Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Captain Joel Skyers triumphantly raises the trophy surrounded by (from left to right) Tom Trigg, Tom Boyle, Ben Febery, Nathan Ince, Lewis Williams and Ben Miller after Ledbury Town’s 5-4 win on penalties over Tenbury United to win the 2022/23 Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl competition (📸: Chris Ponter)

After a crushing last-minute equalizer from Welland goalkeeper Daniel Hughes caused Ledbury Town to miss out on the 2022/23 Herefordshire Football League Premier Division title by a single point, with a conclusive final 6-1 victory for Sporting Club Inkberrow away at Holme Lacy confirming their name on the silverware at the climax of their very first season in the league, Ian Merrick’s men managed to ease a disappointing end to an otherwise stellar season through lifting the Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl with a 5-4 win on penalties over Tenbury United at the Herefordshire FA County Ground.

It had been four years since the New Street outfit last acquired the trophy, when an 81st minute winner from final substitute player Charlie Docherty secured a memorable 3-2 win over Holme Lacy at Westfields’ allpay.park ground following first-half goals from Joe Bullock and Samuel Palmer-Young as their opponents launched an impressive latter half comeback with both Jean Alveraz and Jay Spencer finding the target, with Ledbury also losing out 3-1 in the final at the County Ground last May against Hereford Pegasus Reserves when a Harvey Evans opener and Saul Thomas brace outnumbered the sole Town consolation goal scored by youngster George Walker.

Ledbury man of the match in this latest final under the floodlights Josh Burns put his side in a controlling position come the interval on this occasion through finding a first-half brace, only for the second period to be a very different story as a combination of superior Tenbury fitness levels and Town taking their foot of the gas allowed Michael Wood to grab a goal back eight minutes from the break.

Nerves of New Street supporters were tested to breaking point as a failure to clear the ball out of the box, in scenes horribly reminiscent of the aforementioned fateful corner set-piece which ultimately cost Ledbury the league trophy at the Upton Hill Community Centre just under a fortnight ago, saw Jamie Mason slot the ball underneath Town goalkeeper Alex Goode to level the score at the eleventh hour.

With United being on a high and in the driving seat had the affair been taken to extra time, it was perhaps to Ledbury’s benefit that the Charity Bowl format took the affair straight through to a penalty shootout, with Merrick’s squad being able to draw some confidence from the fact that they had already secured a first-round 3-1 victory on penalties over reigning champions Pegasus Reserves at Old School Lane back in late September, when Ryan Pugh, Zac Blood and Ben Febery all netted their spot kicks following an earlier brace scored by man of the match Tom Boyle with an additional goal from Febery.

Although Tenbury made Town work by putting their first four attempts past Goode, Ben Miller, Rares Micula, Febery and Boyle all maintained a perfect scorecard for the black and white shirts before an adrenaline-fuelled ball over the bar from an unfortunate opposing striker opened the door for Burns to fittingly finish the job to euphoric Ledbury celebrations.

A night of drama began in dry conditions on the 3G surface as United committed an opening foul barely a minute after referee for the occasion Adrian Rocke had blown the starting whistle, bringing down Lewis Williams on a run down the far wing before a significantly cleaner challenge from the Worcestershire-based outfit against the same Town attacker on the opposite wing won them back possession.

Early chances for Ledbury’s forwards, with Boyle, Williams and Miller in the mix in a crowded opposition box saw a follow-up shot from Burns being blocked by the Tenbury defence, before Town captain Joel Skyers was sent crashing down by a fifth minute late challenge from United on the near wing, leaving the pitch briefly with physio Carl Wildig to receive treatment in the dugout.

The resulting free kick was struck by Miller to curl into a clearing header from an opposing defender leaping up with his team-mate against Febery at the far corner of the box, before Boyle’s tenth minute spot kick after Febery was felled only inches outside the area made it past the quartet of Tenbury defenders forming the wall to provide their keeper with a relatively easy save.

