Season: 2021-22

Ledbury Town Swifts v Tenbury United Colts

Following a promising start to the year with a 3-2 win away at Fownhope Reserves, before being brought back down to earth with an almighty bump through an 8-2 hammering a fortnight later incurred against Belmont Rangers at Belmont Abbey, Ledbury Town Swifts continued their Herefordshire League Division Two campaign this week by holding lowly Tenbury United Colts to a 1-1 draw at the Ledbury Rugby Football Club Ross Road ground.

Richard Thick and Luke Ledbury’s new young side this season couldn’t repeat the memorable 3-0 defeat of Tenbury at Palmers Meadow back in mid-November, when a Samuel Palmer-Young brace and an additional goal from Dave Feakins finally lifted them off the foot of the league table as Matty O’Hagan scored for the visitors on this occasion, with Feakins again finding the target for the Ledbury third string.

The Swifts, dropping to eleventh in the league table, will be looking to achieve a fourth victory of the season with a first meeting against basement boys Dore Valley at the Seven Site this coming weekend, after the first scheduled meeting between the two sides was postponed on account of a frozen pitch at the Ross Road three weeks ago, before a fortnight’s break sees them host league leaders Ewyas Harold Reserves again at the Ross Road on Saturday 26th February (both games KO 2:00pm).

Ewyas Harold’s second string have already recorded a 2-1 victory over Thick and Ledbury’s squad at their Welsh border venue back in early October, when goals from Dylan Lloyd and substitute player Owen Prout overcame the single goal scored by visiting striker Dan Fish.

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Ledbury Town v Hartpury University

Ledbury Town’s triumphant players make a jubilant celebratory run towards the goal after causing a shock Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl cup semi-final upset, beating current undefeated Herefordshire FA County League Premier Division title favourites Hartpury University 5-3 on penalties (📸: Chris Ponter)

Ledbury Town caused a major upset in the semi-finals of this season’s Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl cup competition this weekend, knocking out current Herefordshire FA County League Premier Division title favourites Hartpury University 5-3 on penalties after the scoreline remained level at a goal apiece in front of a bumper crowd of around a hundred spectators at New Street.

In what was Hartpury’s first defeat of the season, with the University-based outfit having dominated the league so far with thirteen wins out of thirteen and a remarkable 69 goals to their advantage, Josh Burns got Ian Merrick’s men off to a dream start after just twelve minutes of play by burying the ball upfield, before the visitors equalized on the brink of the interval through King Baidoo, mirroring the first league meeting between the two sides at the campus-based venue back in mid-October when a controversial free kick, again taken just before the half-time whistle by Najee Holder opened the scoring, with Burns again finding Ledbury’s sole consolation goal during a second half which saw Baidoo score a brace as Brandon Smalley and Joshua Bissett also found the target for the league leaders.

A goalless and rather uneventful second period of play this time round at New Street ended with the affair being taken to penalties rather than extra time as is customary in the Charity Bowl contest, with Town’s spot kick takers running rampant as Ben Miller, Curt Williams and man of the match for the hosts that day Scott Roberts confidently found the back of the net.

A terrific save from Ledbury keeper James Loader, together with further successful penalties from Ben Febery and Burns himself in rather poetic fashion to end the afternoon, saw Town players and supporters erupt with joy over their side defying the odds and booking their place in a second Charity Bowl final in the space of three years.

Things didn’t start off so rosy for the hosts as they sported their brand new kit for the occasion, with Ben Febery receiving a yellow card as early as the fifth minute from referee for the day Adrian Rocke for bringing an opposing attacker down on the near sideline, shortly before Dale Taylor was judged to have committed a foul in midfield as protests from home players and fans alike were brushed aside by the official.

The resulting Hartpury free kick was put over the two-man Ledbury wall of Burns and Miller to provide Loader with a fairly comfortable opening save, before a third spot kick from the visitors in the space of ten minutes was struck straight into the gloves of the Town goaltender.

Any bets which had been placed on the outcome of this hotly-anticipated encounter given the Gloucestershire-based outfit’s recent stellar record were then suddenly thrown into jeopardy when Burns found what was to be his side’s only goal of regular time, before a cross-shot from the opposition provided Loader with another relatively simple save as a brief bout of argy-bargy occurred between him and the Hartpury attacker he had seized the ball from, which was lapped up by the raucous yet good-natured crowd behind the net.

A further cross from the visitors on the quarter-hour mark was put over the back netting, with the cry of anguish from the striker responsible being all too indicative of the growing frustration felt by his side, before an initial effort from Tom Boyle, man of the match for the hosts over their two previous home league games against Clee Hill United and Ewyas Harold after adding a further hat-trick and brace to his impressive goal tally, was volleyed wide of the far post from the edge of the centre-circle.

A pacy University-based forward showed tremendous pace in racing across the width of the field on the 20th minute, evading both Roberts and Ledbury captain Tom Trigg in hot pursuit before sending a threatening message to the black and white shirts by firing the ball narrowly wide of the far post, before a further Town foul, this time judged to have been committed by Boyle towards the far wing further upfield, gave their opponents a further free kick which was struck against Roberts as the ball ended up safely back with Loader.

Taylor then chose to volley the ball over the hosts’ bar in a risky yet worthwhile defensive move, with the two resulting Hartpury corners once again ending with Loader seizing the ball at the far post as the visitors, in a trend which looked set to continue throughout the afternoon, couldn’t seem to make anything of their set-pieces.

The half-hour mark saw Loader pull off easily the finest save of the ninety minutes to send a particularly venomous effort from the opposition over the woodwork, with the ensuing corner ball being fed back into the box by Hartpury to see the busy Ledbury goaltender once again save the follow-up effort on the ground with gloves which appeared to have had superglue firmly applied to them.

