Season: 2021-22

Ledbury Town Swifts vs Dore Valley

Unfortunately, the freezing January conditions put paid to Ledbury Town Swifts’ scheduled game against Herefordshire FA County League Division Two basement boys Dore Valley at the Ledbury Rugby Football Club Ross Road ground this week.

Richard Thick and Luke Ledbury’s new side, after a great start to 2022 with a 3-2 victory over previously unbeaten league runners-up of last season Fownhope Reserves as second half goals from Brad Potter and Clayton Hodges saw returning veteran player volley home a 25-yard winner on the 88thminute, will instead visit Belmont Abbey to face fifth-place holders Belmont Rangers this coming Saturday to try and further their current tenth place standing in the league, KO 2:00pm.

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Fownhope Reserves vs Ledbury Town Swifts

Joel Skyers nods the ball away while surrounded by team-mates Mike Arlott, Jai Smallwood, Will Brandreth and Sam Booth in the box just over fifteen minutes into the Swifts’ game against Fownhope Reserves as Ledbury Town Reserves assistant coach Nick Blakeway points from the goalmouth on goalkeeping duties (📸: Chris Ponter)

Ledbury Town Football Club kicked off 2022 in fantastic style this week, as their Ledbury Town Swifts third team, formed only at the start of the current season as a result of the club’s strengthened relationship with Ledbury Swifts Junior Football Club, scored an exciting 3-2 victory away at mid-table Fownhope Reserves in a first Herefordshire FA County League Division Two fixture of the new year, following a terrific second half comeback and a last-minute winner from veteran player Joel Skyers.

In stark contrast to the 7-1 drubbing suffered at the hands of Fownhope’s second string at the Ledbury Rugby Football Club Ross Road ground during the opening league game of the season back in early September, when teenager Khayd Saxelby scored the only goal for Richard Thick and Luke Ledbury’s new young squad, things still looked grim for the Swifts shortly into the second period of play during the two sides’ latest meeting, going 2-0 down with an earlier 38thminute penalty from Nick Bolton being saved.

Visiting spirits were lifted when Brad Potter, bolstering the Swifts’ line-up on account of Ledbury Town Reserves’ Herefordshire League Division One game against Bartestree being postponed that day due to a waterlogged pitch at New Street, raced in to finish a free kick from Skyers which had deflected down from the crossbar, before Clayton Hodges restored the stalemate with ten minutes to go on the follow-up from a Bolton corner.

A game which had become characterized by heated feelings in the challenging slippery conditions, as seasoned referee Mike Darley battled to keep order and issued no fewer than four yellow cards, reached boiling point as a furious home side made their protests vocal when Skyers chipped an 88thminute ball over their goaltender from 25 yards out to steal all three points.

With Fownhope being unbeaten up to this point and finishing league runners-up last season, Ledbury nevertheless had the upper hand during the opening ten minutes of this latest affair, being denied only through a number of great saves pulled off by the opposing keeper as the thirteenth minute saw visiting reserves assistant manager Nick Blakeway, taking up goalkeeping duties for the Swifts on account of his side being out of action that day, made a good judgement in sliding out on his knees to save a free kick.

The eighteenth minute saw the ball bounce awkwardly for George Hackman in the box to see the Ledbury youngster drill the ball just wide of the far post although not without contact being made by a diving Fownhope goaltender to give the visitors a corner ball which couldn’t provide an opener, before the Swifts were then punished when a home attacker held off pressure from hardworking visiting man of the match for a second consecutive occasion Sam Booth, approaching the box from the far wing to slot the ball home.

Ledbury captain Mike Arlott then had to retire with a tight hamstring in the process of trying to stop the previous attack to be replaced by David Feakins in an earlier-then-expected first substitution for the Swifts as Ledbury Town chairman Pete Boyle assumed the captaincy, with the visitors’ first replacement player inadvertently deflecting a free kick from his own side off the line with a raised foot as the Swifts then received a major let-off when a corner ball was put narrowly over the woodwork back across field.

The half-hour mark saw reserves manager David Butcher, running the line that afternoon as opposed to taking up his originally scheduled position of calling the shots from the dugout, flag an opposing striker offside, before some good combined work from sixteen-year-old Jake Clueit and more seasoned team-mate Skyers in midfield was successful in getting the ball up to Potter, who was foiled in the box by a combination of two defenders and the Fownhope keeper.

Some strong sustained play from Bolton saw the keen reserves regular overcome a number of midfielders as his subsequent effort lacked the power needed to trouble an opposing goaltender who rushed out to make an easy save, before Darley went over to calm down a home linesman who believed that a Ledbury player had stamped on one of his colleagues.

