Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Tom Boyle keeps the ball away from two opposing defenders just outside the box, before his 19th minute effort was fumbled by the home goalkeeper to see Josh Burns race in and fire the ball over the crossbar (📸: Chris Ponter)

Ledbury Town’s 2022/23 Herefordshire Football League Premier Division title hopes were placed in jeopardy this weekend, as a penultimate league clash of the season saw mid-table Welland break the hearts of Ledbury players, management and supporters alike with an equalizer from a corner ball with thirty seconds left on the clock, in a 3-3 draw which may as well have been a loss for Ian Merrick’s gutted side.

Off the back of a 2-1 midweek victory over Worcester United under the floodlights of the 3G pitch at the Droitwich Spa Leisure Centre just three days previously, when Josh Burns and top Ledbury goalscorer Tom Boyle found the required goals for the three points, Merrick’s men knew that, coupled with the immense amount of pressure on them in terms of what their next result meant, this final league away encounter of the season at the Upton Hill Community Centre was always going to be a challenging one.

Although already having a 4-1 home victory over Welland in their records this season, the win at New Street towards the end of September looked far from certain when a surprisingly poor opening 45 minutes from the hosts saw visiting striker James Lush score the second of two penalties given to his side during the first period by referee Ian Jervis, only for Town to launch a stellar second-half comeback with goals from Zac Blood, Joel Skyers, man of the match Burns and Ryan Pugh.

Adding to the tension was the fact that Ledbury’s last visit to the Upton ground back in mid-March last year ended in a shock 5-3 defeat – one of only five losses incurred by the black and white shirts last season as Welland lead 3-2 at half-time, with Mark Holbrow scoring twice before the half-hour mark as Sean Smith netted four minutes from the interval.

Smith completed his brace with Omar Elmougy finding the hosts’ fifth, outnumbering Boyle’s double and the additional goal for the New Street outfit scored by youngster George Walker.

Things started as brightly as the warm spring sunshine on the hottest day of the year so far for Ledbury during this latest meeting with Welland, as a truly magnificent one-touch volley from Rares Micula finished a superb 12th minute cross from Boyle in classy style, only for the yellow and blue shirts to find the net twice as the first period of play unfolded.

Just as if it looked like some noticeable midfield shortcomings, as well as a failure to make the most of set-pieces and other goalscoring chances would put them on a back-footing come the break, Boyle put his team back in the game on the final minute of the first period of play through lobbing the home goalkeeper, scoring his 24th goal of the season in the process and likely taking the third place spot this season in terms of the league’s top marksmen, below Declan Green of Sporting Club Inkberrow in second and Clee Hill United’s Josh Bowen one goal clear at the top.

Huge smiles were put back on the faces of visiting followers on the 67th minute when a Lewis Williams screamer hit the top right-hand corner of the net, as Town held out for the remainder of the ninety minutes with only stoppage time standing between them and a very good chance of winning the league.

With just half a minute to go, tragedy struck however when a failure to clear one final decisive corner ball from the opposition allowed their keeper, joining his team-mates upfront in the box for this concluding set-piece, to slip the ball home in sickening fashion for a devastated visiting side who are now fully reliant on formidable league newcomers and closest rivals Inkberrow failing to win their final two fixtures.

A dramatic affair began with assistant referee Simon Gibson raising an offside flag against Boyle to swiftly end an early second minute chance for the top Ledbury target man, before recent Town newcomer Dean Lee put a first effort for his side over the crossbar.

Welland’s first attempt to open their account travelled harmlessly wide of the top left-hand corner of the frame, before the visitors took an early lead through Micula’s beautiful volley as an opening free kick for the hosts struck by former Ledbury player Curt Williams hit the raised elbow of captain Skyers, forming the four-man wall with Boyle, Micula and Matt Tristram as handball appeals from the hosts were ignored by referee James Cairns.

Town received a stark warning when the second and third of three successive corner balls from the opposition saw the ball sneak narrowly wide of either post, before a golden chance for the visitors to double their lead, a missed opportunity which would become more and more significant as the game unfolded, went begging on the 19th minute when Boyle’s effort was fumbled by the Welland goaltender to see Burns race in and fire the ball over the crossbar.

Boyle did well to keep possession against several defenders just outside the near end of the box as his cross-shot provided the home keeper with a relatively easy save from the ground, before Lee raced in to pressure an opposing goal guardian who reached the ball first to make the clearance.

A throw-in from Skyers lead to a Welland defender volleying a further cross from Boyle well clear, as a strong home back-line continued to keep Town at bay through performing two powerful high clearances away from Burns and Boyle respectively over either sideline.

