Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Tom Boyle (centre of the three Ledbury players) prepares to take the exquisite 40th minute free kick which netted him his fourth goal of the game, as Ben Miller and seasoned home captain that night Scott Roberts stand either side of him (📸: Chris Ponter)

Following a shock 5-3 defeat away to Welland, despite thumping the same side 8-0 at home during only the second league game of the season back in September, Ledbury Town repaired the damage done just under a fortnight ago in an unusual Thursday evening Herefordshire FA County League Premier Division encounter under the floodlights at New Street, playing Hinton for a second time this season as Tom Boyle netted all the goals in a 4-1 win.

With the aforementioned defeat dropping them down to fourth in the league table, as well as a scheduled game against Shobdon at home being postponed last weekend on account of the league’s basement boys being unable to field a side, Ian Merrick’s men needed to get back to winning ways if they were to stay in contention of finishing second in the league this season below runaway leaders Hartpury University, especially with current holders of the runners-up Hereford Pegasus Reserves having defeated Hinton 5-0 at Broomy Hill the evening before the cancelled Shobdon fixture at New Street.

Sure enough, in similar fashion to the 2-0 victory which occurred the last time the Ledbury first string played Hinton away just four days after their first meeting against Welland of the season, all the work was done during the first period of play.

Rather than different goalscorers however, as was the case when Curt Williams and Josh Burns found the two goals at Broomy Hill back in mid-September, the plaudits belonged to Boyle as the prolific Town striker provided a breathtaking goalscoring masterclass throughout the first period of play, running rampant playing downhill even if the hosts really should have added at least another four or five goals to their tally through James Febery, Ben Febery, George Walker and Nathan Ince all missing chances during the opening 45 minutes and some way into the latter period of play.

In what was very much a game of two distinct halves however, a seemingly complacent home outfit started to take their foot off the gas as the second period unfolded, with a better latter half of play from the visiting outfit culminating in substitute player Brandon Jennings finding a well-deserved consolation goal five minutes from time, with Ince picking up the only booking of the evening from local referee Liam Brace.

Boyle was out of the starting blocks almost immediately as the opposing goalkeeper just about managed to keep the seasoned Ledbury marksman out as he threatened close to the line, before the Hinton goaltender made a good save to see Boyle chip the ball up off the bar.

James Febery then nodded the ball over the woodwork, before Boyle’s first of four goals scored that evening occurred on only the tenth minute of play, when a great cross from Walker allowed the premier Town target man to race in and bury the ball to get his side off the mark.

Boyle’s brace was completed just five minutes later when he raced down the near wing to fire home a thunderbolt into the bottom corner of the net in what was a strong contender for the home side’s goal of the season, with Ben Miller then going on to strike the ball wide of the far post from just outside the box.

Boyle’s hat-trick came on the 23rd minute, when a superb throughball from Williams allowed the goal-hungry striker to play the ball back into the box once more to put away his treble, before a Ledbury corner ball was met with a weak clearance from a visiting defender, nearly allowing nearby Walker to capitalize.

The Broomy Hill goaltender then raced off his line to beat Walker to the ball and decisively clear it away, before the young Town midfielder was flagged offside by the away linesman while embarking on a run with the ball down the far wing.

James Febery then put a more improvised 33rd minute effort over the bar, before a tussle for the ball between younger sibling Ben and an opposing defender on the touchline saw Brace give the hosts a corner, which was delivered into the box to be mis-struck by Miller as a further quick header from James Febery went astray.

A dogged Hinton defender then did admirably well to keep both Boyle and Walker at bay from the ground towards the far wing, even if his prolonged defensive challenge eventually led to Brace giving Ledbury a free kick after the official judged the visiting player to have obstructed the ball with both feet.

The spot kick proved pivotal, going on to be struck immaculately by Boyle into the top corner of the net to leave the opposing goaltender with no chance of making the save, giving even the earlier screamer quick and stiff competition in terms of the most impressive goal scored by the hosts this season.

Boyle couldn’t quite get the touch in the box as a further good corner ball was delivered by veteran Town captain that night Scott Roberts, before the closing moments of an exemplary first period of play from the black and white shirts saw both of the Febery siblings put efforts narrowly wide of the target.

The elder of the brothers was swapped for Ince over the interval, with Williams being moved to a more midfield position as the hosts’ first substitute player that evening missed a very early second half sitter, with Ben Febery squandering a further chance in knocking the ball over the woodwork as Ledbury’s goal tally really should have stood at six or even seven by this point.

A failure on Town’s part to take full advantage of Hinton’s problems to improve their goal difference further, a factor which could become crucial by the time the league enters its final stages in the coming weeks, was exacerbated when Walker missed two golden opportunities in quick succession to get on the scoresheet via the ball being both driven into the box and crossed in through the trademark pace of Ince, as the visitors then chose to make a first substitution of the night.

This was swiftly followed by a corner ball from the blue and white shirts which led to an offside flag being shown by Tom Skittery running the near sideline, with home goaltender James Loader then being called upon to make his first real save of the game as Hinton continued to up their game with Ledbury conversely having not properly got into gear so far during the second half of the proceedings.