A first attempt at the target from United back across field travelled wide of the far post, before nervy times for Ledbury at fifteen minutes in saw Goode forced to scramble in order to recover the ball on the line.

Rocke ignored a handball appeal against Boyle in the centre-circle, allowing the top Town marksman with 24 goals to his name this season, finishing third in the Herefordshire League Premier Division’s top goalscorer stakes five behind Declan Bright of Inkberrow in second and eight behind Clee Hill United’s Josh Bowen at the top, to cross the ball over to Burns who was foiled by an opposing defender on the near side of the box.

A strong Tenbury defence again took possession from Williams down the near sideline to deliver a superb ball downfield, before a 20th minute free kick was feigned by Rares Micula only to see Miller fire the set-piece well over the crossbar.

A corner ball from the same Ledbury striker was then fed back in from the near post however by Febery to allow his team-mate to nod the ball into the opposite side of the net to open his side’s account to a jubilant team huddle, before controversy occurred when the United goaltender rushed out to collide with Burns as Rocke turned a blind eye to the apparent obstruction.

A thirty-yard free kick from the blue and yellow shirts was curled and headed harmlessly wide of the near post, with Goode performing a well-timed header to keep the opposition at bay as a superb cross from Burns just outside the near edge of the box back across field was nodded clear from Boyle lying in wait at the opposite post by another member of the Tenbury back-line.

A further corner ball from Miller was played out to see a United player lunge out to keep the ball away from both Tom Trigg and Rares Micula a few yards outside the box, before Burns extended his side’s lead from a short back-pass, taking the ball round an opposing keeper who managed to get a palm to the ball from the ground, before the Town winger recovered the ball and slotted it home before a desperate Tenbury defender could prevent it from sneaking over the line.

Williams left it just that little bit too late to pull the trigger in the box as Rocke waved aside Ledbury protests when Rares Micula was brought down just inside the edge of the area, with Boyle sportingly throwing the ball back to the United goaltender from the near sideline as the opposition dealt with a 40th minute injury.

Burns volleyed the ball wide of the far post as a first-half hat-trick continued to elude him, before a 50/50 challenge involving Skyers and an opposing forward on the near wing saw Tenbury being given their final free kick of the first period which was deflected by Cosmin Micula and then cleared away by Burns.

Town’s brace-scorer that night then embarked on a strong late run down the near wing, ending with him losing his footing against a pursuing defender and taking a tumble, before one last spot kick of the opening half of play was struck by Skyers over another four-man United wall to soar narrowly wide of the near post.

With the heavens beginning to open over the interval, Tenbury were now looking for some divine intervention as they were forced to substitute an injured player almost immediately into the latter half of play, as an opening effort from Febery sent the ball behind the netting.

Two United forwards failed to gain control of a bouncing ball in the box back up the other end to allow Ledbury to clear the danger away, before the blue and yellow shirts fired the ball just shy of the woodwork in a stark warning to Town that they could not afford to rest on their laurels even with a two-goal advantage.

Sure enough, as foul and offside protests from Ledbury followers saw assistant referee Stuart Buchanan refuse to raise the flag from the far sideline, the Worcestershire side were able to halve their deficit in taking the ball past Goode and find the net, as a Town thunderbolt from towards the far wing in reply back upfield was denied only through a fantastic diving save from the opposing keeper.

A retaliatory Tenbury run through midfield was eventually halted by the ever-reliable Trigg, before a drop ball from Rocke saw Skyers volley clear a United cross as half an hour remained for the New Street outfit to either hold on to or extend their now-fragile lead under the easing rain.

A further Ledbury corner ball was sent wide by a group of players from both teams at the near post with Febery and Rares Micula in the fray, before Nathan Ince entered the action in exchange for Williams in what would be the only Town substitution made that evening.