Skyers was then sent flying just after rushing into the box to see the referee this time award a penalty, which was struck by Bolton to be well-saved by the Fownhope keeper as Skyers, seemingly a target of a home outfit who saw his experience as a credible threat, was once again brought down this time on the opposite touchline as Boyle played the free kick to Blakeway.

It was Skyers who received the first booking of the game however for a late challenge committed in midfield, even if the veteran forward was then able to play the ball up and on to Feakins who squandered a further chance for the Swifts to draw level in knocking the ball over the bar, before a 41stminute throw-in from the opposition saw Darley give the goal kick to Blakeway after judging a Fownhope forward to have pushed against Boyle and Skyers in the box.

Butcher waved a second offside flag as the offending home attacker put the ball over the frame regardless, as Blakeway went on to make a great save before it was chairman Boyle to the rescue, leading by example in nodding a follow-up effort downwards off the line as the visiting club head very much put his own head to good use again in deflecting a corner ball clear.

The reserves boss then displayed a third offside flag, much to the audible annoyance of the opposing forward the flag was aimed at, before Boyle was shown yellow after continually arguing with Darley when the official blew the whistle against the chairman for bringing down an incoming attacker.

Blakeway caught the ensuing free kick from the ground in an assured manner as the man in the middle continued to talk to both Boyle and Thick over the break, before Fownhope kicked off their second half by extending their lead from a corner set-piece, even if the referee continued to warn them that further cards would be issued should protests and dissent continue.

Solid work from Potter saw the determined youngster hold off a number of defenders while running in from the far wing towards the touchline, to see his great ball into the box have no-one present to meet it with Feakins running in a little too late, before an arm from a pursuing Skyers into the shoulder plate of an opposing attacker prompted Darley to give a further free kick to the hosts.

Bolton stayed strong in making it past a number of members of the Fownhope back-line before eventually being kicked down, giving Skyers the pivotal free kick which was denied by the bar as Potter ran in to finish the job with Feakins and Clueit in the mix as well, with the former player leaving the action for Hodges to enter the fray on the 60thminute.

A further home corner ball was cleared away back to the near sideline by Will Brandreth positioned not far off the line, before Boyle dealt with a further ball which was fed back in while stationed in a similar position, and, after an injured Brandreth was swapped for Harry Eales in a final Swifts change of personnel as their last substitute player made his return following a six-month hiatus, a good defensive block from Booth was made in-between two further substitutions made by the opposition.

Blakeway safely caught a ball which had been sent to him by an impromptu 75thminute bicycle kick from a Fownhope attacker in the box, and, after the home keeper leapt above Potter to punch away a Bolton corner ball, Boyle managed to feed the ball back in from the near wing to see Hodges catch the opposing goaltender off guard, clipping the ball in to suddenly restore the stalemate with ten minutes remaining.

The busy Fownhope goaltender caught an aerial ball again while under pressure from Potter on the line as a home midfielder was booked for felling Bolton on the near sideline, with the same Ledbury player in turn being presented with the final yellow card of the encounter moments later for a similar late challenge committed in midfield.

There was more drama to come however under the setting sun at Fownhope’s ground with mere minutes left on the clock, when the referee overruled both advantage and offside calls from the hosts as Skyers triumphantly chipped the keeper, snatching victory away from a thoroughly frustrated opposing outfit who continued to protest well after the final whistle as Thick and Ledbury’s jubilant squad conversely celebrated a well-deserved and hard-fought third win of the season.

Thick was over the moon with his young squad’s performance, with much to say about the result:

“The lads were just fantastic today. We lost 4-2 against Belmont the last game of 2021 and it hurt, but the first game of the new year, we’ve come from 2-0 down with 35 minutes left to defeat an unbeaten side 3-2.”

“When we pulled it back to 2-2 with ten minutes to go, our instructions were clear: go and win it! You could see the young lads were starting to believe, whereas at the start of the season they wouldn’t have had that confidence. This is why we do this – for their development!”

“Our squad is currently ravaged with Covid and injuries – I’ve never known anything like it in all the years of being involved in football.”

“The biggest compliment these young lads can take however is the reaction of our opponents at full time, questioning how many first teamers we brought. The simple answer is not one, but there were about ten of them on the sideline who made the journey over to cheer on our lads. That was really appreciated, and great to see.”

“The reserves game got called off about an hour before we had departed. We could have just loaded our squad with their stronger players, but that would have done very little for the development of the young players we have at this club.”

“Will Brandreth, Sam Booth (who was again awarded man of the match), Brad Potter, George Hackman and Jake Clueit were all fantastic. The majority of them are still under 18 and finding their way at senior-level football. Four of them put a full ninety minutes in today, with Will having to come off after seventy minutes with an injury to be replaced by yet another young lad in Harry Eales, who is being eased in after having six months out.”