Morgan Skidmore incurred the wrath of an increasingly aggrieved visiting outfit when he flagged one of their forwards offside from the near sideline, before a further attempted cross from the red and white shirts from the near wing clipped over both Roberts and two opposing attackers in the box.

Both teams took full advantage of a brief break to the action on the 35th minute when a Hartpury player had to receive treatment in midfield from his physio before being taken off injured, as Roberts was then needed to clear the ball away just short of the line with Pete Jeynes making a pivotal volley to clear a cross from the visitors away to the far wing.

The persistence of the University outfit eventually paid off however when Town were caught on the break, as an opposing winger raced down to cross the ball in to see Baidoo slide in and put the ball away, despite the best efforts of Roberts to make the challenge from behind as the hosts conceded at the worst possible time with moments to go till the interval.

Hartpury’s equalizer had in theory set up an exciting second half of play, but the latter period turned out to be a much more mundane affair, beginning with early danger for Ledbury when Boyle made a defensive volley upwards against an opening corner ball from the visitors to see Loader palm the ball over, with only a well-timed challenge from Miller managing to avert a clear goalscoring chance on the follow-up from a second corner ball.

James Febery was shown yellow for dissent at exactly the same time into this second period of play as his younger sibling’s earlier booking, before an opportunity for Boyle was halted when the opposing linesman raised a contentious offside flag.

The game had to be stopped temporarily again on the 57th minute as assistance was given to an unfortunate spectator who had received a nasty ball to the face, before Miller, once again displaying his defensive prowess as opposed to his more usual position upfront, nodded clear a further Hartpury corner ball from towards the edge of the box.

Ben Febery then received a good ball from Boyle, running into the box and turning to put the ball under the defender marking him before it was easily saved by the visiting keeper, before Loader made a high-risk if well-calculated move in racing well off his line to knock the ball away from an incoming attacker.

The younger of the Febery brothers then ran across the front of the opposing keeper, committing a foul against him in the process as the Hartpury goaltender looked to play the ball back out, and even though the plucky Town youngster escaped further sanction, Miller wasn’t so lucky back upfield on the 75th minute, receiving a third and final home yellow card of the affair for a late challenge.

A visiting defender made a well-timed challenge to relieve Boyle of possession on the near sideline, before Williams became Ledbury’s first and only substitute of the afternoon, entering the fray for Nathan Ince as a free kick from an opposing striker was curled around a leaping Burns to deflect off Roberts on the edge of the box.

Rocke saw fit to march over and present a final yellow card of the game to an unhappy away dugout, before Boyle this time managed to evade the same Hartpury defender, sprinting down the near sideline and feeding a high long cross in but with Ben Febery losing his footing on the other side of the box.

The same Town forward was on the floor again further upfield with five minutes left on the clock, briefly retiring to the near sideline in order to shake off a head injury, before the seemingly inevitable occurred after a somewhat lacklustre latter period of play as the match moved to the lottery of penalties.

It was but a gamble for Merrick’s valiant men however, as player after player stepped up to fire the ball home in comfortable fashion, with Loader’s critical save and Burns’ final successful spot kick after the visiting keeper managed to cheekily slip the ball past his opposing counterpart being the final components needed to send a euphoric Ledbury side through to a final against Hereford Pegasus Reserves on a date and venue still to be announced, after the city-based outfit defeated other semi-finalists Welland with a close 3-2 win away.

Town, fourth in the Herefordshire League Premier Division but only a single point behind Pegasus Reserves and Hereford Lads Club Reserves just above them, now have a fortnight to rest before travelling to Shobdon on Saturday 19th February (KO 2:00pm), after an original opening fixture of the season against the league’s basement boys was postponed back in early September on account of no referee being available at the airfield-based venue.

A visit to Old School Lane in Hereford then looks set to take place the following Friday evening against none other than Pegasus Reserves (KO 7:45pm), as the other Charity Bowl finalists seek to avenge a 3-2 defeat at New Street back in mid-November when second half goals from visiting strikers Owen Bolton and Tom Dixon were the catalyst for a great comeback from Merrick’s men, as an own goal from Pegasus, inadvertently knocking in a cross from home man of the match Boyle, was followed by a goal from Alistair Holder and a successful penalty from Roberts.

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Ledbury Town vs Ewyas Harold

Home man of the match and brace-scorer Tom Boyle aims to keep the ball away from the foot of the opposing defender in front of him on the far wing, as manager Ian Merrick looks on from the sideline (📸: Chris Ponter)

Ledbury Town repaired the damage done by their dramatic 4-3 home defeat to previous Herefordshire FA County League Premier Division champions Clee Hill United last Friday evening with a comfortable and somewhat less eventful second league victory of the season over lowly Ewyas Harold again at New Street, as an opening goal from captain Tom Trigg was followed by a second half brace from home man of the match for a second consecutive occasion Tom Boyle.

Despite Ledbury suffering a blow after just 25 minutes of play, losing trusty defender Chris Wickham to a suspected broken wrist, their skipper soon put a smile back on the faces of the good eighty-strong crowd of spectators who had been drawn out by the pleasant winter sunshine that afternoon by nodding home one of many Scott Roberts corner balls.

Boyle struck twice within a couple of minutes during the latter half of play, mirroring his performance away against the same side back in November when all the goals came during the second period, with James Febery adding a brace as Wickham also complemented the double scored by Boyle, even if Ewyas Harold perhaps deserved a consolation goal during the two teams’ latest meeting as a combination of the woodwork and some solid goalkeeping from James Loader retained the clean sheet.

An opening fifth minute effort from a goal-hungry Boyle following his hat-trick scored against Clee Hill eight days previously was met with a good save from the visiting keeper upfield, as the ensuing first corner ball from Scott Roberts was missed by players from both sides in the box.

