Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

PHOTO: A fine second half from Ledbury took the game away from Pegasus.

Ledbury Town moved to the top of the Herefordshire Football League with a 5-2 victory at Hereford Pegasus Development on Tuesday night.

The midweek fixture saw a raft of changes to the squad from Saturday’s 5-1 win at Ludlow, but first half goals from Nathan Ince and Jim Febery gave Ledbury the edge before a dominant second period saw two Ben Miller goals and a superb finish from Sam Webb take the game away from the hosts.

It only took Nathan Ince three minutes to get on the scoresheet. He closed down the young Pegasus team as they played out from the back and stole the ball high up the pitch and finished well. However, Pegasus reacted positively and were quickly level. A pass from midfield cut through the Ledbury defence and Alex Goode was forced to make a good save from the striker, but the ball bounced out and another on-rushing attacker hit a superb shot in off the post.

The equaliser affected Ledbury and they struggled to pass the ball with any fluidity or accuracy in the opening half, but took the lead again from a freekick. Miller delivered an excellent cross into the box from wide on the left. James Febery attacked it and the ball deflected in.

The best piece of football of the half came from the excellent Dean Lee. He burst down the left and delivered an accurate cross into the box but Ince headed over the bar from seven yards.

It was Lee’s influence that gave Ledbury control of the game. Two minutes into the second half, Webb played the ball from midfield to Lee, who dribbled into the box and was brought down for a penalty. Miller dispatched the kick to make it 3-1, and that spawned a second half domination from Town.

Moments after the penalty, Ince should have scored again after Miller’s ball over the top put him through on goal but he blazed over. Craig Howell had a headed goal from a corner ruled out for a push, and Aflie Regan and Cosmin Micula combined superbly to set up Ince again, but he missed his kick from close range.

With 20 minutes left, Ledbury extended their lead. Some patient build-up play culminated in a goal of real quality. Micula floated a pass over the Pegasus defence and Miller raced through and crashed the bouncing ball past the keeper from 12 yards. Two minutes later, it was five for Ledbury. Regan took the ball from wide into a central area on the edge of the box, he turned and played in Webb, and Webb drilled the ball in at the near post.

In a near-copy of what happened late on at Ludlow, Ledbury lost concentration at the back in the closing moments and Febery got caught on the ball outside the box, and the hosts stole in to score, but the result takes Ledbury to the top of the table.