“We went 1-0 down after half an hour, losing our captain Mike Arlott as a result of the build-up to the goal. We had Joel Skyers come out of retirement as we were so low on numbers, and he was a great help to the younger players, of course also scoring the winner. He was targeted all game, and really showed the youngsters the correct way in dealing with it.”

“Our keeper Alex Thomson messaged me on Friday night offering to put an outfield kit on and sit on the bench, so we could bring in reserves assistant manager Nick Blakeway in goal, solely to help us with numbers. We only decided to do that when the reserves game had been called off, and the exemplary attitude from Alex is just unbelievable and is exactly what we are looking for in terms of players being all in it together.”

“We remained 1-0 down at half-time after switching off once and being punished for it. Despite missing a penalty as well, the improvement is very evident when you consider that when we played Fownhope at home the first game of the season, we were 3-0 down after just nine minutes! The boys didn’t fold, shy away or back down. They listened at half-time, and put the plan into action.”

“We then conceded from a corner a couple of minutes into the second half, but the boys still took the game to our opponents. Jake and George bossed the centre midfield – a sixteen and seventeen-year-old grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck and taking the fight to the hosts.”

“Sam at the back flew in challenge after challenge, winning every tackle against men who have been playing as long as he’s been alive, while Brad, having never played up front for us before, took the half-time instructions on, made run after run off the ball and caused chaos. We told him he would get the goal, and he did, also playing a huge part in the other two goals we scored with his work off the ball.”

“All in all I’m absolutely delighted for these young lads; they really deserved that win today. They were up against it for the first half-hour, but they dug in and gave as good as they got.”

“What an exciting future these lads give this club – especially when you see the other young lads in the first team and reserves as well. The boys will be told at training however that there is no point putting in a performance like that and not turning up next week against Dore Valley – bottom of the league or not. We now need to start seeing some consistency, which is very much the next stage of their development.”

The Swifts, who spent much of the season occupying the bottom of the league table before back-to-back 3-0 and 3-2 wins away to Tenbury United Colts and at home to Leominster Town respectively in mid-November eventually lifted them, now find themselves just below mid-table, six points below Fownhope as a fortnight’s break to recuperate following this important latest victory sees them face a further chance to make up more ground by hosting basement boys Dore Valley at the Ross Road ground, before taking on current fifth place holders Belmont Rangers at Belmont Abbey the following Saturday (both games KO 2:00pm).

 

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Ledbury Town Reserves vs Bartestree

Ledbury Town Reserves had their first game of 2022 in Division One of the Herefordshire FA County League against lowly Bartestree cancelled this week owing to a waterlogged pitch at New Street.

David Butcher and Nick Blakeway’s side will instead look to resume their league campaign with a reverse fixture this coming weekend to try and improve upon their current eleventh place position in the table, before facing current second place holders Ross Juniors HCL at the Ross-on-Wye Sports Centre on the last Saturday of the month (both games again KO 2:00pm).

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Ludlow Colts vs Ledbury Town

Josh Burns produces a 43rd minute effort which went on to hit the post after he received a superb through-ball from James Febery running downfield (📸: Chris Ponter)

Ledbury Town clinched an extremely useful three points to stay second in the Herefordshire FA County League Premier Division just before the Christmas break this week, holding on to a 2-1 lead against current fifth place holders Ludlow Town Colts as the scoreline remained the same throughout the second period of play on the 4G pitch at the Ludlow Football Stadium.

While perhaps not quite matching the excitement of the ten-goal thriller which resulted the last time the two sides locked horns at New Street, during Ledbury’s opening game of the season following a postponed inaugural fixture over at Shobdon Airfield, a great tussle still occurred in what was another close affair between the two outfits.

Despite both Tom Boyle and Ben Miller not featuring in Town’s starting XI, after the hat-trick scored by the former player and the brace picked up by the latter levelled the Jabez Smith double with further goals from Ludlow’s Josh Williams, Corey Whitticase and Aaron Hodge during the mid-September encounter, Ian Merrick’s men were still able to take the lead after ten minutes of play when newcomer Morgan Skidmore found the net.

Curt Williams then doubled the visitors’ lead on the 41st minute off an effort from seasoned midfielder Scott Roberts, only for Colts captain Luke Hicks to grab one back on the brink of the interval.

Although a third goal would have provided more assured passage to the win, Ledbury managed to hang on to their slim lead throughout the next 45 minutes, even if several second period chances occurred for both sides occurring as pacy Town striker Nathan Ince rattled the bar, with a number of efforts from the hosts also sneaking just wide of the target.

Morgan’s early opener scored shortly after a sooner-than-scheduled kick-off time was swiftly followed by a setback for the black and white shirts when Dwayne Tyndale had to be substituted for Chris Wickham in an earlier-than-expected change of personnel from Merrick’s subs bench on account of a knee injury incurred by the visiting defender, even if his replacement went on to be man of the match for Ledbury that afternoon for a commendable defensive display throughout the ensuing eighty minutes he played.

