Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Josh Burns produces a 43rd minute effort which went on to hit the post after he received a superb through-ball from James Febery running downfield (📸: Chris Ponter)

Ledbury Town clinched an extremely useful three points to stay second in the Herefordshire FA County League Premier Division just before the Christmas break this week, holding on to a 2-1 lead against current fifth place holders Ludlow Town Colts as the scoreline remained the same throughout the second period of play on the 4G pitch at the Ludlow Football Stadium.

While perhaps not quite matching the excitement of the ten-goal thriller which resulted the last time the two sides locked horns at New Street, during Ledbury’s opening game of the season following a postponed inaugural fixture over at Shobdon Airfield, a great tussle still occurred in what was another close affair between the two outfits.

Despite both Tom Boyle and Ben Miller not featuring in Town’s starting XI, after the hat-trick scored by the former player and the brace picked up by the latter levelled the Jabez Smith double with further goals from Ludlow’s Josh Williams, Corey Whitticase and Aaron Hodge during the mid-September encounter, Ian Merrick’s men were still able to take the lead after ten minutes of play when newcomer Morgan Skidmore found the net.

Curt Williams then doubled the visitors’ lead on the 41st minute off an effort from seasoned midfielder Scott Roberts, only for Colts captain Luke Hicks to grab one back on the brink of the interval.

Although a third goal would have provided more assured passage to the win, Ledbury managed to hang on to their slim lead throughout the next 45 minutes, even if several second period chances occurred for both sides occurring as pacy Town striker Nathan Ince rattled the bar, with a number of efforts from the hosts also sneaking just wide of the target.

Morgan’s early opener scored shortly after a sooner-than-scheduled kick-off time was swiftly followed by a setback for the black and white shirts when Dwayne Tyndale had to be substituted for Chris Wickham in an earlier-than-expected change of personnel from Merrick’s subs bench on account of a knee injury incurred by the visiting defender, even if his replacement went on to be man of the match for Ledbury that afternoon for a commendable defensive display throughout the ensuing eighty minutes he played.

The Shropshire-based outfit then fell literally foul of referee for the day Simon Burgess, receiving the only yellow card of the affair for a late challenge committed against Ince at quarter of an hour in, before Town keeper James Loader pulled off a cracking save to deny a powerful threatening shot from the opposition.

Ince volleyed the ball well over and wide of the target back across field, before Roberts’ great direct strike was met with a superb save from the Ludlow keeper, even if Williams was able to sneak the ball in on the rebound at the near post to extend his side’s lead.

A terrific through-ball from Ben Febery running downfield then found Josh Burns, whose promising effort hit the far post, before a twenty-yard screamer from the imposing Hicks bounced off the bar.

Roberts was then judged to have committed a foul on the near wing, giving the Colts what would turn out to be a critical free kick which was finished via a great header from Hicks, towering above visiting defender Tom Trigg in the box to get the hosts off the mark moments before the half-time whistle was blown.

The second period began with a free kick for Febery, awarded to the keen Ledbury youngster after he was pushed in the back by the burly opposing skipper as they both leapt for an aerial ball, providing few problems for the Ludlow back-line in the box, before a volley again from Febery on the far wing was caught by the Colts keeper.

A great leaping defensive block performed by Wickham allowed Trigg and then Roberts to clear the ball successfully, with Tyndale, taking up officiating duties for Town on the far sideline, raising the flag for an offside decision against the hosts before the favour was swiftly repaid by the opposing linesman in flagging Williams.

A great 55th minute cross-shot from Ince then rattled the bar, with Ludlow narrowly missing out on equalizing themselves when an effort snuck under Loader and only just wide of the far post before the Colts then received a free kick when a further foul was committed by Roberts at 25 yards out.

Protests from the hosts were then very vocal on a very-much-unlucky thirteenth minute of the second period for them when Loader was handed the goal kick by an official who had deemed Hicks to have made undue contact with opposing counterpart Matt Rooke in the box, after the visiting skipper tried to volley the ball away following an attempted sliding challenge from Ince which failed to prevent a cross being fed in from towards the near sideline.

Burgess then saw fit moments later however to have a few cautionary words with Ince after some overly-physical play from the keen striker upfront, with Ludlow making a 65th minute substitution as Wickham prepared to take a throw-in from the near sideline.

The referee aimed more words Ledbury’s way, this time towards Febery for a bout of dissent from the aggrieved youngster, with Town moods being done no favours when their second goalscorer was again flagged offside in highly contentious manner by the Colts coach running the line.

Williams responded with a free kick after Burns was felled while embarking on a 70th minute run with the ball down the far wing as the spot kick was saved by the home keeper at the far post, before Merrick then chose to make a double substitution as both Burns and Skidmore left the action for George Walker and Alistair Holder.

Ince saw another chance to restore his side’s previous two-goal advantage go begging when he managed to receive a good ball into the box, not quite managing to get his left foot to perform the finish as the second-touch effort with his other foot provided the opposing goaltender with a relatively easy save, before the visitors suffered a further blow on the 77th minute when sturdy defender Dale Taylor suffered a match-ending injury to see Skidmore unexpectedly return to the action.

Ludlow squandered a further vital chance to acquire at least a point from this last league encounter of the year going into its final ten minutes when Trigg deflected a free kick from the attacker next to him to see the ball being put just shy of the far post, before a further free kick from the Colts, awarded after Roberts pushed one of their attackers in the back while on the run with the ball, was to no avail as Febery and Walker then assisted Skidmore with a spot of leg cramp in the increasingly cold conditions under the murky overcast skies at the hosts’ ground.

A further Ledbury let-off occurred as late as the 88th minute when the opposition put the ball just wide of the near post, with Town going on the attack as the match entered stoppage time with a final direct strike from Williams being saved by the keeper, as Holder volleyed the ball into the upper side netting.

Febery raced into the box to put one last effort over the woodwork while under pressure from the two defenders either side of him, as his side nevertheless celebrated retaining the second spot in the league to end 2021, level on games and two points above Hereford Lads Club Reserves below them but with Hartpury University still very much commanding the table, four points above Town with an impressive ten wins out of ten, a 33 goal advantage and two games in hand.

Ledbury’s senior squad, along with the reserves side and Ledbury Town Swifts, are now awaiting their opening fixtures of the new year to be announced, with the Herefordshire League looking set to resume on Saturday 8thJanuary following the festive break.