Skyers’ frustration over his team being unable to find at least a second goal by this point became very apparent when a 25th minute corner ball from Micula was nodded over the touchline by a defender stationed a couple of yards in front of Boyle in the box, with blood pressures of visiting supporters being done no favours when Ben Febery headed a further corner ball wide on the half-hour mark under pressure from a stubborn opposing defence.

A free kick from the Welland captain back across field was played wide to the far wing as one of their forwards was unable to recover the ball before it escaped over the touchline, with Stuart Buchanan raising the offside flag from the far sideline regardless.

A second spot kick taken by the home skipper in as many minutes proved far more fruitful for his side, being deflected only to be fed back in and finished with a great strike to level the score, as ten minutes of midfield tussling saw Boyle run in and volley the ball wide of the top right-hand corner of the woodwork while under pressure from an oncoming opposing goaltender.

Failure to find the vital two-goal buffer as the interval approached came back to bite Ledbury on the brink of the break when Welland found their second goal, only for the twists and turns to continue right up until Cairns’ half-time whistle when Goode’s free kick from the halfway line saw Boyle put the ball over the home keeper’s head to restore the deadlock.

Burns was swapped for Williams over the break as an opening free kick of the second period for the Worcestershire-based outfit was struck from their half of the field to see Tyler Weir and an opposing forward bring each other down in the box with Cairns seeing no cause to sanction either side, with the Town player going on to perform a solid clearing header while under pressure in midfield.

Boyle was again beaten to the ball by the Welland goaltender, who fired the ball away from the far corner of the box as Goode repaid the favour in cleanly catching a corner ball back up the other end in amongst the numerous bodies in the box.

A further free kick from the hosts following a late 56th minute challenge from Town just over the halfway line provided another sizeable scare for the visitors, being caught but then dropped by Goode before the quick-thinking Ledbury keeper did well to recover and then block the rebound attempt at very close range, as a final chipped ball off the bar from another opposing attacker saw Gibson raise the offside flag much to the relief of Town’s nervous fans.

The busy Welland goaltender again charged off his line to reach the ball first, this time from Micula as the visiting player brought down a defender in the process out of frustration even if Cairns chose to ignore the aggression, before a free kick from Ben Miller was squandered in being struck directly against the quartet of opposing defenders forming the well.

A second attempt from the Ledbury striker on the rebound was blocked by another member of the Welland back-line, finding Boyle whose own effort was denied by an obstinate home defence, before the village-based side chose to make a substitution as half an hour remained for either team to make the breakthrough.

Town continued to waste set-pieces, with Skyers’ free kick from towards the near corner flag being deflected off the dual wall in front of him as Boyle struck a further spot kick into the groin of the central of three players forming the defensive line, before Williams suddenly put his side back in the driving seat with his cracking strike from out of the blue.

Nathan Ince replaced Miller who fell injured on the halfway line on the 73rd minute as a valiant run from Williams down the far wing saw the opposing defence relieve him of possession before he could cross the ball to Lee lying in wait in the box.

A contentious final offside flag of the game from Buchanan against Boyle saw Williams and Ince again try to bring the ball down the far wing, again being foiled by a group of home defenders as a misplaced cross from the latter visiting substitute player found the feet of an opposing player in the box.

Welland picked up a yellow card for bringing down a furious Lee on the run, as Ledbury’s final free kick of many that afternoon was played to Boyle by Micula, only for his team-mate to be brought down towards the flag.

Solid play from Williams on the far sideline going into stoppage time then witnessed the conclusion to the match which Town dreaded, as the home goaltender of all opponents slotted in Welland’s pivotal end set-piece to a jubilant team huddle as raucous as if they had won the game.

Although theoretically still possible for Merrick’s men to lift the silverware, it would require a win against Wellington Rangers in their final league fixture at New Street this coming Saturday (KO 2:30pm) being accompanied by Inkberrow recording a draw at the very most to go with a victory in their remaining two games at home to Worcester United at Sands Lane on Wednesday night, and away to Holme Lacy on the same day Ledbury play Rangers.

Town can go into this final league encounter of the season in the knowledge that they scored their first victory of 2023 against Wellington at The Kensal Ground back in early February, courtesy of a second-half brace from Febery which followed a 20th minute opener from Pugh, who was sadly put out of action with a season-ending injury suffering a dislocated shoulder fifteen minutes into the second period.

Jordan Mann found the only consolation goal for the hosts in controversial circumstances eight minutes after Pugh had found the net, with Tom Trigg going on to pick up the man of the match accolade for Ledbury, as he did against Welland away for a solid defensive display throughout on both occasions.