The Shropshire-based outfit then fell literally foul of referee for the day Simon Burgess, receiving the only yellow card of the affair for a late challenge committed against Ince at quarter of an hour in, before Town keeper James Loader pulled off a cracking save to deny a powerful threatening shot from the opposition.

Ince volleyed the ball well over and wide of the target back across field, before Roberts’ great direct strike was met with a superb save from the Ludlow keeper, even if Williams was able to sneak the ball in on the rebound at the near post to extend his side’s lead.

A terrific through-ball from Ben Febery running downfield then found Josh Burns, whose promising effort hit the far post, before a twenty-yard screamer from the imposing Hicks bounced off the bar.

Roberts was then judged to have committed a foul on the near wing, giving the Colts what would turn out to be a critical free kick which was finished via a great header from Hicks, towering above visiting defender Tom Trigg in the box to get the hosts off the mark moments before the half-time whistle was blown.

The second period began with a free kick for Febery, awarded to the keen Ledbury youngster after he was pushed in the back by the burly opposing skipper as they both leapt for an aerial ball, providing few problems for the Ludlow back-line in the box, before a volley again from Febery on the far wing was caught by the Colts keeper.

A great leaping defensive block performed by Wickham allowed Trigg and then Roberts to clear the ball successfully, with Tyndale, taking up officiating duties for Town on the far sideline, raising the flag for an offside decision against the hosts before the favour was swiftly repaid by the opposing linesman in flagging Williams.

A great 55th minute cross-shot from Ince then rattled the bar, with Ludlow narrowly missing out on equalizing themselves when an effort snuck under Loader and only just wide of the far post before the Colts then received a free kick when a further foul was committed by Roberts at 25 yards out.

Protests from the hosts were then very vocal on a very-much-unlucky thirteenth minute of the second period for them when Loader was handed the goal kick by an official who had deemed Hicks to have made undue contact with opposing counterpart Matt Rooke in the box, after the visiting skipper tried to volley the ball away following an attempted sliding challenge from Ince which failed to prevent a cross being fed in from towards the near sideline.

Burgess then saw fit moments later however to have a few cautionary words with Ince after some overly-physical play from the keen striker upfront, with Ludlow making a 65th minute substitution as Wickham prepared to take a throw-in from the near sideline.

The referee aimed more words Ledbury’s way, this time towards Febery for a bout of dissent from the aggrieved youngster, with Town moods being done no favours when their second goalscorer was again flagged offside in highly contentious manner by the Colts coach running the line.

Williams responded with a free kick after Burns was felled while embarking on a 70th minute run with the ball down the far wing as the spot kick was saved by the home keeper at the far post, before Merrick then chose to make a double substitution as both Burns and Skidmore left the action for George Walker and Alistair Holder.

Ince saw another chance to restore his side’s previous two-goal advantage go begging when he managed to receive a good ball into the box, not quite managing to get his left foot to perform the finish as the second-touch effort with his other foot provided the opposing goaltender with a relatively easy save, before the visitors suffered a further blow on the 77th minute when sturdy defender Dale Taylor suffered a match-ending injury to see Skidmore unexpectedly return to the action.

Ludlow squandered a further vital chance to acquire at least a point from this last league encounter of the year going into its final ten minutes when Trigg deflected a free kick from the attacker next to him to see the ball being put just shy of the far post, before a further free kick from the Colts, awarded after Roberts pushed one of their attackers in the back while on the run with the ball, was to no avail as Febery and Walker then assisted Skidmore with a spot of leg cramp in the increasingly cold conditions under the murky overcast skies at the hosts’ ground.

A further Ledbury let-off occurred as late as the 88th minute when the opposition put the ball just wide of the near post, with Town going on the attack as the match entered stoppage time with a final direct strike from Williams being saved by the keeper, as Holder volleyed the ball into the upper side netting.

Febery raced into the box to put one last effort over the woodwork while under pressure from the two defenders either side of him, as his side nevertheless celebrated retaining the second spot in the league to end 2021, level on games and two points above Hereford Lads Club Reserves below them but with Hartpury University still very much commanding the table, four points above Town with an impressive ten wins out of ten, a 33 goal advantage and two games in hand.

Ledbury’s senior squad, along with the reserves side and Ledbury Town Swifts, are now awaiting their opening fixtures of the new year to be announced, with the Herefordshire League looking set to resume on Saturday 8thJanuary following the festive break.

