Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Tom Trigg and Asten Griffiths keep tabs on an opposing attacker coming down the near wing into the box as Cosmin Micula can be seen running in behind his team-mates (📸: Chris Ponter)

Ledbury Town returned home for the first time since mid-October this week following three consecutive away games, maintaining their eleven-point lead at the top of the Herefordshire Football League Premier Division with a second victory of the season over newly-promoted Division One runners-up of last season Fownhope.

It was far tougher going in the muddy Bonfire Night conditions at New Street on the day however compared to the two sides’ last meeting which resulted in a comfortable 3-0 win for Ian Merrick’s squad over at Fownhope Recreation Ground back in mid-September, when Morgan Skidmore, Tom Boyle and substitute player Pat Morgan found the net, with the latest fixture involving the two teams featuring a torrid opening twenty minutes from Ledbury as the ball barely left their half of the field.

Joe Speake took full advantage to opened the visitors’ account on the 21st minute, before a badly-needed stroke of luck for the black and white shirts occurred five minutes later when Boyle was given the opportunity to convert a second successful penalty in the space of seven days following his match-winning spot kick struck against league newcomers Westfields Development at allpay.park.

Both Boyle and Ben Febery went on to score from two excellent corner balls delivered within three minutes of each other by Town captain Joel Skyers shortly into a much better second-half performance from the hosts, producing a near-identical scorecard to that which resulted at the end of the previous week’s game.

The green shirts fought on with spirit however, being rewarded with a well-deserved second consolation goal from substitute striker Elliot Jones to keep their goal difference two ahead of Holme Lacy level on points below them in tenth.

The first of several free kicks from the village-based outfit taken during the earlier stages of the affair was struck past the three-man wall of Cosmin Micula, Asten Griffiths and Skyers to sneak just wide of the near post, before a second spot kick delivered by the same team on the tenth minute was solidly nodded clear by Skyers from the opposing forward in front of him in the box.

Dale Taylor made a good clearing volley over the near sideline to keep the ball away from Fownhope once more as the throw-in saw Griffiths strike the ball over his own crossbar to frustrated calls from Ledbury goalkeeper Alex Goode and team-mate Tom Trigg over how their side was so far underperforming.

A third free kick from the visitors saw one of their forwards win the header against Trigg in the box although not without with Town playing the ball away to their own dugout, before it was fourth time lucky for the more rural side after putting an effort over the woodwork as Speake ran into the box with the home back-line, nodding a further spot kick downwards and into the bottom corner of the net underneath Goode.

Lewis Williams was then judged to have been pushed in the box back up the far end by referee for the occasion Geoff Banham to allow Boyle to slot home a not-so-unlucky thirteenth goal of the season, before Skyers put a cross-shot on to the top netting from towards the far corner flag.

A great ball from Josh Burns in a similar position upfield then found Boyle, even if the top Ledbury goalscorer went on to lose the ball to the opposition, kicking out at a Fownhope defender in frustration to see him being shown the first yellow card of the affair as Trigg and Griffiths kept tabs on a visiting attacker coming down the near wing, forcing him to fire his cross-shot into the side-netting from towards the touchline.

Micula then managed to get the ball back to Boyle as his curling effort past the defender in front of him rattled the bar, before Trigg positioned himself in just the right spot in the centre of the box back downfield to see him make a great defensive header to send a cross from an opposing forward on the far wing left and out of the box.

Micula continued to threaten upfield, delivering a further ball to Williams as Banham chose to give Fownhope the free kick after one of their defenders made a challenge against the Town striker, before Goode leapt off his line to punch a corner ball clear with both fists back downfield.

The home keeper made his feelings clear over believing a visiting attacker had positioned himself offside on the near wing following the save as the referee seemingly missed an offside flag raised by Skidmore on linesman duties, before Merrick made three changes to his squad over the interval as seasoned defender Tom Watkins, other Ledbury newcomer this season Jordan Thomson and Febery all came on for Pete Jeynes, Griffiths and Williams.

The second period began with Thomson and Skyers nearly colliding with each other after racing for the same ball on the far wing, and, after an opening corner ball from the Town skipper was nodded clear by the opposing defence, Thomson became the second home player to end up in Banham’s book that day for a foul committed upfield despite Fownhope playing the advantage.

A clear goalscoring opportunity for Burns occurred on the 52nd minute when he raced into the box with a defender in tow towards an open goal, with the visiting player performing a slight push against the Ledbury marksman which was ignored by the official to see the opposing defender nevertheless make a superb deflection in front of Burns to send his effort just shy of the far post.

The resulting corner ball proved highly fruitful for Town however, being delivered by Skyers to see it nodded on and flicked into the net by Boyle to see the hosts take the lead for the first time that afternoon, before a matter of minutes saw a third corner ball from the Ledbury captain being met with a terrific header from Febery to turn the game around completely.