Trademark fancy footwork from Boyle against a number of defenders along the edge of the box saw his strike being fumbled by the opposing goaltender, with the ball slipping underneath his legs although with other assistant referee Chris Stansbury not judging the leather to have made it over the line.

The next couple of minutes witnessed both teams missing volleys from their respective near posts from corner balls, before a frantic prolonged scramble involving a swarm of players in the Tenbury box saw the ball somehow being eventually cleared.

The United keeper pulled off another impressive one-handed diving save to deflect a further threatening 75th minute Ledbury strike, before a further injury saw more commendable sportsmanship from the black and white shirts in delivering the ball back to their opponents.

Skyers’ free kick with ten minutes left on the clock was easily defended by Tenbury as the Town skipper went on to make a solid defensive move in the semi-circle back across field, before receiving the only yellow card of the game for a late challenge as the ensuing spot kick from United forced Goode into a diving save.

Good pressure from the Ledbury defence caused an opposing striker to fire the ball well over the bar, before Mason took full advantage of Town’s failure to remove the danger from their box, seizing possession and putting the ball underneath a diving Goode at the near post to restore the stalemate with just three minutes remaining.

Ledbury fans were left aghast as it became clear that the outcome would be decided by the lottery of penalties, but as the opposition continued to find the net, Town kept pace before Tenbury’s final fatal slip-up allowed Burns to strike gold as raucous celebrations of joy followed from Ledbury players, management and supporters alike.

Chairman Pete Boyle joined his victorious squad in lifting such a valuable consolation prize, as Ethan Fish took the man of the match accolade for United.

Boyle then summed up what had been an extraordinary rollercoaster of a season for Ledbury Town Football Club full of drama, disappointment and triumph, as well as showing huge appreciation for the club’s dedicated fanbase:

“Wow – what a wild season! Our new committee started our second season at the club with a sense of pride after what was a great 2021-2022 season, finishing runners-up only to outstanding newcomers Hartpury University, but this season has been even better.”

“We have managed to field three teams this season with no cancellations, which many teams struggle to do. This is testament to our lads’ attitude and commitment to the club.”

“Each team has progressed again this season, with our third Swifts team enabling many young players to compete in their first season of adult football in Division Two of the Herefordshire Football League. With a new Under 18s side joining us next season, this development of future talent at the club will only become stronger.”

“After a slow start, our reserves side managed to finish another season in Division One in a solid manner, finishing exactly mid-table and making it to the semi-finals of the Herefordshire FA Junior Cup competition, only being denied a final against Shobdon at the County Ground through a close 2-1 defeat against Wellington Colts at home in tough conditions.”

“We have even had the chance to offer those players who have excelled with the thirds the opportunity to step up and play for our second side. I am confident that 2023/24 will be the strongest season yet for our reserves; they are a talented group of lads who on their day are one of the best teams in their league.”

“Our first team were once again our flag-bearers however, and although we fell short at the final hurdle in being pipped to the league title by a single point by impressive newcomers Sporting Club Inkberrow FC, we managed to complete an entire season unbeaten at home which is an amazing achievement.”

“If we can retain the personnel we have, I am sure we will come close to or indeed win the league next season. After two seasons, we have finally managed to turn New Street into the fortress it always was when I watched football there as a child.”

“Ian, Scott, Sam and Carl are one of the strongest management teams in the county, and we are extremely lucky to have them. It felt brilliant to be able to reward and thank them with some silverware this season.”

“2023/2024 promises to be a very exciting year for Ledbury Town FC, with our new ground being in the final stages of its planning and development, and the club being in the strongest position it has been for quite some time.”

“Finally, I want to end by thanking our many fantastic supporters, who are undoubtedly the best in the county. We have had three-figure attendances at home games multiple times this season, and to take just as many away on several occasions makes it truly an honour to be chairman of a club that is so well-supported and loved by so many.”

“We appreciate you all – the club simply would not exist without you. Here’s to a thrilling and successful 2023/24 season!”