Ledbury Town Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Sam Dixon as First Team Assistant Manager, and Scott Roberts as First Team Player/Coach.

The move comes as Ian Merrick’s team start their preparation ahead of the Herefordshire County League Premier Division season which starts in late August.

Sam Dixon is a former Ledbury Town First Team player, but gave up playing in his twenties. He is a FA Level 2 coach and his appointment concludes a lengthy search for Merrick’s number two.

Ian Merrick said: “I wanted to bring Sam to the club with me last season, but the timing wasn’t right for him. We had conversations at the end of the season, and he indicated that he would be keen to come on board.”

“He watches a lot of football locally and has fantastic knowledge of local players. He’s also a great lad to have around the dressing room. I played with him and he will bring great experience and humour to the dressing room. He’s a coach who I think the lads will really take to.”

Scott Roberts returned to Ledbury’s playing ranks last season. Scott’s return saw a dramatic improvement in the team’s performance, and his consistency and leadership earned him the Manager’s Player of the Season award for the 2021/22 season.

Merrick said: “Scotty’s in-game management while playing has always impressed me. At times he sees things on the pitch that I’ve missed, and I’ve been very keen to harness that knowledge. He had a few niggling injuries at the end of last season, and it became clear he may now not be able to play every week, so I was keen to have him on board.”

“Scott is also a Level 2 coach and is tactically and technically astute. Adding his knowledge and experience will hopefully bring us on and take us those extra couple of yards next season.”

Dixon and Roberts first match on the First Team coaching staff will be on Saturday (July 9^th) as Ledbury host Monmouth in their first pre-season friendly at New Street (3pm kick off).

PHOTO: (Left to right): Steve Thompson, Peter Boyle, Steve Onions and Steve Roberts.

Ledbury Town Football Club and Ledbury Swifts Football Club are delighted to announce a partnership with Bloor Homes.

The sponsorship package consists of £10,000 to help both clubs revamp facilities, as well as ongoing professional and technical support to help the teams go from strength to strength over the coming years.

The initial part of the sponsorship will enable Ledbury Town Football Club to arrange much-needed repairs and maintenance to its existing facilities, and fund new kits and equipment for Ledbury Swifts Football Club.

The second phase of the housebuilder’s partnership will be assistance with the clubs’ proposed move to new facilities, along with professional and technical advice.

Peter Boyle, Chairman for Ledbury Town Football Club, said: “The sponsorship package from Bloor will be such a massive help for an amateur club such as ourselves. We can’t thank them enough.

“We’ve been in the doldrums for the last few years, but over the last year we have really picked up our standards on the field, and Bloor’s donation will mean that standards off the field will go up too.

“The money will be used to improve facilities and standards, so this will be a club we can all be proud of.

“We also massively back the scheme they’re building near the viaduct. Ultimately, many of our players in the future will live in those houses so it’s not just about the financial donation – Bloor is providing us foundations for success for many years to come.”

Steve Onions, President for Ledbury Swifts FC, said: “I’d like to say thank you on behalf of the club, and around 250 boys and girls who love playing here. We’re a community club run by volunteers, so I can’t emphasise enough how important this kind of support is.”

Steve Roberts, Managing Director for Bloor Western, said: “We’re so pleased to be supporting grassroots football in Ledbury, as we know the Swifts and Ledbury Town are clubs that mean a lot to many local people.

“This is just the first phase of a partnership which will continue for years and help to create facilities that Ledbury can be proud of, and we hope that our backing will mean that the teams can continue to go from strength to strength.”

For more information on Bloor Homes’ plans in Ledbury, visit viaduct-ledbury.co.uk.

Ledbury Town joined together with Ledbury Swifts and the rest of the community to participate in the town’s Remembrance Sunday parade.

Town Chairman Pete Boyle and Secretary/Treasurer Harry Powell, along with First Team captain Matt Rooke, and players Pete Jeynes and Nat Dunk, took part in Ledbury’s annual town centre memorial.

For the first time, the club joined with Ledbury Swifts to lay a joint wreath at the war memorial opposite the Market House. The Swifts were represented by their Chairman Mike Seabourne, President Steve Onions, Secretary Steve Thompson, Treasurer Sarah Bates, and several their coaches and junior players.

The club also paid its respects on Saturday with a perfectly observed minute silence ahead of the First Team’s home match against Pegasus Reserves.

The November fixtures for the Herefordshire County League have been announced. With the clocks going back all Saturday matches are now 2pm kick offs.

Our First Team have a tough month, with league matches against Clee Hill United and Pegasus Reserves, who have both started the league season strongly. On November 17^th, the First Team will also play Pegasus’s senior side in the HFA County Challenge Cup Quarter Final.

The Reserves play three league matches in a row at home, against Hinton and Holme Lacy, and a Ross Cup tie against Weston which, although was drawn as an away tie, will be played midweek at New Street to make use of the floodlights in a 7.45pm kick off.

Meanwhile, the Swifts have three challenging road matches in November, and a home fixture against Leominster.