Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Dwayne Tyndale leaps for a 68th minute corner ball against an opposing defender as Jasper Wilce and Ethan French look on from behind in the box (📸: Chris Ponter)

Ledbury Town Swifts enjoyed a welcome 2-1 victory over Dore Valley in a latest Herefordshire FA County League Division Two encounter played out at a well-attended New Street.

In what had been the first time the Ledbury third string had taken to the field in a fortnight, the Swifts made up for a close 3-2 defeat at the hands of Dore at the Seven Site back in February, which saw a brace from David Brooke and a further goal from Mark Evans outnumber the goals scored by visiting striker David Feakins and substitute player James Roberts as first-half goals from Kai Davis and Samuel Palmer-Young on this occasion were enough to secure an important win.

The latest visitors to New Street netted a very late consolation goal which they had worked hard for after experiencing drama around the 25th minute, when one of their players suffered a bad ankle injury although fortunately with an ambulance being deemed not necessary.

The second period began with the Swifts being blocked twice as Phil Davis put the ball wide back downfield, before the fury of home players and supporters alike was felt all around the ground when local referee for the day Nick Fish quite definitively ruled out a penalty when first team Ledbury defender Dwayne Tyndale, playing more on this occasion, was brought down just short of the touchline in the box.

Phil Davis did well on to take the ball round two defenders before inadvertently passing the ball on to an opposing player, before a Dore forward fumbled an effort back upfield to see his team-mate take over only to fire the ball well wide of the far post.

An exciting 73rd minute saw a foul from the visitors give the Swifts a free kick which was brilliantly struck by Davis to be denied only through the opposing keeper leaping to palm the ball off the crossbar, as former Ledbury defender and first team manager Pat Locke, kindly donning an orange shirt to help the opposing side out following the incident which afflicted one of their players earlier, ended the home attack by nodding the ball over the woodwork for a corner.

Palmer-Young’s cross-shot from the far wing, performed while under pressure from the Dore goaltender rushing out to meet him, then went over the frame as the visiting keeper then rushed out to block Jasper Wilce, and after Kai Davis hit the ball well astray on the rebound, Wilce managed to play the ball back into the box and pass it on to Phil Davis, only for the ball to be intercepted by an opposing defender.

A busy Dore goaltender then collided with his own player as Tyndale again played the ball down to the touchline, with Feakins coming on for Phil Davis with ten minutes left on the clock as a corner ball from Palmer-Young was mis-stuck behind the netting.

The visiting keeper continued to judge things well in rushing far off his line to successfully challenge Wilce for the ball, leading to a corner which was this time mis-hit by Kai Davis, only for a cracking shot from the Swifts youngster again only being prevented from entering the net through another superb save from the opposing goaltender in palming the ball over the woodwork.

The Dore goal guardian, surely picking up the man of the match accolade for his side that afternoon for doing a huge amount to keep the hosts’ scoreline at bay throughout the second period of play, then leapt out to deflect a corner ball from Kai Davis in amongst the swarm of players from both sides in the box, before the visitors’ well-earned sole goal of the encounter saw Will Brandreth receive a high foot in the face on the far sideline, although with the Swifts youngster being able to shake the injury off as Fish blew the final whistle.

Sixteen-year-old Harry Millis was named man of the match for the hosts for a consistent display all afternoon, as Ledbury Town Football Club secretary and treasurer Harry Powell, taking over the reins for the Swifts on the day for caretaker manager Nick Blakeway, was more than pleased with the result:

“It was a resilient performance from the lads, which got the result they deserved. Hopefully, this will be the catalyst which enables them to finish their first season brightly.”

This latest valuable win moves the Ledbury third string up a place to eighth in the table, as a further fortnight’s break sees them face current league fourth place holders Wellington Colts away on Saturday 16th April, before the following weekend sees them host basement boys Credenhill at the Ledbury Rugby Football Club Ross Road ground (both games KO 2:30pm).

The Swifts will be hoping for a better result than the 5-1 defeat which resulted the last time they played Wellington at the Ross Road ground towards the end of September, when substitute player Dan Fish scored the only goal, with a 1-1 draw being recorded against Credenhill at Roman Park two months later when Dan Powell, again coming on as a substitute player for the visitors, found the sole goal for the Ledbury third string.