Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Visiting man of the match and brace-scorer Tom Boyle shields the ball from an opposing defender in the box (📸: Chris Ponter)

Ledbury Town made full amends this week for the disappointing 3-1 defeat to Hereford Pegasus Reserves in the final of the Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl cup competition at the Herefordshire FA County Ground back in May last season, overcoming the title holders in a penalty shootout at Old School Lane in the first round of this season’s contest.

A predictably feisty and fiery Friday evening encounter between these two Herefordshire Football League Premier Division arch rivals featured many twists and turns under the floodlights at Pegasus’ ground, as Corey Ellis opened the scoring for the reserves after barely five minutes of play.

Ledbury man of the match Tom Boyle then levelled the score in classy style less than ten minutes later, before three yellow cards, the latter two of which resulting in a sending-off for home midfielder Marc Avery, saw Boyle complete his brace four minutes into the second period.

Harvey Evans brought the scoreline back to a stalemate within two minutes in controversial fashion from a free kick, before Town appeared to have finally avenged the previous cup defeat when Ben Febery drilled the ball home with fifteen minutes to go.

The story was far from over however, as a booking for Boyle was followed by opposing substitute player Charlie Jenkins restoring the deadlock once more on the 86th minute, taking the affair to the lottery of penalties with the traditional Charity Bowl format negating the need for extra time.

Things remained level up until visiting goalkeeper Alex Goode saved Pegasus’ second attempt after new Ledbury signing this season Ryan Pugh put away his side’s opening penalty, before Goode went on to deny the reserves’ third effort as both Zac Blood and Febery calmly put their spot kicks away.

What would be the hosts’ final penalty was then fired over the bar to confirm Town’s entry through to the next round of the proceedings, firmly putting to bed the ghost of their previous cup tournament.

Ellis’ opener saw referee for the evening Ian Jervis having a cautionary word with Dale Taylor as the returning visiting defender made his frustration quite clear over assistant referee Callum Williams refusing to raise the offside flag in the process of the attack which led to the first goal of the game, with Ledbury tempers being done no favours when Josh Burns, also making his return to the Town ranks following an absence in the 3-0 league victory away at newly-promoted Fownhope the previous weekend, was flagged offside by Liam Brace running the far sideline.

Boyle then broke through and lobbed the opposing keeper while under pressure from close range to swiftly draw his side back level on a very-much-unlucky thirteenth minute of play for the opposition, and, after Jervis had further words with a disgruntled Taylor, Boyle put a further 25-yard effort from the far sideline over the bar.

Visiting captain Joel Skyers, celebrating his birthday that day and about to receive an appropriate present in around ninety minutes’ time, then raced away on the break following a failed Pegasus assault to get the ball to Boyle on the far sideline, only for his team-mate upfront to be sent tumbling through a fair challenge from the reserves as the Ledbury skipper responded by striking the foot of a visiting defender.

The Hereford-based player quickly returned to his feet despite the cry of pain which followed the foul as a moment of peril for the Old School Lane outfit saw their goaltender briefly drop the ball in the air and only just recapturing it before a nearby Burns could pounce, before Febery was brought down on the 25th minute to see the free kick from Skyers eventually being cleared by the opposing defence.

A further Town spot kick delivered by Blood couldn’t provide that crucial second goal as the former joint-manager of the New Street first string went on to receive the first yellow card of the game for a late challenge, before Brace raised an offside flag against Boyle as the prolific visiting striker was supported by Burns on the far wing.

A third Ledbury spot kick this time struck by Taylor again couldn’t produce anything of value, with Avery then being lucky not to be shown a straight red card there and then for lunging in against the back of Febery who fell to the floor in pain towards the near sideline as a booking instead resulted.

New assistant Town manager this season Scott Roberts was able to get the plucky youngster back to his feet with some on-the-pitch physio as Febery continued to weather the storm, stumbling into the box from a further challenge made by a Pegasus defender as he went on to slip the ball wide of the far post while under continued pressure from the red and white shirts.

Avery was shown a second yellow card and a subsequent sending-off despite ending up on the floor after a 50/50 clash with returning youngster this season Matt Tristram, even if the reserves player was in no state to continue playing in having to be helped off by his team-mates limping back to the dugout.

A great cross from Boyle was struck over the woodwork by Febery to see the scoreline locked at a goal apiece going into the break, even if this was soon to change as the second period began with Burns running down the near wing and volleying the ball over the frame.

The home keeper then did brilliantly to save both a more on-target effort from the visiting attacker and a quick follow-up strike from Boyle, only for the latter Ledbury target man to bury the ball on the second rebound attempt to take the lead for the first time that night.

It only took a couple of minutes for the hosts to find the reply however, as a free kick over the sizeable five-man Town wall was slipped in by Evans a few feet short of the near post despite strong feelings from visiting players, management and supporters alike that the opposing striker had been in an offside position, before Burns was swapped for other Ledbury newcomer this season Jordan Thomson in a first substitution from Town manager Ian Merrick.

A Pegasus free kick then provided a scare for the visitors as it led to the ball being nudged just shy of the far post, before Goode dived off his line to catch a cross-shot as Lewis Williams replaced Pugh, with the reserves making their first pivotal change of personnel in bringing Jenkins into the fray.

Ledbury then slotted the ball narrowly wide of the far post as Goode went on to make a number of comfortable yet assured saves, and after Blood was exchanged for newcomer from Newent this season Cosmin Micula, the 75th minute saw euphoria for Town both on and off the pitch when Febery finished the job from twenty yards out after Williams rattled the corner of the woodwork.

The final yellow card of the night brandished to Boyle saw Febery substituted at a job well done for returning forward Pat Morgan to take over for the remainder of the game, with Goode again showing sound judgement in leaving his line to make a critical save, going on to display experience as a goalkeeper in playing the ball confidently around the home attacker in front of him.

Skyers continued to show evidence of his rugby roots in firing the ball well over from close range as Tristram defended against a free kick back downfield with a calm downwards header followed by a controlled clearance, before an opposing striker was brought down in the box by the trio of visiting defenders around him as Jervis ignored calls for a penalty.

Pegasus gained the last laugh on this occasion however when Jenkins fired the ball over both Tristram and Goode to turn the game on its head once more with four minutes left on the clock, before Boyle put the ball over to cries of anguish from Ledbury supporters as the game entered stoppage time.

The blood pressures of Town players and fans alike were tested several more times before the final whistle was blown when a reserves defender blocked a Boyle cross, Skyers missed the connection with a further great ball from the far wing and Boyle struck another effort over and wide of the target, and after Goode punched the ball clear from the swarm of players in the box back across field, one final free kick from the visitors was deflected to herald the arrival of penalties.

Although the deadlock continued with both the hosts’ and Pugh’s opening spot kicks finding the net, Ledbury quickly gained the advantage through Blood, Febery and the magnificent work of Goode as Merrick’s men now await who their second-round opponents will be when Ludlow Town Colts and Fownhope play each other at the Ludlow Stadium on Saturday 8th October.

Town have little time to recover from this cup joy as this coming Tuesday evening sees them host Welland in the league (KO 7:30pm), which will be an intriguing encounter in itself after the early mid-table holders dealt out a shock 5-3 defeat to the black and white shirts at the Upton Hill Community Centre back in mid-March last season, after Merrick’s senior squad thumped them 8-0 at New Street during only the second game of the season.

Ledbury, top of the league after winning their first five games level on fifteen points apiece with both Kington Town and their latest cup opponents although with a two and four-goal advantage respectively, will then begin October with a further home game against Hinton this coming Saturday (KO 2:30pm).