Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Nathan Ince tries to keep the ball in play on the near sideline against an opposing midfielder on the 22nd minute of the game, watched by part of the sizeable crowd of more than a hundred spectators at New Street that evening (📸: Chris Ponter)

Hartpury University achieved more than the mere draw they needed in order to take this season’s Herefordshire FA County League Premier Division title during a midweek evening encounter at New Street this week, defeating Ledbury Town with a 2-0 victory in a fiery affair in front of well over a hundred spectators, which saw a sending-off and seven yellow cards issued in total by local referee Liam Brace.

Ledbury were in a confident mood after retaking the second spot in the league with a phenomenal 6-1 demolition of Hereford Lads Club Reserves at the Herefordshire FA County Ground just four days previously, and, although Hartpury had retained a stunning unbeaten run in the league, Ian Merrick’s men had already cracked the high-flying campus-based outfit at home back at the start of February in the semi-finals of the Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl cup competition, courtesy of successful spot kicks from Ben Miller, Curt Williams, Scott Roberts, Ben Febery and Josh Burns during a thrilling penalty shootout following first-half goals from Burns and King Baidoo.

This latest clash between the two top table sides echoed the previous first league fixture played at Hartpury’s pitch back in mid-October, when a controversially-taken free kick from substitute player Najee Holder broke the deadlock moments before the half-time interval, before the hosts ran amok during the second period, with a Baidoo brace being accompanied by further goals from other substitute player Brandon Smalley and Joshua Bissett with Burns finding the only goal for Town, although on this occasion, Hartpury’s opener scored just before the interval was via a thunderbolt off the far post from Luca Robinson.

With James Febery, Nathan Ince, Miller, Ben Febery and Baidoo all having already ended up in Brace’s book, the final ten minutes of the first period were made more challenging for the hosts in having to play with only ten men after Ben Febery was sin-binned shortly after receiving Ledbury’s fourth yellow card of the evening, with the same disadvantage occurring for Town for the latter half of play after Bissett put away Hartpury’s second on the 63rd minute when the same home midfielder was shown a second yellow and a consequent sending-off.

Ledbury started brightly with the added advantage of playing downfield, gaining a good early chance with the visiting defence faltering out of the starting blocks as Ince was challenged inside the box but not without the ball ending up with Tom Boyle, who volleyed an opening effort over the bar in his quest for an unprecedented thirtieth goal of the season following another hat-trick notched up over the second half of play against Lads Club over the weekend.

The opposition then fouled Ben Febery in midfield as a great first free kick from Miller met the head of James Febery, diving in from the near side of the box to see the ball being caught by the Hartpury keeper, before Burns threatened an early repeat of his previous promising goalscoring history against the University-based outfit, running the ball into the box to provide the visiting goaltender with a relatively straightforward save.

Events quickly turned much more heated under the floodlights on the twelfth minute, when a bout of fisticuffs threatened to erupt upfield resulting in James Febery being shown the first of man yellow cards that evening, with Baidoo also being booked fewer than three minutes later for a late challenge.

Town keeper James Loader then made a great judgement, leaving his line to make a successful challenge to halt an incoming opposing attacker in his tracks, before Ince used his trademark turn of speed to good defensive effect in charging out to the near sideline upfield and firing the ball over the neighbouring cemetery wall.

The pacy home marksman then fell quite literally foul of Brace shortly afterwards, lunging in with an ill-advised physical challenge towards the near corner flag to earn himself a second Ledbury booking of the affair, before a second 25th minute Miller free kick was met in near-identical manner by Febery, as his header was this time deflected off the chest of a defender.

Boyle did well to keep the ball against two Hartpury players towards the touchline, passing it on to Ince whose swift bullet-like effort was well-blocked by the palms of the visiting keeper, before a superb save in turn from Loader back upfield saw Boyle break free in midfield, managing to deliver the ball again to Ince racing down the near wing as another strong strike from the keen Town forward was again denied by the opposing goaltender.

Boyle tried to turn and shoot while under pressure on the ground in the box only to be blocked by the defender behind him, before further controversy followed when Miller and Ben Febery were booked in quick succession, with the latter player being ordered to the dugout for the remainder of the opening period of play for dissent towards the official.

A further great save from Loader was followed by Robinson finally breaking the deadlock for his side with a terrific strike from the near wing which bounced off the opposite post and into the net, with Ledbury retiring to the changing room over the break knowing that they had quite the task ahead of them if they were to secure the three points needed to guarantee them a second place finish in the league there and then.