Banham waved Town protests aside when a Fownhope defender performed a risky sliding challenge against Febery in the box as the visiting goaltender went on to make the clearance from the line, with the home management trio continuing to express their disdain when the official gave a controversial free kick to the opposition, despite the Ledbury dugout believing that Burns had won a corner ball on the far touchline.

Micula was brought off for Chris Wickham at 65 minutes in after the Town newcomer this season from Newent picked up a third and final home yellow card of the encounter, with Febery managing to brush off an elbow injury after falling on his side in the slippery conditions in midfield to see a Boyle cross-shot from the far wing landing just past the near post.

Ledbury continued missing chances to extend their lead further as Thomson put an effort over the frame and both Skyers and Burns missed prime header opportunities in the box, with the latter Town player having delivered a particularly superb cross to his skipper from the far wing during the first of these two goalscoring opportunities.

The promoted outfit picked up a sole booking of the encounter for a late challenge committed going into the final ten minutes as one last home change of personnel saw Skidmore enter the fray for Burns, before a blot occurred on a much more assured second half performance from Ledbury when the ball flew through the Town defence up at the far end two minutes from time to enable Jones to fire home a second mark on the scoresheet for a valiant opposing side.

Merrick’s men nevertheless added a thirteenth game to their unbeaten streak come the final whistle, with Watkins, Trigg and Skyers all taking a joint man of the match accolade having received the same number of votes each from their team-mates.

With Ledbury’s scheduled first meeting of the season against current sixth-place holders Wellington Rangers at the newly-named Kensal Ground on Tuesday evening having been cancelled, the league leaders next face a swift reverse fixture against Westfields Development on Saturday (KO 2:00pm), as the city-based outfit seek revenge after Boyle’s brace along with Febery’s additional goal outnumbered the marks on the scoresheet from Zach Johnson and Harley Morris at allpay.park last weekend.

Town are then out of league action until they face formidable third-placed newcomers this season Sporting Club Inkberrow FC at New Street in a Friday evening fixture to be played on 2nd December (KO 7:45pm), followed by final games of the year against tenth-placed Holme Lacy away and lowly Tenbury United at home over the next two Saturdays (both games KO 2:00pm).

Merrick’s squad are yet to play Tenbury this season, but have already defeated Holme Lacy with a 2-0 win at New Street during the very first game of the season back in mid-August, when Skyers’ first Ledbury goal of the season was followed by Febery finding the net on the 81st minute.

Town’s previous visit to Holme Lacy’s ground twelve months ago was rather less successful however, ending in an unexpected goalless draw despite the visitors being on a real high having caused a major upset in the first round of the Herefordshire FA County Challenge Cup competition at New Street three days previously, overcoming Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division outfit Hereford Lads Club with a magnificent 6-0 victory with braces from Boyle and Burns as well as Nathan Ince and new joint assistant coach this season Scott Roberts.

Speaking of the County Challenge Cup, Merrick’s side are set to face current Hellenic League Premier Division fourth place holders Hereford Pegasus at home on 22nd or 23rd November (kick-off time to be confirmed), after both sides received byes in the opening round of the contest, with Ledbury also looking to host mid-table Herefordshire Football League Premier Division rivals Ludlow Town Colts on the last Saturday of the month in the second round of this season’s Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl competition (KO 2:00pm).

Following their triumphant win over Lads Club, Town were undone in the quarter-finals of last season’s County Cup at home a month later against none other than the Pegasus first string, with a close 2-1 defeat resulting after a goal from Ince was not enough to overcome the two marks on the scoresheet scored by Paul Jones and substitute visiting player Jordan Williamson.

Merrick’s men booked their place in the next round of this season’s Charity Bowl contest through beating title holders Pegasus Reserves 3-1 on penalties after the scoreline stood at three goals apiece after ninety minutes at Old School Lane, four months after the Pegasus second string took the silverware through defeating Ledbury with a 3-1 win at the Herefordshire FA County Ground, with the more recent cup encounter between the two arch rivals seeing Ryan Pugh, Zac Blood and Febery all put away their spot kicks with two superb saves from Goode after a Boyle brace and additional goal from Febery were scored during regular time.

Ludlow, whom the New Street first string have already overcome 4-0 during a Friday night fixture under the home floodlights just over three weeks ago with a goal each from Boyle, Burns, Skyers and Kenny, made it to this season’s Charity Bowl quarter-final via a 2-0 win over Fownhope at The Ludlow Stadium a month ago, with the goals coming from Jabez Smith and Luke Hicks even if the latter substitute player along with team-mate Kyle Davies both received yellow cards from referee for the occasion Mark Ammonds.