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Ledbury Town Swifts vs Belmont Rangers

Ledbury Town Swifts suffered a similar close defeat in their final encounter of 2021 in Division Two of the Herefordshire League, staying tenth in the table after losing out 4-2 against mid-table Belmont Rangers in the first game to be played at New Street since the new Ledbury third team’s own previous 3-2 victory over Leominster Town nearly a month ago when Mike Arlott, Jake Clueit and James Roberts all contributed to the Swifts’ second victory of the season.

Ken Hooper picked up a brace for Belmont during this latest encounter, with Craig Forsyth and James Powell also finding the net for the Rangers as Ledbury Town Football Club chairman Pete Boyle and veteran man of the match for the Swifts that day Duncan Preedy scored the goals for the hosts.

Boyle’s opener after a matter of minutes came courtesy of a great cross from Preedy as the brother of former Town first team manager Phil Preedy went on to score a penalty, before Dan Fish squandered a second chance from the spot.

Joint Swifts manager Richard Thick was left perplexed by his side’s latest defeat, commenting: “We completely dominated the game, having around twenty shots on goal and I just don’t know how we lost.”

“All credit to Belmont, they took their chances and although some poor decisions did cost us at times, four individual errors meant that our players were ultimately the makers of their own downfall.”

“The defeat was a really painful one to take, with a lot of disappointment felt afterwards. We need to be learning to put these games to bed, especially after going 1-0 up very early on and missing several sitters.”

“We have a depleted squad due to so many injuries and now some cases of Covid, but that’s no excuse really for the lads on the pitch. Basic errors week after week are our downfall, but on a positive note, fitness levels are hugely improving and we are definitely now competing in games when compared to the start of the season when we were really struggling to get going.”

The Swifts, along with Ledbury’s first team and reserves side, are now awaiting their opening fixtures of the new year to be announced, with the Herefordshire League looking set to resume on Saturday 8thJanuary following the festive break.

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Pegasus Colts vs Ledbury Town Reserves

Ledbury Town Reserves drop a place to eleventh in Division One of the Herefordshire League to end the year following a narrow 3-2 loss recorded against Hereford Pegasus Colts at Old School Lane this week, with Callum Blackmore-Davey and Brad Potter finding the goals for David Butcher and Nick Blakeway’s side as captain Nick Bolton was named their man of the match.

Despite the defeat, which saw Pegasus clinch the win in the final three minutes, Butcher was satisfied with his squad’s performance, commenting: “I couldn’t really fault the lads’ performance; they battled hard from start to finish.”

“They deserved more from the game, reacting well to going behind and coming back twice. It was quite hard to take seeing all their hard work being undone in the last three minutes of the game, but that’s football.”

“I am sure we will kick on and pick up more points after the Christmas break.”

The reserves, along with Ledbury’s first team and Ledbury Town Swifts, are now awaiting their opening fixtures of the new year to be announced, with the Herefordshire League looking set to resume on Saturday 8thJanuary following the festive break.

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Tenbury United vs Ledbury Town Reserves

Matti Holder goes in for a successful defensive challenge against an oncoming Tenbury attacker a few yards outside the box, five minutes into the second period of play (📸: Chris Ponter)

Ledbury Town Reserves saw what would have been a very valuable three full league points slip through their fingers this week in their first Herefordshire FA County League Division One clash since the 3-1 victory over Hinton Reserves at New Street over a month previously owing to postponed fixtures, drawing 3-3 away against current third place holders Tenbury United after an 83rd minute equalizer from the hosts shared the points.

It was a torrid start for David Butcher and Nick Blakeway’s side in the muddy conditions over at Palmers Meadow, despite the visiting squad being bolstered by first teamers Pete Jeynes, man of the match Curt Williams and George Walker owing to no fixture taking place for Ian Merrick’s senior squad that weekend, as the Ledbury second string went a goal down after barely a minute of play.

A commendable first-half comeback from the reserves saw both Tom Skittery and seventeen-year-old Jake Clueit score either side of a Tenbury own goal however to lead 3-2 by the interval, despite United having countless opportunities to restore the stalemate towards the end of the first period and well into the latter half of play as a squandered 60th minute Kieran Loveridge penalty kept the doors open for the hosts to claim a point from the affair.

Following the Worcestershire-based outfit’s very early opener, the visitors’ unsavoury start continued when Jeynes came down in painful-sounding fashion following a challenge towards the far wing, even if the seasoned Ledbury winger was soon back on his feet to continue playing as Loveridge then successfully volleyed an opening corner ball from the opposition out of the box.

Reserves keeper Zak Bonfield then palmed clear a second Tenbury corner set-piece at the far post, before a failed clearance from James Kenny at fourteen minutes in allowed a United forward to continue playing the ball deeper into the box, clinically crossing it to be met with a superb sliding finish from one of his team-mates to double the hosts’ lead.