Merrick chose to shake up his squad with half an hour left on the clock with a double change of personnel, as Walker and Williams left the field for Burns and Chris Wickham respectively, before Loader had to use both palms in order to block a threatening 25-yard strike from the visitors.

A leg injury incurred by Ben Febery after an opposing player fell on top of him during a challenge then forced the Town regular to retire in exchange for Skittery, before home man of the match that evening for a solid defensive display James Kenny did well to nod a Hinton corner ball clear while under pressure from a visiting forward in the box.

Ince’s yellow card occurred on the 73rd minute in sending a visiting defender flying on the far wing, with a close header from an opposing forward from a well-taken corner ball reminding the hosts that it was just as well that they were already four goals clear at this point.

Pete Jeynes then came to blows with three Hinton defenders near the Ledbury dugout, even if Brace saw no cause to issue any further cards, and after Boyle missed a chance to hit five in firing the ball wide of the frame back upfield, the visitors’ persistence finally paid off, bagging their consolation goal through a strong header from a corner set-piece which this time overcame Kenny in defence.

Town protests over their defender being pushed over in the box were brushed aside by Brace for the goal to stand, with Kenny assisting Morgan Skidmore with a spot of cramp after his team-mate took a tumble while under pressure from an opposing midfielder on the near wing going into the final moments of the game.

This welcome win moves Merrick’s senior squad up to third, continuing to stay there two days later due to Hereford Lads Club suffering an unexpected 4-2 defeat to lowly Ewyas Harold to keep them fourth, with the battle for second place being kept wide open with Pegasus Reserves only managing a 2-2 draw against Welland the same day.

Ledbury retain a crucial two games in hand over Lads Club and three in hand over Pegasus, who lie two points either side of Town as Merrick’s men continue their campaign for the second spot with a critical second meeting of the season against none other than Lads Club Reserves at the Herefordshire FA County Ground on Saturday 9th April (KO 3:30pm).

This will then be followed by a hotly-anticipated second league meeting of the season against table-toppers Hartpury in an evening encounter at New Street on Wednesday 13th April (KO 7:45pm), before Ledbury finally look set to face Shobdon in league action at their aerodrome venue three days later (KO 2:30pm).

Town have a score to settle against Lads Club after the Hereford-based outfit emerged 2-1 victors at New Street around Halloween during an encounter marked by a numerous contentious penalty decisions from referee Joshua Marchant, even if this did allow Ben Febery to convert a successful spot kick just four minutes in.

James Price equalized for the visitors on the brink of the interval, before Lads Club gained two penalty opportunities courtesy of late challenges from captain Matt Rooke and Jeynes, with Nicholas Weaver putting away the second as Ince had to take up the goalkeeper’s gloves from Joshua Worrell, after the home goaltender was knocked off his feet through an ill-advised challenge which earned the opposing attacker a straight red card.

Ledbury were beaten 5-1 by Hartpury at their campus-based venue a fortnight prior to the game against Lads Club, even if it took a controversial free kick from substitute player Najee Holder to eventually break the deadlock moments before the half-time whistle was blown by referee Adrian Rocke, as a far more dominant second half from the University-based outfit saw King Baidoo score a brace, final home substitute player Brandon Smalley find the net on the 72nd minute, and Joshua Bissett scoring five minutes from time as Burns found the sole consolation goal for Town on the 65th minute.

A far tighter affair occurred at New Street during a highly memorable Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl semi-final played out in early February, as, against all the odds, the scoreline stood at a goal apiece at the end of the ninety minutes after an early goal from Burns saw Baidoo equalize just before the break, with neither side managing to break the deadlock during a rather more uneventful second period of play, as a thrilling penalty shootout saw Miller, Williams, man of the match Roberts, Ben Febery and Burns all find the net to result in the visitors’ first and so far only defeat of the season.

The original opening game against the league’s basement boys on the very first day of the current season was cancelled on account of no referee being available at Shobdon Airfield, with the first re-scheduled date at the aerodrome venue being postponed back in mid-February owing to the numerous waterlogged pitches created by Storm Eunice before the aforementioned recent scheduled New Street meeting between the two sides was postponed.

Despite not locking horns with Shobdon in league play so far this season, Town have already recorded a stunning 11-2 thrashing of the bottom table holders during a bitterly cold Charity Bowl cup quarter-final fixture at their aerodrome pitch back in late November, when Miller struck four, Walker found his first hat-trick at senior level football with the aid of two penalties, and James Febery, captain Tom Trigg, Roberts and Sam Branch all added to the visitors’ illustrious tally on the day.

Ledbury’s Charity Bowl victories over Shobdon and Hartpury after comfortably seeing off Holme Lacy with a 4-0 win at New Street in the first round back in early October with goals from Boyle, Burns, Ince and Miller, also means that they will now face Pegasus Reserves in the final to be played at the County Ground on Wednesday 11th May (KO 7:45pm).

Town last won the cup back in April 2019, when an 81st minute winner from substitute player Charlie Docherty secured a memorable 3-2 victory at Westfields’ allpay.park ground following first half goals from Joe Bullock and Samuel Palmer-Young.