A carded Miller was exchanged for Chris Wickham over the interval as Ledbury captain Tom Trigg started the second half by racing out to deal with a threat at the near sideline, shortly before Hartpury received their second booking of the game for fouling Burns on a run upfield despite the Town striker probably preferring to have played the advantage.

A backwards nod from Pete Jeynes led to a daring three-yard diving header from a visiting forward on the 55th minute to send the ball just shy of the near post, before an exemplary challenge from home man of the match James Kenny in hot pursuit of an opposing striker towards the touchline was successful in giving the goal kick to Loader.

James Febery’s height advantage then proved crucial in midfield, winning another header as Jeynes also performed a good low defensive header towards the edge of the box, before Bissett scored Hartpury’s second in a similar manner to Robinson, firing a screamer this time from the far wing which left a diving Loader with little chance as it soared into the top right-hand corner of the net.

Ince was swapped for George Walker on the 65th minute, and, after Robinson required treatment on the pitch in midfield before coming off for Sidney Partridge, Ledbury’s second substitute player did well to take the ball past three visiting players in midfield and feed it to the near wing.

Trigg battled hard to win a throw-in on the near sideline, before a central effort from Boyle was saved on the ground by the keeper as things just didn’t seem to fall into place that evening to enable the prolific Town striker to put away his landmark goal.

Two successive 75th minute corners from the university-based outfit were then dealt with via a clearance from Dale Taylor over the touchline and a header from Trigg, with a superb 25-yard strike from the opposition on the follow-up from the home skipper’s clearance being superbly-saved by Loader in leaping to palm the ball just over the woodwork.

The younger of the Febery siblings then received his marching orders from Brace after committing one foul too many as Curt Williams and Asten Griffiths replaced Burns and the elder of the Febery brothers respectively either side of this double booking, with Justin Hall coming on to replace Baidoo in a final Hartpury change of personnel with ten minutes to go.

Some strong late Ledbury defending from Trigg in the box, Wickham towards the near touchline and Griffiths further upfield then saw a final Town free kick from Williams lead to the ball being saved by the visiting keeper, with their linesman raised his flag regardless as a cross-shot from the red and white shirts going into stoppage time provided Loader with a relatively comfortable save.

A powerful clearance from Taylor over the touchline and off the shoulder of an unfortunate spectator then saw Loader leap out in front of a group of players in the box to seize the ball with confidence, before Jeynes nodded the ball over the touchline to provide his opponents with a final corner ball which was nodded wide of the far post by one of their forwards.

Hartpury were nevertheless left to celebrate winning their very first season in the league despite having five games still left to play, with Ledbury on the other hand having a second place finish still to be guaranteed, with Hereford Pegasus Reserves still in contention a single point below them with one league game left to play against lowly Holme Lacy at Old School Lane at the very end of the month.

This makes Town’s upcoming second re-arranged visit to Shobdon this weekend (KO 2:30pm) all the more crucial, with the original opening game against the league’s basement boys on the very first day of the current season having been cancelled on account of no referee being available at their airfield-based venue.

The first re-scheduled date at the aerodrome pitch was postponed back in mid-February owing to the numerous waterlogged pitches created by Storm Eunice, before a scheduled New Street meeting between the two sides was postponed just over a fortnight ago due to the visitors being unable to field a side.

Despite not locking horns with Shobdon in league play so far this season, Ledbury have already recorded a stunning 11-2 thrashing of the bottom table holders during a bitterly cold Charity Bowl cup quarter-final fixture at their airfield venue back in late November, when Miller struck four, Walker found his first hat-trick at senior level football with the aid of two penalties, and James Febery, Trigg, Scott Roberts and reserves striker Sam Branch all added to Town’s illustrious tally on the day.

Ledbury’s Charity Bowl victories over Shobdon and Hartpury after comfortably seeing off Holme Lacy with a 4-0 win at New Street in the first round back in early October with goals from Boyle, Burns, Ince and Miller, also means that they will now face Pegasus Reserves in the final to be played at the County Ground on Wednesday 11th May (KO 7:45pm).

Town last won the cup back in April 2019, when an 81st minute winner from substitute player Charlie Docherty secured a memorable 3-2 victory against Holme Lacy at Westfields’ allpay.park ground following first half goals from Joe Bullock and Samuel Palmer-Young.