Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Ryan Pugh heads home a 20th minute corner ball from Cosmin Micula with Tom Trigg pictured in front of him, Ben Febery and Chris Wickham in the box and Ledbury manager Ian Merrick, assistant coach Nick Blakeway and substitute players Morgan Skidmore and Jordan Thomson looking on from the dugout in the background (📸: Chris Ponter)

Impressive first-half goals from Ryan Pugh and Tom Boyle were enough to make it three wins out of three for Ledbury Town in a superb start to their new 2022/23 Herefordshire Football League Premier Division campaign, overcoming newly-promoted Herefordshire FA County League Division One champions of last season Worcester United with a 2-1 win in a first evening league fixture of the season at New Street.

In what was very much a game of two halves, a confident and tidy first period from Ian Merrick’s men saw new signing this season Pugh score his third goal of the season for his new side, via another exquisite header following his perfectly-placed nod to finish a cross from Dale Taylor against league newcomers Coppertops FC at the University of Worcester just three days previously, this time putting away a fine corner ball delivered by fellow Ledbury newcomer this season Cosmin Micula.

Returning established striker Boyle doubled Town’s lead on the 36th minute with a twenty-yard thunderbolt which left Worcester goalkeeper Ashley Banner with very little chance, with this second goal proving critical as the latter half of play unfolded into a much more laboured and challenging affair for the hosts under the floodlights, as new keeper this season Alex Goode was left vulnerable on several occasions as United’s Joshua Lloyd managed to deny their opponents a clean sheet ten minutes from the final whistle.

The game began with an early close-range chance for Micula being well-blocked by Banner, before the visiting goaltender beat an incoming Boyle to make the clearance.

The city-based outfit received a major let-off on the tenth minute when Boyle knocked the ball on past Banner to see it sneak just shy of the far post, before the blue and white shirts showed more resolve when one of their defenders charged across the box to fire the ball away from Ledbury captain Joel Skyers.

The ensuing corner ball was struck off the arm of an opposing defender by Tom Trigg in the box as Town calls for handball went ignored by referee for the evening Stephen Cook, with Chris Wickham going on to slot the ball just wide of the near post on the rebound.

It took until the sixteenth minute for Worcester to produce a first real threatening strike which was caught by Goode, before a great home ball from the far sideline found Wickham on the opposite wing, who raced it down to pass it on to Skyers as the Ledbury skipper’s effort was blocked by a defender.

A strong strike from Boyle rapidly advancing into the box was met with a fantastic save off Banner to send the ball into the near post and over the touchline, with the two Micula corner balls which followed culminating in Pugh heading home in clinical fashion to what is fast-becoming a trademark gymnastic celebration.

Goode managed to punch away a corner ball back up the far end after a United effort was deflected perilously close to the near post, before Micula went on to doggedly battle against a swarm of visiting defenders in order to hold on to possession back downfield, managing to get the ball to Skyers who was then foiled by the opposition for a further corner ball.

The latest set-piece taken by Micula was nodded away from Ben Febery by the defender in front of him in the box, before a potential fourth goal of the season for Skyers was denied through assistant referee Ian Jervis raising the offside flag from the near sideline.

Banner then managed to bravely block a close-range bullet shot from Boyle, even if the prolific Town marksman saw a further offside flag from Jervis being raised against him after infringing on the far wing, before the regular home number nine nodded a further corner ball from Skyers over the crossbar as Ledbury battled for the security of a second goal this side of the interval.

Sure enough, the assurance came very soon afterwards when Boyle seized the chance to produce his stunning strike from out of the blue to catch Banner completely unawares, before Goode came well off his line to retrieve the ball back upfield despite the opposition protesting to Cook that the ball had been handled outside the box.

Town man of the match Pete Jeynes then came to the rescue in making a daring yet successful clearance in hooking the ball over the touchline right in front of goal, and, after Micula was swapped for fellow new signing from Newent this season Jordan Thomson three minutes from the break, Skyers fired the ball narrowly over the crossbar from twenty yards out.

The closing minutes of the first period saw Febery brought down in midfield as the free kick again from Skyers was struck over the two-man wall of Worcester players to be nodded clear by one of their defenders, before a final corner ball from Thomson was met with much the same result.

Jeynes’ early second-half clearance performed in much the same way as his previous great piece of defensive work saw the resulting corner ball only just being dealt with by a somewhat shaky home defence, as Banner narrowly managed to keep hold of the ball back up the far end from the high foot of Thomson near the line.

Goode was forced to pull off a terrific close-range save before going on to catch the ensuing corner ball while under great pressure from numerous bodies in the box, as a first second-half United free kick was struck from midfield to sail past both the far post and the line of players from both sides behind it.

Merrick made a double substitution on the 55th minute in bringing Morgan Skidmore and Josh Burns on for Asten Griffiths and Wickham, with a first United change of personnel of the evening seeing them nod a corner ball over the woodwork while under pressure from Goode.

The busy Ledbury goaltender took a free kick after Thomson was brought down through a highly-physical challenge on the centre-line as the overall temperament of the game began to intensify, only furthered when, after Taylor made amends for a defensive error from Trigg with a covering header, Cook produced the only yellow card of the affair to Jay Easterlow for an altercation with Jeynes on the far wing as the official also had a brief word with Goode over an unflattering hand gesture made towards the visitors.

The Town keeper had to do the job of his absent defence in leaving his line to keep the ball away along the touchline, with the opposition continuing to play in a risky manner by committing two late challenges on the near sideline in quick succession, as they made a second substitution of the night in bringing Lloyd into the fray.

Febery came off for returning forward Pat Morgan as the hosts made a change of their own with twenty minutes to go, before Boyle, seemingly struggling to gain goalscoring opportunities during the latter period of play, put the ball well wide of the target before momentarily coming down with cramp.

A more on-target long-range attempt from both Ledbury’s top goalscorer and the league’s Golden Boot winner of last season was denied by the keeper as Burns put the rebound effort wide, and, after Skyers managed to make a solid clearance out of the box back downfield, a Worcester corner ball was finished by Lloyd following a scramble in the box to both reward United’s persistence and punish Town’s less-inspiring second half.

The visitors had a nervy escape however when the ball rolled just shy of their far post back up the far end, and, after Micula returning to the action for the final five minutes for Thomson, a free kick from an opposing forward was struck very high from the far sideline to land just behind the opposite post.

Worcester were lucky to escape a second booking when they committed a late sliding challenge against Skidmore upfield as Micula’s final free kick was struck over the wall to be cleared at the far post, before one last spot kick awarded to United in controversial circumstances saw Cook blow the final whistle as soon as it was struck to see the hosts having hung on for the full three points.

This trio of victories sees Merrick’s men reach the top of the league at this very early stage, exactly level with Kington Town on both points and goal difference as they have the luxury of two further home games in order to further cement their impressive early standing to start September, beginning with a game against formidable rivals of last season Clee Hill United this coming Saturday before taking on Westfields Development the following weekend, who are also new to the league this season (both games KO 2:30pm).

Ledbury’s second away fixture of the season will take place at Fownhope on Saturday 17th September, who re-enter the Premier Division this season after finishing runners-up in Division One of the old County League (KO also 2:30pm).