A mis-timed clearance from Trigg allowed an opposing attacker to produce an effort which Loader managed to deflect before Morgan Skidmore slid in to put the ball just wide of the near post, with the resulting Ewyas Harold corner set-piece being poorly struck out towards midfield.

Loader leapt out to make a twelfth minute catch towards the edge of the box, shortly before a visiting striker tried his luck from twenty yards out with a threatening effort which soared over the bar, before Curt Williams was sent tumbling in midfield to award team-mate Nathan Ince with a free kick.

Wickham became the second Town player to end up on the floor, although this time in far more serious fashion as the unfortunate home player had to be taken to hospital with the nasty wrist injury incurred during an awkward landing towards the home dugout, with Rio Roberts, making his debut for the New Street first string that afternoon following promising showings for both Ledbury’s reserves and third Swifts sides this season, came on to replace his stricken colleague.

Town’s injury worries only continued when Skidmore fell on the opposite wing in midfield, even if the new home signing this season was quickly able to return to the field on this occasion following some on-the-pitch spray treatment from manager Ian Merrick, before Ledbury finally saw their fortunes change on the half-hour mark when Trigg opened their scoring account at the back post.

A corner ball in reply from the Welsh border outfit provided Loader with a comfortable enough catch, before his opposing counterpart took a calculated risk upfield in rushing well off his line to deny Josh Burns of a 35th minute goalscoring opportunity.

The ball then landed for Boyle in the box, although with a quick-witted defender charging in to successfully steal the ball after it bounced off the prolific Town marksman’s foot, before Ewyas Harold again struggled to defend against another Scott Roberts corner set-piece as Boyle, Burns and Ince all narrowly missed chances to put the ball past the keeper during a scramble in the box.

A further corner back from the visitors back downfield was met with a solid defensive header from Asten Griffiths to allow Williams to play the ball up to Burns, who, along with Boyle shortly afterwards, squandered a further chance to get on the scoresheet before the first period of play was up in firing the ball wide of the woodwork.

Ince missed one final chance to double his side’s lead before local referee for the day Liam Brace blew the half-time whistle when his header, meeting a great cross from Boyle, was denied through a superb save from the opposing goaltender.

Merrick chose to make a double substitution over the break as Ince and Burns were swapped for returning striker Harri John and reserves regular Tom Skittery, fresh from scoring his brace for the New Street second string in their 4-0 win against Holme Lacy Reserves at the Ledbury Rugby Football Club Ross Road ground the weekend beforehand, as Ewyas Harold began their second period by slicing the ball well wide of the target.

A trademark run from Boyle down the near wing past several defenders was halted when the eventual home brace-scorer that afternoon was intercepted on the touchline, before the visiting goaltender leapt out to punch a further corner ball from Scott Roberts away from Skidmore lunging against him in the box.

It was then John’s turn to make a promising run down the same wing attempted by Boyle, with the last obstinate opposing defender again relieving him of the ball in the box as Boyle was unable to retrieve it, even if the latter of the two Ledbury forwards found his first mark on the scoresheet on the 61st minute.

Merrick seized the opportunity to make a further shake-up to his squad at 2-0 up, with Burns returning for Rio Roberts as Alistair Holder took over from Griffiths, with these two substitutes barely having chance to find their feet on the field before Boyle swiftly completed his double.

Ewyas Harold were then unlucky not to grab a goal back, rattling the woodwork after knocking the ball past the outstretched leg of Trigg in the box, before Burns was flagged offside during a run downfield in controversial manner by the visiting linesman running the near sideline.

A 70th minute corner ball from Scott Roberts was only just palmed away in time by the opposing keeper, again leaping off his line as Holder was unable to finish the follow-up when the deflected ball landed at his feet on the edge of the box, before Burns, seemingly unable to gain any luck that afternoon, struck another ball wide of the frame.

Holder blocked an effort upfield to leave Loader with an easy save to stop the follow-up shot, before Skittery was barged down on the far sideline with nothing being given by Brace as it was Holder to the rescue once again as the match entered its final ten minutes, sliding out in the nick of time to clear the danger away from towards the edge of the box.

Boyle missed his hat-trick chance through tripping up in the box, concluding a clear run with the ball to good-natured jeers from Town supporters, but after Griffiths re-entered the fray for a limping Scott Roberts for the remaining five minutes, the black and white shirts enjoyed the last laugh as they celebrated a much-needed first victory of the year.

Hereford Pegasus Reserves and Hereford Lads Club Reserves still remain a point above Merrick’s men in the league table, occupying the second and third spots respectively following a 10-2 hammering achieved by Pegasus away at basement boys Shobdon and a 2-1 win achieved by Lads Club at the County Ground to Welland, but before the Ledbury first string resume their quest to reclaim the runners-up spot, there is the small matter of the Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl cup semi-final to play this coming weekend at New Street, as Town face current league leaders and title favourites Hartpury University (KO 1:30pm).

Hartpury have won all thirteen of their league games this season, having already seen off Merrick’s side with a 5-1 win at their campus-based venue as a controversial free kick following a foul from Ben Febery saw Najee Holder opened their scoring account on the brink of the interval, before the hosts ran riot during the second period as a brace from King Baidoo accompanied further goals from substitute player Brandon Smalley and Joshua Bissett, as Burns found the sole 65th minute consolation goal for Ledbury.

The winner of this latest meeting between the two upper table sides will face either Welland or Pegasus Reserves in the climax of the competition, pending the result of this other semi-final due to be played the same day at Welland’s ground.

Town are looking to reclaim this particular piece of silverware after they added it to their cabinet the last time the contest was played out in its entirety pre-Covid, when an 81st minute winner from Charlie Docherty bought a memorable 3-2 victory in the previous final played against Holme Lacy at Westfields’ allpay.park ground back in April 2019.