The blue and yellow shirts’ joy was short-lived however, as Skittery pulled one back barely a minute later through a brilliant finish into the bottom right-hand corner of the net, before Samuel Palmer-Young flagged an opposing striker offside in midfield while running the near sideline for the visitors.

Ledbury’s fortunes continued to turn when Tenbury put in an unexpected own goal following a free kick from the reserves, which led to a scramble in the box involving Loveridge and Skittery as the rebound from the former player’s effort couldn’t quite be finished by the latter, even if a United defender inadvertently finished the job for them.

Walker then came down with a head injury at twenty yards out after the high foot of a home defender made contact with him while going for the header, even if the visiting youngster was able to walk off the field with Butcher to be temporarily replaced by Clueit before returning to the fray mere minutes later.

Bonfield then pulled off a great save as Clueit’s exit quickly saw him return for Brad Potter, with Kenny then becoming Ledbury’s latest injury worry on the edge of the box at 25 minutes in, even if treatment from a busy Butcher on physio duties was again deemed unnecessary.

A further Tenbury corner ball eventually found its way to Jeynes, who wasted no time in striking the ball away to safety, before a worthwhile effort from reserves captain Nick Bolton snuck just wide of the near post.

Clueit experienced greater success two minutes later, buoyed on by encouraging shouts of confidence from his skipper to bury the ball after making a great run down the far wing, before United missed no fewer than five chances to level the score over the next seven minutes, missing a free header in the box following a well-taken corner ball, and then putting an effort wide of the far post.

An alleged handball from hat-trick scorer away against Burghill Rangers in the Ross Cup quarter-finals last week Jake Bramley, after a deflected through-ball off the defender right in front of him made contact with the visiting forward on the rebound, saw the hosts race away immediately after the referee had sounded the whistle for a free kick, nevertheless putting the ball over the bar anyway as two further attempts snuck wide of the woodwork before the break.

Palmer-Young came on to replace his captain shortly into the second period as a Tenbury free kick struck past Ledbury’s second substitute player that day saw Bonfield block the follow-up shot at the far post, with the rebound being struck well wide of the target in a further squandered opportunity for United.

A further free kick from the hosts, awarded after Williams was judged to have fouled an opposing attacker in midfield, landed to be missed by a Tenbury forward a few yards from the far post as United continued to kick themselves, before a home substitution saw a pivotal moment of the game occur when Skittery was brought down in the box to gift the reserves a penalty.

The spot kick was struck by Loveridge to be saved by the opposing goaltender, with a Tenbury defender seizing the opportunity to blast the ball safely over the touchline on the rebound to leave Butcher and Blakeway’s side ruing a missed golden opportunity to all but seal the win that afternoon as the corner ball which resulted from the squandered spot kick was struck straight into the side netting by Williams.

The referee refused to award a second penalty when Loveridge was felled just inside the near corner of the box, with George Hackman then coming on for fellow teenage team-mate Clueit as 25 minutes remained on the clock for the visitors to acquire the badly-needed cushion of a fourth goal.

Events took a decidedly heated turn in contrast to the increasingly chilly winter temperatures at Palmers Meadow when a challenge against Jeynes caused the heated winger to raise a hand to the face of his assailant, with United being left aghast when no red card let alone a yellow was produced by the official as the free kick nevertheless given to them was deflected off the four-man Ledbury wall of Hackman, Holder, Loveridge and Kenny to soar well wide of the near post.

The referee appeared to shy away from booking a home attacker after he brought Kenny down just inside the near corner of the box on the 71st minute, before the ever-slippery conditions got the better of Skittery, losing his footing in front of the oncoming keeper in the box as Walker curled an effort wide of the far post.

Palmer-Young made an important clearance over the near sideline back upfield as the ball was deflected off Holder in the box in front of a Tenbury forward following the throw-in, before United again fell foul off the offside flag this time waved by Butcher himself manning the far sideline, with an effort from Loveridge back downfield travelling well wide of the target as the reserves just couldn’t find that critical additional goal.

The visitors’ failure to extend their lead was ultimately punished seven minutes from time when the Worcestershire side finally found their breakthrough, as desperate attempts from Ledbury to retake the lead as the minutes ticked away were to no avail when Walker saw a direct effort from the edge of the box being blocked by the outstretched foot of one of the two defenders in front of him, as one final effort shot from Loveridge again soared harmlessly wide of the woodwork.

The game ended on a rather ugly note, compounding the rather scrappy nature of the latter half of the affair when the hosts receiving a double booking from the official, with one of their midfielders seeing yellow for fouling Hackman in the centre-circle, as an aggrieved Tenbury substitute player was then shown the card on the sideline.

Dropping to tenth in the league following Hinton Reserves’ impressive 5-0 victory over the Civil Service side at Broomy Hill that same afternoon, Butcher and Blakeway’s squad have one final chance to improve upon their standing in the table before the year is out, travelling to Old School Lane to face current fifth place holders Hereford Pegasus Colts this coming weekend (KO 1:30pm).

