher yelled at his players to step up their game, with the Weston goaltender having to leap in order to seize the ball in front of an incoming Skittery following a deflection off Loveridge, with the reserves being unable to find anything from three consecutive corner balls on the half-hour mark as a further effort from the hosts was cleared out from the six-yard box.

Ledbury’s newfound persistence eventually paid off however when a well-taken free kick from reserves captain Nick Bolton enabled Skittery to slot in what would turn out to be a game-changing opener for his side, with the hosts managing to escape a further injury worry moments before the break when Alistair Holder returned to his feet after struggling momentarily from the results of an attempted challenge near the away dugout.

George Hackman replaced Bolton over the break as the second period began with a man down this time for the visitors near the corner flag downfield, with Fish soon waving the oncoming physio back to the dugout after deeming no further treatment to be necessary.

A Holder free kick from the near-wing saw Callum Blackmore-Davey, making a welcome return t the Ledbury second string following a bad ankle injury incurred during a friendly against Welland before the pandemic hit, put the ball just wide of the target with his left foot, before Loveridge restored the stalemate by firing home a corner ball which rebounded back out to him.

The regular reserves striker had a further chance denied barely a minute later when a free kick from Jones was nodded away by the defender stood in front of him on the edge of the box, with drama following on the 55^thminute when a poor challenge against Palmer-Young saw Fish seeing no cause to issue a booking, despite Butcher entering the pitch to check up on his stricken player.

The hosts’ first substitute player was fortunately able to shrug the injury off, as Jones’ second free kick resulting from the previous foul saw Skittery miss out on connecting with a diving header in the box.

It was a then case of third time lucky for Jones as his further spot kick was nodded on by Loveridge, with Skittery sneaking in round the back and catching the opposing defence unawares as his cheeky chip beat the keeper to put his side ahead for the first time that night.

The Weston keeper put paid to a further strike from the reserves’ star player that evening with an impressive save, before a third Ledbury change of personnel saw Bramley enter the fray in exchange for Loveridge with twenty minutes left on the clock.

Skittery then embarked on a run down the far wing, managing to cross the ball in to Bramley whose effort lacked the power needed to trouble the visiting goaltender, before the reserves’ man of the match struck in more decisive fashion when his shot from inside the box bounced down from the woodwork and over the line to complete his hat-trick.

This fourth goal prompted Butcher to bring Brad Potter off for Jake Clueit as Bolton then had to return to the field for Blackmore-Davey who was struggling with cramp, and, after Skittery eventually retired at a job well done for Jack Dandy to take over for the remaining eight minutes, it was a simply a case for the hosts to close out the final moments of the game to reserves their place in the next round of the contest against Burghill Rangers at The Copse on Saturday 4^thDecember (KO 1:30pm).

Before this takes place however, Butcher and Blakeway’s team will be looking to carry this cup success on as they return to their Herefordshire FA County League Division One campaign this coming weekend, hosting lowly Hinton Reserves at New Street before a fortnight’s break sees them entertain mid-table Holme Lacy Reserves (both games KO 2:00pm).