Ledbury reached the penultimate stage of this season’s Charity Bowl competition through an opening rather more comfortable 4-0 defeat of Holme Lacy during a midweek fixture at New Street played in early October, when Boyle, Ben Miller, joint home man of the match Ince and Burns all found a goal each, before an 11-2 demolition of Shobdon occurred at their bitterly cold aerodrome venue in the quarter-finals in late November, when Trigg again opened the scoring before visiting man of the match Miller, James Febery and Scott Roberts all went on to bag goals before the half-time whistle.

Miller added three more during the second period, with twenty-year-old George Walker scoring his first hat-trick in senior level football with the aid of two successful penalties, as Sam Branch also added to his side’s extraordinary goal tally on the day.

Hartpury booked their place in the semi-final with a 3-1 home win against Clee Hill following a bye in the first round, with Bissett finding a brace as Luca Robinson was also on target for the league leaders, with Craig Breakwell finding the sole goal for the visitors.

Town have two league games coming up next month, starting with a first league meeting of the season against Shobdon on Saturday 19th February (KO 2:00pm) after their original opening fixture of the season was postponed back in early September on account of no referee being available at the airfield venue of their hosts, before a visit to Old School Lane in Hereford takes place the following Friday evening against Pegasus Reserves (KO 7:45pm).

Pegasus will be seeking to avenge their 3-2 defeat to Ledbury at New Street back in mid-November, when second half goals from visiting strikers Owen Bolton and Tom Dixon were the catalyst for a great comeback from Merrick’s men, as an own goal from the Hereford-based outfit, inadvertently knocking in a cross from home man of the match Boyle, was followed by a goal from Alistair Holder and a successful penalty from Scott Roberts.

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Ross Juniors vs Ledbury Town Reserves

Following a great start to 2022, with a 2-1 victory away to Bartestree a fortnight ago and a 4-0 win against Holme Lacy Reserves at the Ledbury Rugby Football Club Ross Road ground last weekend, Ledbury Town Reserves suffered their first defeat of the year this week in Division One of the Herefordshire League, with a 2-1 loss to Ross Juniors HCL at the Ross-on-Wye Sports Centre.

A Kieran Loveridge penalty provided the only goal for the visitors as Sam Booth was named man of the match for David Butcher and Nick Blakeway’s side, with the hosts’ further two successful penalties moving them up to second place in the league table.

Butcher reflected on a day to chalk up to experience for the reserves:

“It was a scrappy game really, where Ross’ goals and our goal all came from the penalty spot. It was such a stop-start game, with the referee making much use of his whistle on the day.”

“We didn’t really get started from the first whistle, even if we defended well and reduced Ross to long-distance efforts, and if it weren’t for some outstanding saves from the Ross goalkeeper, we would have gone into the break 2-1 up. A draw would have been a fair result, but these games happen.”

The Ledbury second string have a busy February of fixtures in order to make amends and attempt to improve upon their current eighth place standing in the table, with a visit to current league leaders Fownhope taking place this weekend, before Butcher and Blakeway’s side host basement boys the Civil Service and then mid-table Tenbury Town and lowly Bartestree at New Street over the following three Saturdays (all games KO 2:00pm).

The reserves will be looking to avenge the 2-0 home defeat to Fownhope back in December, when Max Stenhouse and Joseph Harwood both found the net for the visitors, while the Civil Service will in turn be looking for payback on the New Street second string when a sole goal from Tom Skittery was enough to achieve the win at Central Park in Hereford a fortnight before the game against Bartestree in the reserves’ second game of the season.

Tenbury Town and Ledbury are yet to lock horns this season, while Bartestree will be looking for a better result at New Street after first half goals from visiting forwards George Walker and Sam Branch, as well as a critical second half save from Zak Bonfield, secured a reserves win at Bartestree’s ground to start the year, even if Harry Gwynne later deprived the visitors of a clean sheet.

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Belmont Rangers vs Ledbury Town Swifts

After second half goals from Brad Potter and Clayton Hodges, together with a last-minute winner from seasoned midfielder Joel Skyers away against Fownhope Reserves bought both a valuable 3-2 victory and a great start to the new year in Division Two of the Herefordshire FA County League, Ledbury Town Swifts were brought back down to earth with an almighty bump this week when they suffered an 8-2 demolition away at Belmont Rangers.

Belmont had already dealt out a 4-2 defeat to Richard Thick and Luke Ledbury’s new side this season at the Ledbury Rugby Football Club Ross Road ground during their final game of 2021 last month, when a brace from Ken Hooper and further goals from Craig Forsyth and James Powell overcame the home goals scored by Ledbury Town Football Club chairman Pete Boyle and fellow veteran team-mate Duncan Preedy, and in this latest meeting between the two sides at Belmont Abbey, the Ledbury third string went 3-1 down by half-time after missing a sitter just before the interval.

The visitors put in a dominant first twenty minutes of the latter half of play yet still couldn’t pull any goals back, even if Jamie Roberts managed to add a second successful penalty to his earlier spot kick which made it past the opposing keeper as youngster Khayd Saxelby was named Swifts’ man of the match.

Hooper hit the net a further four times, with Forsyth and Powell both adding additional braces to their sizeable goal tallies this season as Ledbury continued to concede against the run of play during the second period and essentially collapsed.

Reflecting on a day to forget for the visitors, Thick commented:

“We got what we deserved really – flattened 8-2 by our hosts and too many of our boys simply gave up. We have so many players coming back from both Covid and injury, with some of the lads going down with Covid on the Saturday morning. All in all, just a bad day all round.”