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Wellington Rangers vs Ledbury Town

Brace-scorer for Ledbury against Wellington Tom Boyle races towards the box with the ball against an opposing defender and his captain after receiving a superb through-ball from team-mate George Walker, shortly before being flagged offside by the home linesman (📸: Chris Ponter)

An improved second half performance maintained Ledbury Town’s second place position in the Herefordshire FA County League Premier Division this week, scoring a 5-2 victory over at Wellington Rangers in a continuing tour of the county which again witnessed freezing winds nearly on a par with the bitter gales which battered Shobdon Airfield last weekend, when Ian Merrick’s men achieved an 11-2 demolition over the league’s basement boys in the Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl quarter-finals.

There was a degree of doubt at first over whether this latest league fixture would be played at all when no referee was present at the scheduled kick-off time of 3:30pm, retained despite the earlier Herefordshire League Division Two fixture between Wellington Colts and Ross Juniors Reserves being postponed, but fortunately, referee Mike Darley arrived soon afterwards to allow the game to go ahead under the added advantage of the floodlights on Wellington’s main pitch.

Ledbury made hard work of the opening period, so much so that a repeat of the 6-1 demolition achieved by the New Street outfit at home against the same side during the fifth league game of the season back in early September, when six different goalscorers were on target for Town with Tom Boyle, Ben Febery, Tom Trigg, Scott Roberts, Nathan Ince and Josh Burns all finding the net, seemed highly unlikely during the second meeting of the season against the Rangers.

In fact the first thirty minutes or so were little more than mediocre on the part of the black and white shirts as the hosts gained the majority of chances, culminating in Jordan Russell finding a first goal before a well-taken free kick from Febery allowed George Walker to pull one back six minutes from the interval.

The half-time team talk from Merrick appeared to have worked wonders however as his squad emerged on to the field in a much more assured manner for the second half of play, with Ince putting his side ahead for the first time that afternoon barely four minutes from the break, only for Matthew Maturi to restore the stalemate less than ten minutes later through a successful penalty awarded under controversial circumstances when visiting captain Matt Rooke was judged to have handled the ball following a throw-in from the opposition.

With Febery, Rooke and Merrick all having been spoken to by Darley owing to the contentious feelings which had crept into the middle point of the encounter, this setback only served to galvanize Ledbury into action, with Town man of the match Boyle picking up a brace within four minutes of play to add to his double scored over at Ewyas Harold a fortnight previously, before Burns went on to hit the visitors’ fifth for a decisive victory.

Ledbury started quite promisingly after the Wellington keeper was forced to pull off a great save to deny a threatening fifth minute effort from Ince as the pacy striker raced away downfield on the break, before Asten Griffiths nodded clear an opening Rangers corner ball at the other end of the field.

The hosts stepped up their attack however as Trigg denied one of their forwards on the touchline, with Loader catching a cross-shot at the near post, before a handball offence from Dale Taylor in midfield saw the swiftly-taken short free kick from the team in tangerine lead to the ball being given back to Loader, after contact was judged to have been made to Taylor’s back on the far wing by an opposing forward.

Wellington were forced to make an earlier-than-expected first substitution at twenty minutes in when one of their defenders suffered a match-ending lower leg injury following a challenge from Febery right in front of their dugout, with nervy times continuing for Town when Loader blocked a direct shot on the ground, even if the visiting goaltender, playing only his third game for Ledbury’s senior outfit this season, fumbled the ball briefly and only just managed to recover it in time before a Rangers striker could race in and finish the job.

Following a Taylor free kick in midfield after Darley ordered that the new Town signing this season bring the ball back slightly, Russell broke the deadlock with a goal which, in all fairness, had been coming with around three-quarters of play having so far taken place exclusively in the visitors’ half of the field.

Loader then made a risky if well-judged call in rushing well off his line in order to clear the ball away from an opposing attacker running down the far wing, with the home player taking a tumble in the process as Wellington continued to threaten by sending an effort from towards the touchline just shy of the near corner of the frame.

The strong chilly cross-winds then aided a Loader goal kick on its way in being erroneously knocked into the Rangers dugout, before Boyle was flagged offside by the home linesman after receiving a good through-ball from Walker just after the half-hour mark of play.

Trigg nodded a further cross-shot from the opposition up and away from the front of goal as Griffiths was on hand to block a follow-up effort, with Ledbury continuing to defend well when Taylor performed a great clearance over the near sideline, striking the ball away from a Wellington forward after the Rangers player received a superb long-ball from midfield.

