Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Tom Boyle dances between three Welland defenders.

Ledbury Town crashed to a 5-3 defeat at Welland on Saturday to blow open the race for second in the HFA County League.

While rivals Lads Club and Pegasus collected maximum points, Ledbury blew a 2-0 lead to trail 3-2 at half time. Despite a George Walker equaliser, Ledbury conceded two further second half goals with Welland fully deserving their victory.

Ledbury were terrific in the opening 20 minutes. Jim Febery drove forward from midfield and was brought down. The Welland keeper pushed Curt Williams’s 25-yard freekick onto the bar, but Tom Boyle reacted and headed into the empty goal. Six minutes later Boyle got his second, timing a run in behind, beautifully rounding the keeper and slotting the ball into the net to double Ledbury’s lead.

From there, Welland took control and Ledbury looked like they were still at Cheltenham races. Consecutive corners from the left saw Welland’s Mark Holbrow allowed to roam free in the Ledbury box to score two identical headed goals which levelled the game with half hour played.

Tom Trigg then made a terrific block tackle on the line to briefly stop the home team’s resurgence. But with minutes of the half remaining, a Welland freekick from 20 yards hit the target but James Loader could only push the ball out for Sean Smith to tap in.

Welland started the second half well, immediately creating a chance where the ball was played low across the Ledbury six-yard box but managed to allude everyone. Ledbury responded with an equaliser. Scott Roberts played a quick freekick to send Boyle through, he beat the onrushing Welland keeper and crossed for George Walker to score from close range.

Ledbury looked poised to take charge. However, two further Welland goals in five minutes killed the game. Welland’s fourth was a well worked move down the left cut back from the by-line for Smith to get his second. The fifth was a cross fired back in after Ledbury cleared a corner, and Omar Elmougy headed in on the line. Ledbury’s appeal for offside were denied.

With 25 minutes left, Ledbury failed to sustain any pressure to get back into the game until the closing moments when Ben Febery was brought down in the box for a penalty. However, a flag for offside overturned the decision. In the last action of the match, Scott Roberts’s freekick from distance hit the bar and was cleared to end a disappointing afternoon for Ledbury Town.

Ledbury Town First Team Manager Ian Merrick said: “Incredibly disappointing display, after going two goals up we stopped playing. We lacked application and desire to win the game, after getting level at 3-3 we should have kicked on and won the game. Individually and collectively, we let ourselves down badly. Credit to Welland, they deserved the victory.”

On Saturday (March 26), Ledbury look to get back on track as they host County League basement boys Shobdon at New Street in a 2.30pm kick off.