The Swifts now have a fortnight to regroup and recuperate from this latest setback, remaining ninth in the league table as the first two games of February present a real chance to make up ground, as Thick and Ledbury’s team host lowly Tenbury United Colts on Saturday 5th February, before travelling to the Seven Site to face Dore Valley the following week after a scheduled first fixture against the league basement boys was postponed last weekend owing to a frozen pitch at the Ledbury Rugby Football Club Ross Road ground (both games KO 2:00pm).

The Ledbury third string have already defeated Tenbury once this season with a 3-0 victory at Palmers Meadow, when this first victory of the season back in mid-November finally lifted Thick and Ledbury’s side off the foot of the league table when a brace from Samuel Palmer-Young and an additional goal from Dave Feakins secured the first three points of the season, with sixteen-year-old Jake Clueit pipping teenage team-mate Jude Locker to the Swifts’ man of the match accolade that day.

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Ledbury Town Reserves v Holme Lacy Reserves

Matti Holder holds off a Holme Lacy attacker in midfield, watched by team-mate James Kenny behind him as Ledbury captain Jai Smallwood walks in from the right (📸: Chris Ponter)

After first half goals from George Walker and Sam Branch, together with a critical second-half save from man of the match Zak Bonfield secured a 2-1 victory against Bartestree in a first Herefordshire FA County League Division One game of the year last weekend, Ledbury Town Reserves continued their promising start to 2022 this week with an altogether more convincing 4-0 home win over Holme Lacy Reserves, after the previous fixture between the two sides was postponed back in November.

With David Butcher and Nick Blakeway’s side unusually playing from the Ledbury Rugby Football Club Ross Road ground on account of their regular New Street pitch needing time to recover following the Herefordshire League Premier Division clash between Ledbury’s first team and former league champions Clee Hill United the night beforehand, Branch and Tom Skittery were on target for Town’s second string as Nathan Ince found a later brace, even if the hosts really should have extended their goal difference by at least another two or three goals owing to a number of missed early second half opportunities.

Ledbury were on the attack from the starting whistle as the Holme Lacy keeper was forced to pull off an early save, with Samuel Palmer-Young hitting the ball wide as chances went begging for both man of the match for Town that day Kieran Loveridge and regular team-mate Alistair Holder.

Referee for the afternoon Mark Hays gave a controversial free kick to the visiting goaltender when a tenth minute effort from Skittery struck the near post, before the quarter-hour mark saw Palmer-Young nod away a corner ball at the near post back across field.

An alleged push from Branch gave the opposing keeper a further free kick as a well-timed challenge was then made against Pete Jeynes in midfield, before Palmer-Young couldn’t quite stop a pacy Holme Lacy striker from making a great run down the near wing, as the equally-impressive cross from the visiting attacker was squandered through one of his team-mates firing the ball wide of the target.

Loveridge was relieved of possession on the half-hour mark, going in for a risky retaliatory lunging challenge which failed to connect against the player who successfully tackled him, enabling the opposing forward to put a 25-yard effort just wide of the woodwork as Loveridge’s temperament didn’t go unnoticed by an official who chose to have a cautionary word with him.

The 35th minute saw a Holme Lacy defender being lucky to receive only a booking for bringing Jeynes down in what appeared to be a last man situation back downfield, as the ensuing free kick was well-struck by Charlie Jones past the three-man wall of visiting defenders to be nodded narrowly over by Loveridge.

Jones continued to impress with a superb challenge which this time stopped the same opposing attacker in his tracks down the near wing, with Palmer-Young, Jeynes and Matti Holder all contributing to some great home defending as James Kenny successfully covered a Holme Lacy forward before clearing the ball away.

Protests from the visitors in blue fell on deaf ears when Alistair Holder’s midfield challenge in the muddy conditions appeared to make no contact with his intended target, before some good play from both Palmer-Young and the more upfront of the Holder siblings gave Skittery the opportunity to produce a strong shot from a tricky angle which was met with a great save from the opposing keeper.

Branch then gained possession of the ball in the box, not quite being able to get his foot into a position to perform the finish as some further solid defending from Kenny on the near sideline saw Ledbury achieve the breakthrough on the 38th minute, when an exquisite ball from Palmer-Young on the near wing was cleanly headed into the bottom corner of the net by Branch to finally get his side off the mark.

Jones nodded a further corner ball away before a Holme Lacy effort was struck harmlessly wide after Loveridge couldn’t quite connect with the challenge, and after Palmer-Young nodded a cross from Jeynes the wrong way in the box, the Town player was unlucky to see the ball overplayed over the touchline.

Visiting defender Matthew Price then performed a successful tackle against Loveridge on the near wing, and after Skittery was felled in a rather less legitimate challenge from the opposition which this time saw no cards being produced by the official, the resulting free kick was struck by Matti Holder to see his brother being brought down right on the edge of the box.

Skittery’s resulting spot kick was knocked to the left of the sizeable four-man Holme Lacy wall and on to roll wide of the far post, before the closing minutes of the first period of play saw the referee give an unusual drop ball when a visiting midfielder lost his footing in the slippery conditions as contact was judged to have been made by one of the black and white shirts.

Jai Smallwood, taking up the home captain’s armband after usual skipper Nick Bolton was forced to retire with a popped hamstring during the second half of the visit to Bartestree seven days previously, then struck a worthwhile 25-yard effort wide of the woodwork, before Jones and an opposing counterpart both lunged in and clashed boots in a painful-sounding manner, with the Holme Lacy player being judged by the referee to have been more at fault as the official brandished a second yellow card of the affair to the visitors.

The Matti Holder free kick which followed heralded the start of the interval, as the previous impact turned out to be enough to Jones succumb to injury and be substituted for teenage team-mate George Hackman as the second period began with a ball in from Skittery towards the far corner flag which was deflected away by a defender leaping in front of Branch in the box, as the resulting corner ball from Jeynes saw Skittery put the ball inches over the bar.