Contact was made again by a member of the home squad in the back of a Town player, on this occasion Febery as the ensuing free kick from the plucky visiting youngster met Alistair Holder in the box, before going on to find Walker on the left who wasted no time in slotting the ball home to finally get his side off the mark.

A final corner ball of the first period of play from the orange shirts was then received by Taylor at the near post, as Holder completed the defensive move in playing the ball out of the area and firing it away over the sideline.

Darley then refused to give a penalty on the 43rd minute when Ince was felled in front of goal during another speedy charge into the box, before Boyle flicked one last Ledbury free kick over the bar to leave Town with much to do if they were to claim the full three points from this latest encounter.

This aim was made all the more achievable however shortly into the latter half of the game, when a brilliant ball from Trigg on the edge of the box enabled Ince to bag his sole goal of the day, with Darley then seeing fit to give Febery a rather stern talking-to, warning the lively youngster that he will be carded should his risqué challenges continue.

The free kick arising from Febery’s foul was deflected to be well-caught by Loader, and after Boyle raced across the box to see his curling effort being saved by the opposing keeper, a mis-timed clearance from Loader back downfield left it up to Dwayne Tyndale to perform the recovery clearance away from a threatening Wellington attacker.

The resulting throw-in turned out to be the catalyst for a pivotal moment of the game to occur however when Darley ruled Rooke to have got a hand to the ball while leaping against a Rangers forward at the near post, and after inadvertently gifting Wellington their valuable penalty, the visiting skipper’s game took a further turn for the worse when the official called him over to inform him that bookings would occur if his players persisted with late challenges and protests.

With the spot kick being comfortably struck in by Maturi on a very-much-unlucky thirteenth minute of the second period for Ledbury, Darley approached Merrick on the sideline as the Town manager continued to make his feelings known over the contentious handball decision which had been made against his captain, before the visiting boss chose on the 60th minute to bring both Curt Williams and Burns on to the field in exchange for Griffiths and Holder as his first substitute players.

Boyle responded to the new challenge which the penalty had provided by running rampant, firing the ball in from a deflected effort from Williams off the near post, before quickly going on to complete his brace as Loader cleanly caught a Rangers corner ball back downfield.

A 71st minute free kick from Boyle a few yards outside the box made it past the four-man wall of home defenders to be saved by their keeper, before an injured Ince then had to be taken off field by Merrick out of the box as the stricken striker was replaced by Pete Jeynes.

Boyle was then denied by a defender to see the ball falling back into the centre of the box, with an opportunistic Walker, gaining untold levels of confidence since his first hat-trick scored in senior level football against Shobdon seven days previously, trying his luck once again to see his follow-up effort being saved on this occasion by the keeper.

A superb Burns cross-shot then hit the back of the net to provide the icing on the cake for Ledbury, and after Sam Branch and Charlie Docherty entered the fray for Tyndale and Walker with five minutes left on the clock for the spectators who had braved the icy winds up to this point to continue to endure, a good final close-range save by Loader from his knees led to the New Street first string celebrating an assured win after such a shaky start to their latest league clash.

With three consecutive wins on the bounce in both league and cup play, Merrick’s men have a chance to recuperate over the next fortnight, ready to face current league fifth place holders Ludlow Town Colts over at the Ludlow Stadium in a final fixture of the year on Saturday 18th December (KO 2:00pm).

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Burghill Rangers vs Ledbury Town Reserves

After an impressive comeback to defeat Weston under Penyard with a 4-2 win in a rearranged Ross Cup first round fixture at New Street a month ago, despite going 2-0 down through a penalty after twenty minutes of play as a crucial goal from Tom Skittery scored just before the interval was followed by the home man of the match that night completing a hat-trick with Kieran Loveridge also on target, Ledbury Town Reserves exited the quarter-final stage of the competition this week with an 8-5 defeat to lowly league rivals Burghill Rangers at The Copse.

Star player for the reserves that day Jake Bramley scored his first senior level hat-trick, with Skittery again on target for David Butcher and Nick Blakeway’s side with Matti Holder finding the fifth goal, as Burghill nevertheless booked their place in the semi-finals against Fownhope Reserves, following a 4-1 victory achieved away at Ross Juniors HCL that same afternoon with Damion Gallimore, Carlton Maddocks, Joshua Munn and George Worswick all scoring for the visiting outfit.

Butcher commented on the Burghill cup game: “It was a very frustrating game with neither side really playing great football; it was a rather scrappy affair all round.”

“Individual mistakes cost us yet again, but we live and learn and go again against Tenbury United back in the league next week.”

What promises to be a challenging encounter against the current Herefordshire League Division One third place holders will take place at Palmers Meadow this coming weekend (KO 2:00pm) as the reserves look to improve upon their ninth place position, before they look to end 2021 with a visit to Old School Lane to play fifth-placed Hereford Pegasus Colts (KO 1:30pm).

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