Ledbury Town Football Club

Match report

Josh Burns looks to retrieve the ball on the near sideline after an opposing defender takes a fall behind him (📸: Chris Ponter)

Following a fifteen-game unbeaten streak being ended by a 4-1 defeat away at Ludlow Town Colts to start the year, with two further cancelled home fixtures for the remainder of January, Ledbury Town finally had something to celebrate this week with a first Herefordshire Football League Premier Division victory of 2023 against mid-table Wellington Rangers at The Kensal Ground.

With the Ledbury first string having not taken to the field in four weeks due to a frozen pitch at New Street putting paid to a long-awaited league rematch against arch rivals Hereford Pegasus Reserves, and a home walkover the following weekend when newcomers Coppertops FC failed to raise a side for a second meeting of the season against Ian Merrick’s men, this latest 3-1 win was hugely welcome, even if it came at a significant cost when regular striker Ryan Pugh was forced off fifteen minutes into the second period with a dislocated shoulder.

Pugh himself opened Town’s account twenty minutes into the affair with the assistance of both Ben Febery and seventeen-year-old Jake Clueit, starting for the first time for the visitors following a promising debut as a substitute player at the Ludlow Stadium a month previously, before Jordan Mann equalized under controversial circumstances eight minutes later.

A fiery encounter which saw referee Ian Jervis issue four yellow cards, having words with Wellington joint-manager Stu Jones in the process, saw Febery go on to complete a second-half brace, securing a vital if bittersweet three points.

Only the second game played by the senior Ledbury outfit in 2023 began with an early foul from the black and white shirts towards the near wing seeing yellow card calls from the Rangers management being ignored by Jervis, before the home goalkeeper caught an opening header from Pugh to follow up an aerial ball.

Two Town corner set-pieces delivered by newcomer from Newent this season Cosmin Micula, making his first appearance of the new year for the visitors, then saw opposing players and coaches alike continue to protest to Jervis over what they perceived to be persistent physical contact from the New Street outfit, before a further Ledbury foul this time on the far wing saw Jervis once again neglect to produce any cards as the ball was given back to the Wellington keeper.

Febery then made a run against a Rangers defender down the near wing, scuffing the ball into the box with Pugh being unable to make contact under pressure, before a prime goalscoring opportunity also went begging for Josh Burns when he couldn’t quite retrieve the ball from the gloves of a home goaltender who scrambled to make the recovery beneath him.

It was the team in tangerine who received the first booking of the game when Oliver Tobin committed a late challenge against Burns towards the far wing, with the foul proving crucial when the resulting free kick was well-struck by Febery past the four-man wall of opposing defenders, being deflected by a diving Wellington keeper but not without Clueit neatly flicking the ball back into the centre of the box to be decisively volleyed into the net by Pugh.

Jervis then took the opportunity to march over to the Rangers dugout for a calming word with one-half of their management duo, as recent new Town signing and captain that day Simon Craddock defended a corner ball from the hosts at the near post back downfield.

A further trio of corner set-pieces from the orange shirts, as the visitors failed to clear the danger from their own half of the field saw Mann eventually slip the ball in, with an offside flag displayed by Pete Jeynes being overruled by Jervis after a quick discussion with the seasoned Ledbury substitute player.

Two Febery free kicks on the half-hour mark were both blocked by the opposing defence and solidly caught by the Wellington goaltender, as a further spot kick this time taken by the Rangers in midfield lacked the power to really trouble Town keeper Alex Goode.

Great sustained defending from home skipper George Andrews back downfield relieved Pugh of the ball for a throw-in towards the far corner flag, before a 40th minute free kick from Micula was knocked on by industrious man of the match for the visitors Tom Trigg, only for an opposing defender to leap in and knock the ball away from Clueit.

A volley from Burns after receiving Micula’s corner ball from the previous deflection was again dealt with by a stubborn Wellington defence, before the Rangers’ well-organized back-line managed to intercept Micula at the touchline.

Morgan Skidmore pressured the keeper after one final free kick of the first period was quickly struck by Febery from the near wing, before one last advance from Pugh down the same side of the field saw his effort blocked by the two defenders in front of him as his rebound attempt was caught by the home goaltender.

An eventful latter half of play began with Goode safely catching an aerial effort as an overly-zealous shove from sole opposing substitute player that afternoon Bradley Winter against the Ledbury keeper earnt him a talking-to from Jervis, with Goode responding by making an excellent save to send a threatening Wellington effort over the crossbar.

The resulting corner ball met the head of Trigg in the box, before Goode showed further good judgement in coming well off his line to volley the ball away from an incoming attacker just in the nick of time from just outside the box.