The squandered early second half chances continued for Ledbury when Branch gained a clear run into the box and put the ball wide, even if he appeared to have been pulled down by the opposing defender pursuing him as the referee turned a blind eye regardless, before Jeynes went on a run of his own before going on to put the ball over the frame.

Skittery then knocked the ball upfield to Jeynes who was contentiously flagged offside by the Holme Lacy linesman running the far sideline, before the 55th minute saw Skittery embark on a clear run in plenty of space, producing a shot which lacked the power required to trouble the visiting goaltender as Town’s finishing continued to leave much to be desired.

Fouls from both Alistair Holder and Kenny saw the latter home player being booked as an opposing attacker came to blows with Ledbury keeper Zak Bonfield on the floor, with the resulting Holme Lacy free kick being struck past the wall but well wide of the target as Jake Bramley replaced Branch in a second Town substitution.

A marvellous ball from Loveridge on the near wing was then seized by Skittery, whose fantastic finish finally doubled his side’s lead on the 68th minute, before a similar great ball from Kenny travelled just that little bit too far for Alistair Holder to reach it at the near post.

Butcher then chose to make a double change of personnel as Palmer-Young and Branch retired for returning defender Tom Reid and Ince to take to the field, with a direct shot from the visitors being comfortably blocked by Bonfield in one of very few saves that the home goaltender was tasked with making all game.

A clinical cross from Skittery again from the corner flag allowed Ince to find the bottom corner of the net within two minutes of entering the action, and, after the opposing outfit made a substitution of their own, Bramley and Skittery continued to work together and create chances upfront, even if they couldn’t find a fourth Ledbury goal between them.

A further Holme Lacy offside flag, this time against an audibly-annoyed Ince saw the first team striker go on to overrun the ball slightly and strike it wide of the top corner of the woodwork, and after Skittery came off for a returning Palmer-Young with just over five minutes to go, Town’s final substitute player fell down in a simultaneous and comical manner with a visiting forward on a run towards the box.

Palmer-Young then delivered a great ball in from the near corner which missed both Hackman and Branch in front of the keeper as the opposing goaltender made the save, before a further terrific ball from the latter home player allowed Ince to embark on a trademark pacy run to put away his brace.

Ince fell foul of one last offside flag after receiving a good ball from Hackman, with his side’s only yellow card of the affair then occurring as his frustration over the decision boiled over into dissent towards the official, before a final ball in from Ince saw both Palmer-Young and Bramley not quite being able to make the final connection in the box.

Butcher was again impressed with his side’s confident performance, commenting:

“The lads carried on their performance from last week and dominated the ball throughout. We never really looked troubled, with Zak only really having to make two saves pretty much all game. We deserved the win but again, the result could have featured several more goals in our favour if it weren’t for some awful finishing.”

“Everyone played well however, and generally I couldn’t pick fault in anyone’s game. Two wins from two games to start the new year – what more could you ask for?”

“Hopefully we will carry our form on to next week against a very strong Ross side, and I am sure that we will give them a very good game.”

This latest win moves the New Street second string up to eighth in the table as their game against Ross Juniors HCL at the Ross-on-Wye Sports Centre this weekend (KO 2:00pm) completes what has so far been a promising January campaign.

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Ledbury Town vs Clee Hill United

Pete Jeynes, Scott Roberts, Nathan Ince and Ben Febery form a four-man defensive wall in an attempt to stop a 65th minute Clee Hill free kick, which ended up being saved by Ledbury keeper James Loader (📸: Chris Ponter)

Clee Hill United managed to avenge the 2-1 defeat dealt out to them during their first Herefordshire FA County League Premier Division meeting of the season against Ledbury Town in chilly Shropshire back in early November this week, defeating Ian Merrick’s men 4-3 at New Street, as not even a hat-trick from home man of the match Tom Boyle was enough to prevent the former league champions from clinching the win during an exciting Friday evening fixture full of drama and controversy.

In what was the first league game of the year for the Ledbury first string following a postponed original inaugural fixture of 2022 against Hinton the weekend beforehand owing to a waterlogged pitch at New Street, as well as Town’s first home fixture since the 3-2 league defeat of Hereford Pegasus Reserves a week after Merrick’s side last faced Clee Hill, the black and white shirts suffered a disastrous start underneath the floodlights as Ryan Clarke scored twice within three minutes for United, even if Boyle managed to pull one back before twenty minutes had elapsed.

The prolific home striker restored the stalemate nine minutes before the interval as the match remained anyone’s game going into the break under what was akin to a cup semi-final atmosphere at New Street with a crowd of around eighty spectators braving the cold, with the ground erupting on the 69th minute when Boyle completed his treble.

The joy of Ledbury supporters was short-lived however, when Craig Breakwell equalized barely two minutes later, before a yellow card for the red and black shirts and a consequential and highly controversial free kick from Town substitute player Curt Williams saw Steven Preece bag a crucial fourth goal for his side with ten minutes to go.

A highly unusual and somewhat bizarre 85th minute saw the referee that evening briefly pass out on the pitch in the frigid conditions, with the occurrence of Clee Hill’s later-disallowed fifth goal occurring during the time the official was on the floor only serving to further complicate an already-dramatic evening full of twists and turns.

There was danger for the hosts from very early on when an opening United corner ball was met with a mis-timed clearance from Tom Trigg, leaving a visiting attacker to fire the ball into the side netting, before an opening Ledbury free kick from Ben Febery on the near wing was cleanly caught by the opposing keeper at the far post back upfield.

A second Clee Hill free kick past the two-man Town wall of Nathan Ince and Scott Roberts was then nodded safely clear by Dwayne Tyndale, charging into the box with Trigg and several other United players rushing in behind him, before an opening tenth minute volley from Boyle landed just shy of the far post.

