Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Ledbury Town line up with Ledbury Swifts Junior Football Club mascots before their big Herefordshire FA County Challenge Cup quarter-final match against Hereford Pegasus (📸: Chris Ponter)

Ledbury Town’s fairy tale in this season’s Herefordshire FA County Challenge Cup competition, which began in a dream manner with a 6-0 thrashing of current title holders Hereford Lads Club at New Street four weeks ago, ended in unceremonious fashion under the floodlights of the same venue this week, as a brave effort from Ian Merrick’s men against higher-ranked Hereford Pegasus nevertheless saw the visitors run out 2-1 victors.

In front of the biggest crowd of spectators seen at Ledbury’s historic ground in many years, with young mascots from the Ledbury Swifts Junior Football Club walking out and joining Town players for the occasion, it took until the half-hour mark of play for Paul Jones to break the deadlock for Pegasus, only for the hosts to quickly put a smile back on the faces of their sizeable crowd of supporters by equalizing three minutes later through Nathan Ince.

The joy was short-lived however, as even though debuting Ledbury keeper Dan Brabham was able to save a penalty struck six minutes into the latter half of play, Jordan Williamson seized the opportunity to put away the rebound as Merrick’s valiant side couldn’t find a second reply against their Hellenic League opponents.

Town gained a very early chance barely a minute into the biggest game of their season so far in front of 320 people when the visiting keeper beat Ince to the ball, before a long-range effort from a Pegasus forward flew narrowly wide of the target back downfield.

A defensive error from the Hereford-based outfit allowed Ben Miller to play the ball up and on to Ben Febery who couldn’t quite manage to find the finish, with the hosts then being lucky not to give away a penalty there and then on the ninth minute when a handball offence committed just outside the box prompted referee Christopher Bounds to award a free kick to the red and white shirts.

The official brushed Ledbury protests aside when Scott Roberts was felled with a visiting attacker in the box shortly after the taking of the spot kick, with danger occurring for Town again fifteen minutes in when a long throw from the far sideline saw the ball being put narrowly over the woodwork.

Another opportunity for Ince, sharing the home man of the match accolade that evening with hardworking defender Tom Trigg, then went astray as the ball deflected off him over the touchline up at the far end, with Bounds then seeing fit to have words with a disgruntled Febery who had kicked the ball away in protest over a decision being made against him involving a foul.

The resulting free kick from Ledbury’s opponents made it over the two-man wall of Town players to be safely deflected by the home defence, before a third chance for Ince went begging as the determined marksman struck a cross-shot at the side netting back upfield.

A superb 26^thminute sliding challenge from Febery relieved a Pegasus attacker of the ball on the near sideline as a twenty-yard effort from a visiting striker sailed over the woodwork, before Jones caught the Ledbury midfield sleeping, taking the ball through with little resistance and putting a long-range effort past Brabham to open the scoring.

The new Town goaltender did well soon afterwards to cleanly catch a powerful cross-shot struck by the opposition from the touchline, before Ince made great use of his trademark pace to produce a fine finish to swiftly level the score after receiving a great ball from Tom Boyle.

A further ball from Boyle couldn’t quite be finished by home captain Matt Rooke under pressure from the keeper at the far post, before a Ledbury injury worry occurred when their skipper ended up on the floor in midfield.

The Town captain was soon able to continue playing after receiving on-the-pitch treatment from home physio Steve Kirby, before a good volley from Dwayne Tyndale successfully cleared a Pegasus ball out of the box.

One final first period opportunity for the visitors witnessed a great run from one of their strikers across the box, evading a number of home defenders who up until this point had done well to keep the opposition out, as the Pegasus target man’s cross back towards the centre of the box was volleyed over the bar by one of his team-mates to see the score remain level at a goal apiece come the interval.

The game was changed in an instant shortly into the second half of play however when a foul from Tyndale gave the visitors their penalty opportunity, which was converted in a fairly mediocre manner to be saved by Brabham even if Williamson, coming on for Marshall Hopkins just after the break, was able to finish the job.

A Boyle cross-shot from the touchline saw the ball travel well over the frame back downfield, before Merrick decided to being Asten Griffiths off for Charlie Docherty to make an appearance with half an hour to go, hoping that his first substitute player could repeat the cup glory of the 81^stminute winner scored against Holme Lacy at Westfields’ allpay.park ground, which netted Ledbury the Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl title back in April 2019.

A cross from Ince running in along the near wing missed Boyle in front of him as Town couldn’t seem to capitalize on the advantage of playing downfield, with a moment of controversy occurring on the 70^thminute when assistant referee Liam Brace flagged for a Pegasus handball at the edge of the box, only for Bounds to continue with play as the ball went over the near sideline for a throw-in to the visitors.

The city-based squad squandered a chance to make it 3-1 in firing the ball over the bar up at the far end, before a corner ball from Miller, taken after the match had to be stopped for a number of minutes to allow Old School Lane defender Kyle Panniers to recover from cramp, was comfortably nodded clear.

The hosts’ closest chance to taking the affair to extra time occurred on the 79^thminute when a free kick saw Febery head the ball on behind him to be caught by the opposing goaltender just shy of the near post, and after Panniers finally succumbed to be brought off for Harry Pitman in a second and final Pegasus substitution, Merrick made his last change of the game with less than ten minutes to go by bringing Ince off for Sam Branch.

Febery flicked the ball on to Boyle, only for the visiting keeper to rush out and successfully block the former Newent Town striker, before one final breakthrough from Branch performed well into stoppage time saw his ball to Boyle being deflected out by a defender for a last-chance corner which was nodded wide of the target.

Pegasus move on to face new Herefordshire FA County League Premier Division title contenders Hartpury University in the semi-finals, who had cruised through to the penultimate stage of the proceedings with a 6-1 demolition of Wellington Rangers away the evening beforehand, as King Baidoo picked up a second half brace with Alex Grocott, Luca Robinson making it 2-0 before the interval, as Kian Kang and Joshua Bissett also found second half goals.

Ledbury on the other hand must now dust themselves off ready to resume their own promising Herefordshire League Premier Division campaign away at Ewyas Harold on Saturday, KO 2:00pm.

Town currently sit top of the table thanks to a great 3-2 comeback against the Old School Lane reserves side after going 2-0 down after an hour of play at New Street last weekend, when visiting striker Owen Bolton lobbed Ledbury keeper Joshua Worrell to break the deadlock on the 55^thminute, before Tom Dixon finished a cross at the far post seven minutes later.

A cross from home man of the match Boyle was then knocked into the Pegasus net by one of their defenders running in front of Branch in the box, before third Ledbury substitute player that afternoon Alistair Holder flicked in a well-placed free kick from Scott Roberts to level the score within four minutes of the visitors opening their scoring account.

Roberts then successfully converted a penalty awarded by referee Jonathan Williams after Boyle was judged to have been fouled in the box to add another important victory to the 2-1 win achieved away against former league champions Clee Hill United at the Knowle Sports Ground seven days previously, when a Ben Febery brace secured the win against the sole consolation goal for the hosts scored by Steven Preece.