Tom Watkins made a great interception at the edge of the box as joint Town assistant coach Scott Roberts aimed to calm an increasingly-frustrated Goode down, as the aggrieved visiting goaltender made his feelings clear over static movement from his players on the near wing.

Tempers under the darkening skies continued to boil over when Rangers received a second yellow for bringing down Pugh, with the unlucky Ledbury marksman landing heavily to see Jervis beckon Roberts on to the pitch to offer physio.

Home backroom staff provided a foil blanket and a stretcher with some discussion over whether an ambulance was necessary, but, after paracetamol was administered, the spirited Town newcomer this season was back on his feet and helped off the field by his team-mates to allow the game to continue as he was driven to hospital to receive treatment for his shoulder injury.

With Lewis Williams replacing his fallen colleague, accompanied by fellow substitutes Roberts and Ince in exchange for Skidmore and Clueit, the floodlights were switched as Febery’s free kick, awarded following the previous defining foul, was struck past a further quartet of opposing players forming the wall to be saved by their keeper.

The Wellington goaltender left his line to deny Williams of the ball from the ground, as Watkins was given a spot kick of his own following a Rangers challenge towards the near sideline, much to the disagreement of home players and followers alike as their busy keeper went on to make another great save.

Several successive corner balls from Micula led to Febery slotting the ball in to give the lead back to his side with just over twenty minutes left on the clock, before Goode made a cracking save of his own to stop a powerful effort in its tracks at the near post.

The resulting corner ball was cleared away by Watkins, and, after the opposition received their third and final booking of the affair for a terrible challenge which brought down Burns on a run downfield, the free kick taken by the same Town forward was eventually cleared by the Wellington defence following a brief scramble for the ball in the box.

Febery was then sent sprawling towards the far wing, leading to a free kick from Micula which saw the Rangers’ keeper block a close-range effort from Williams, before Burns mis-struck the ball to conclude a promising run across field in unceremonious fashion.

Smiles were put back on the faces of patient away supporters when Febery’s 83rd minute free kick was brilliantly struck low past the trio of home defenders in front of him and straight under a diving opposing goaltender to complete his double, before Jeynes replaced Matt Tristram for the final five minutes.

Ince’s late yellow card for an ill-advised challenge on the far wing did little to sour the moods of visiting players and supporters as they celebrated moving four points clear again of Pegasus, hoping to further restore a reduced lead at the top of the table due to a first loss of the season and forced inactivity since the start of the year by taking on current fifth place holders Kington Town at Mill Street for a first time this season in a fortnight’s time (KO 2:30pm).

The league leaders will then visit Hinton at Broomy Hill in a midweek evening fixture on Tuesday 21st February (KO 7:45pm), having already thumped the new league basement boys following their 5-3 defeat to other newcomers this season Westfields Development at allpay.park this weekend with a 7-1 demolition at New Street at the start of October, when both Burns and returning substitute player Patrick Morgan scored braces as top goalscorer Tom Boyle, absent in this week’s clash against Wellington, also found the target along with Febery as booked substitute striker Robert Gonsales found the sole consolation goal for the visitors.

Ledbury will then face lowly Tenbury United for the first time this season at Palmers Meadow four days later, with a reverse fixture taking place on Saturday 11th March (both games KO 2:00pm).

In-between however, Merrick’s men have the small matter of a Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl semi-final game to play against current league sixth place holders Clee Hill United on Saturday 4th March (KO 2:00pm), following a quarter-final home walkover from Ludlow at the end of November.

The first round of the competition was quite a tussle for Town against reigning champions Pegasus at Old School Lane back in late September, in an eventful Friday evening encounter which was taken to penalties when a brace from visiting man of the match Boyle and a further goal from Febery equalled the home marks on the scoresheet from Corey Ellis, Harvey Evans and substitute player Charlie Jenkins.

A volatile encounter saw Pegasus defender Marc Avery receive a double-booking as Boyle and team-mate Zac Blood were also shown yellow cards by Jervis, even if the visitors ran away during the shootout when Pugh, Blood and Febery all put away their spot kicks as some stellar saves from Goode effectively avenged the 3-1 defeat in the previous final played at the Herefordshire FA County Ground four months previously, when a Harvey Evans opener and a Saul Thomas brace outnumbered the sole Ledbury consolation goal scored by youngster George Walker.

Clee overcame Sporting Club Inkberrow, who pose a considerable challenge to the league title during only their first season lying ten points behind but with four games still in hand over Merrick’s squad at the Knowle Sports Ground in mid-October, when a Josh Bowen hat-trick and an additional goal from Craig Breakwell secured a first-round win, with the same result occurring against Westfields Development at home in the quarter-finals on the same day as Ludlow’s forfeit when a Breakwell brace and further goals from Josh Bowen and Liam Whitbread booked a place in the penultimate stage of the contest.