James Loader safely caught a 25-yard effort from the visitors in what was the first save required that night from the home goaltender, before Tyndale successfully covered and blocked a second corner ball from the opposition to allow his keeper to make the recovery.

Clarke fired home his opener on the quarter-hour mark, although not without controversy even at this early stage when the assistant referee running the near sideline appeared to put his flag down soon after raising it, as the referee nevertheless gave the goal.

The swift second goal from Clee Hill’s brace scorer that night was far more definitive however, with Loader being caught a good thirty yards off his line to leave Clarke with the simple task of running in behind the beleaguered Ledbury keeper and burying the ball, before Boyle managed to quickly halve his side’s goal deficit.

The Shropshire-based outfit nearly restored their dual-goal lead once again however moments later when a dangerous strike from the near side of the box rattled the near post, before another effort from Boyle after receiving a long cross from the near wing back upfield was saved by the United keeper at the far post.

Loader atoned for his earlier error of judgement by pulling off a magnificent diving save to palm a threatening effort from the visitors over the crossbar just as it was soaring into the bottom corner of the net, before continuing to redeem himself by making a further great save to deflect a shot just wide of the near post and going on to successfully deal with the corner set-piece.

Boyle received a further good ball upfront to enable him to perform a great finish and restore the stalemate, shortly before a further effort from the opposition clipped the far post as Trigg made a prudent move in clearing the ball safely off his line.

Physical pressure from Tyndale in the box going into the final five minutes of the first period of play was enough to cause a Clee Hill attacker to put the ball just wide of the woodwork, before the latter half began with Febery falling flat on the touchline after making a run past several defenders in the box, even if the referee was in no mood on this occasion to give anything Town’s way.

An opening second period United free kick again made its way over Ince and Roberts forming a further wall to be comfortably saved by Loader, before a corner ball from Roberts was palmed clear by a visiting goaltender leaping out above the swarm of players beneath him in the box.

The red and black shirts received a literal blow when one of their forwards had to be taken off injured over the near sideline, before a further contentious moment occurred when Ince’s potential goal after receiving a great ball from Febery on the far wing was disallowed through an offside flag being shown.

Merrick chose to make a double substitution on the 60th minute, as Williams and Pete Jeynes entered the fray in exchange for Tyndale and new signing this season Morgan Skidmore, before the opposing goalkeeper caught a second corner ball from Roberts in a near-identical manner to his previous save.

A four-man home wall consisting of Jeynes, Roberts, Ince and Febery was set up in front of a further Clee Hill free kick opportunity, as the spot kick again overcame the Ledbury barricade to be met with another save from Loader.

Town’s persistence finally paid off however when Boyle completed his hat-trick in style with a terrific finish to see his side take the lead for the first and only time that night, only for Breakwell to quickly pull his side level again.

Josh Burns couldn’t quite seize his chance to retake the lead when the ball came off his foot on a run towards the box with a defender in tow, being unable to stop the ball from escaping over the touchline before the hosts’ fortunes took a turn for the better again on the 78th minute when the referee this time saw things their way, issuing United with their only booking of the evening when Febery was felled outside the box.

The foul led to one of the defining moments of the evening when the ensuing free kick from Williams was struck past the quartet of visiting defenders to come off the palms of the keeper, with furious Ledbury fans making their feelings clear when the official brushed aside protests after the opposing goaltender brought down an incoming Boyle in his scramble to recover the deflected ball.

Twenty-year-old George Walker replaced Burns as the match entered its final ten minutes, and after Preece netted Clee Hill’s fourth and Town’s final substitute player struck a worthwhile effort over the bar from 25 yards out, the affair was thrown into confusion when the man in the middle himself came down in midfield, with United going on to score again while he was helped back to his feet.

A brief word with the linesman saw the referee give the goal at first, before going back on his decision and voiding the fifth mark on the scoresheet for the visitors on account of Loader being unaware of the current state of play during the process of the goal being scored.

The hosts couldn’t capitalize on being brought back into the game however, seeing a number of final corner balls and attacking opportunities go begging as the final whistle saw the former league title holders achieve redemption for the Febery brace which cost them the three points at the Knowle Sports Ground nearly three months previously.

Ledbury drop from second to fourth in the league after Pegasus Reserves scored a 1-0 win over fifth-placed Ludlow Town Colts at Old School Lane, with Hereford Lads Club Reserves achieving a 4-2 victory away at lowly Shobdon the following day, but with both of these city-based sides lying only a single point above Merrick’s men, the New Street first string will be putting everything into reinstating themselves in the runners-up spot behind runaway league favourites Hartpury University when they host lowly Ewyas Harold this coming weekend (KO 2:00pm).

Town defeated Ewyas Harold a fortnight after their previous victory over Clee Hill, when second half braces from Boyle and James Febery along with an additional goal from Chris Wickham secured a comfortable 5-1 win at Ewyas Harold’s ground.

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Bartestree vs Ledbury Town Reserves

Former Ledbury player Luke Cox performs a defensive deflection in the box to deny reserves striker Tom Skittery of a late goalscoring opportunity (📸: Chris Ponter)

Following a postponed game against Bartestree last weekend owing to a waterlogged pitch at New Street, Ledbury Town Reserves managed to finally kick off 2022 in Division One of the Herefordshire FA County League with a 2-1 victory this week in a reverse fixture, as first half goals from George Walker and Sam Branch, along with a crucial second half save from reserves man of the match Zak Bonfield, bought David Butcher and Nick Blakeway’s squad an extremely useful three points.

The visitors should have gone at least four or even five goals up by the interval however, with opportunities to pull further ahead continuing to be squandered well into the latter half of play as Harry Gwynne denied the team in blue and red a clean sheet on the 72ndminute following Bonfield’s critical deflection.

Things grew rather more heated going into the final ten minutes, as referee Mike Darley issued no fewer than three yellow cards to the hosts as the Ledbury second string were left to accept a valuable, if not massively convincing win to move up two places in the league table to ninth position.

Walker was the first to find the target for the reserves on the 20thminute, coming from a long over-the-top ball from James Kenny towards him on the left-hand side, as the regular first team youngster cut back in on his right foot and curled the ball into the top corner from twenty yards out.

Branch’s 35thminute goal was derived as a result of hard work from both Walker and Brad Potter, who managed to get the ball to their team-mate around the penalty spot to leave him with the simple task of slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

Potter came off for Tom Skittery over the break in a first substitution from Butcher’s well-staffed subs bench that afternoon on account of both Ledbury’s first team and third Swifts sides having had their games postponed this week as the overnight frost ravaged Town’s two home pitches, before Bartestree went on the attack during the opening minutes of the latter period of play, causing Bonfield to have to pull off a great diving save as Kenny performed a good block while bossing the reserves’ defensive line.

Walker was brought down on the run back across field, even if the opposing defender came off worse during the challenge, having to be taken off by two of his team-mates with a foot injury as the resulting free kick from Kieran Loveridge was struck neatly into the box to come off the heads of both Callum Blackmore-Davey and a veteran Bartestree defender, even if Darley ignored calls from the visitors for a corner ball.

Walker managed to recover a mis-timed attempted volley from towards the near post by crossing the ball right in front of the goalmouth, even if no red and blue shirts could reach the box in time to connect with it, before a superbly-timed sliding challenge from Charlie Jones denied a home forward of a goalscoring opportunity from the near side of the box back upfield.

Bonfield made another save on the 55thminute as Blackmore-Davey was on hand to perform the clearance, with Ledbury’s frustration both on the pitch and in the dugout being palpable when Loveridge put the ball over the woodwork.

Reserves captain Nick Bolton then suffered a popped hamstring, being exchanged for sixteen-year-old Jake Clueit as Jai Smallwood donned the skipper’s armband, before a direct shot from Jon Richards provided Bonfield with a relatively easy save, even if this latest chance for the opposition to claw one back didn’t go unnoticed by a vocal Butcher, furious that the black and white shirts had been allowed to slip through once again.

Walker just about managed to get control of an awkward ball in the box back downfield to cross it over to Branch, who ended up being foiled by a defender, before a defensive Bartestree header saw Jones fire the ball wide, with Loveridge doing well to recover it from the near sideline and feeding it back in, only to see an obstinate home defence again nod the ball to safety.

Jake Bramley replaced Branch in a third change of personnel from Butcher, as a determined Loveridge battled through the defence in the box to produce an effort which slipped narrowly wide of the near post, before perhaps the key moment of the entire second period occurred on the 68thminute when Bonfield’s outstretched foot knocked a much more threatening shot from Richards just enough off course, with the audible cry of anguish from the opposing attacker indicating how aware he was of just how costly this particular squandered opportunity would turn out to be.

Loveridge then managed to get the ball to Bramley while under pressure on the far wing, only for the visiting outfit’s latest substitute player to be flagged offside in a controversial manner by the Bartestree linesman running the far sideline, as another change to the Ledbury line-up saw Jones come off for upcoming teenager George Hackman.

Gwynne then evaded a sliding Kenny to fire home a consolation goal for his side which had been coming for quite some time, before Skittery, usually goal-hungry but just not receiving the luck that afternoon, was caught offside twice in a matter of minutes by both Darley and the Bartestree linesman while battling against former New Street player Luke Cox in the box on the latter occasion.

Jones responded by flagging a home striker offside from the near sideline, even if the opposing forward blasted the ball well over the bar regardless, as Bartestree received two yellow cards in swift succession for felling both Hackman and Clueit.

Cox then nodded the ball into the bar in a final let-off for the reserves, with both Potter and a home counterpart being spoken to by the official shortly after the visiting youngster re-entered the fray for Loveridge for the final five minutes, as the hosts picked up a third and final booking for dissent.

Bramley then missed a sitter in the box, with Cox again going on to block Skittery from around the penalty spot as Potter couldn’t connect with a final ball into the box from Alistair Holder to see the Ledbury second string acquire all three points, although with a degree of regret over the many missed opportunities to improve their goal difference.

Butcher was pleased with the result, although admitted there were shortcomings:

“It was a game of two halves really, although I felt we dominated both the game and ball throughout the ninety minutes.”

“We should have been out of sight by the end of the first half, but we failed to take our chances; in fact if it wasn’t for Zak in goal, we would have dropped another two points as we let them come back into the game and gave them many opportunities to score.”

“Considering we haven’t played in four weeks, the lads did perform well. Hopefully we can now kick on and pick up more points.”

The reserves will hope to win these further points in a fortnight’s time when they face current third place holders Ross Juniors HCL at the Ross-on-Wye Sports Centre, KO 2:00pm.

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Ledbury Town vs Hinton

Following a postponed home fixture this week against Hinton due to the January frosts getting the better of the pitch at New Street, Ledbury Town, still second in the Herefordshire FA County League Premier Division although seven points behind current title favourites Hartpury University, will finally hope to make a start to their new year this coming Saturday by hosting former league title holders Clee Hill United.

It will be the first home fixture for Ian Merrick’s men in over two months, as they then look to entertain lowly Ewyas Harold on Saturday 29thJanuary (both games KO 2:00pm).

A 2-1 victory resulted against Clee Hill during a bitterly cold early November affair at the Knowle Sports Ground, when a Ben Febery brace overcame the sole goal for the hosts scored by Steven Preece, with Merrick’s high-flying squad also seeing off Ewyas Harold later the same month as braces from Tom Boyle and James Febery, along with an additional goal from Chris Wickham, secured a comfortable 5-1 win at Ewyas Harold’s ground.

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