Ledbury Town extended their lead at the top of the Herefordshire Football League Premier Division by a clear seven points this weekend, when quite possibly the most astonishing free kick in the club’s recent memory was emphatically struck by Tom Boyle to claimed a crucial victory from Hereford Pegasus Reserves during a hotly-anticipated top-of-the-league rematch at Old School Lane.
A surprisingly quiet and innocuous first half given the fierce recent rivalry between the two sides, with Ledbury having overcome the Pegasus second string 3-1 on penalties a month previously to knock the Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl title holders out of the first round of this season’s contest, after the Reserves dealt out a 3-1 defeat to Town at the Herefordshire FA County Ground back in May to win last season’s cup, gave way to a tense second half with both teams gaining a number of chances.
It wasn’t until the 77thminute however that top visiting goalscorer and league Golden Boot winner of last season Boyle took his stunning spot kick to a euphoric celebration with the rest of his team as well as Ledbury chairman Pete Boyle and vice chairman Rob Powell on the sideline as an extended period of stoppage time saw Town hang on to claim an invaluable win.
A relatively uneventful opening ten minutes saw a 25-yard free kick from the city-based outfit being comfortably caught by visiting goalkeeper Alex Goode, before a first Ledbury corner ball of the affair saw Lewis Williams miss out on the header at the near side of the box.
Referee for the day Alan Robinson overruled his assistant Luke Davies on the near sideline soon after the taking of the set-piece to give a throw-in to home captain Henry Hancocks, before a second Town corner ball delivered by skipper Joel Skyers was punched away by the opposing keeper above both Ryan Pugh and Ben Febery leaping up beneath him.
Febery brushed off a blow to the back of the head incurred from this early goalscoring attempt to see his great ball intercepted and blocked by a defender running in front of Pugh in the Pegasus box upfield, before a twenty-yard effort from the Reserves was curled wide of the top left-hand corner of the frame after what was, by their own vocal admission, the first real piece of midfield play they had produced up to that point.
Handball appeals made against the visitors in their own box were ignored by Robinson as a free kick from Skyers, awarded to Ledbury after Boyle was brought down in the centre-circle on the half-hour mark, was met with a solid defensive header from Hancocks as the industrious opposing captain went on to clear the ball back up the near sideline.
Pegasus continued their attack albeit without truly threatening as Goode saved the knock-on from one of their free kicks before catching a cross-shot from the far wing, before both Hancocks and Town counterpart Dale Taylor made good overhead clearances to keep their respective rivals away.
Goode was called upon to make a further save at the far post to stop a stronger Reserves effort, with Hancocks forcing a corner ball over the touchline back downfield as the home skipper continued to keep the black and white shirts’ scorecard empty through nodding clear the ensuing corner ball from Skyers.
A moment of drama occurred five minutes from the interval when Febery vocally hit the deck, much to the disapproval of his opponents as the resulting free kick again struck by Skyers was denied only through the Pegasus goaltender palming the ball over the crossbar.
The ensuing corner set-piece, once again delivered by the visiting captain, was headed just shy of the far post by Febery under pressure from the Reserves defence, with Skyers fortunately able to continue playing after receiving some on-the-pitch treatment for an injury incurred just outside his own box.
A final free kick of the first period from the Ledbury skipper, awarded in controversial circumstances on the far wing, was unable to provide his side with a badly-needed opener before the half-time whistle with Town having squandered a number of set-piece opportunities to open their account.
Sure enough, fears that the visitors’ failure to get themselves off the mark during the opening 45 minutes of play would come back to bite them were done no favours when challenges from both Pugh and Williams couldn’t stop a home attacker from racing down the near sideline moments into the latter half of play, as his cross came off Taylor’s chest and into Goode in nervy fashion.
Josh Burns then missed the connection with a superb cross from Skyers while under pressure from a defender in the box back across field, before the opposing goaltender saved a follow-up effort from the prior attack at the far post as another golden chance for Ledbury to finally make the breakthrough went begging when a great ball from Boyle was nodded into the near post by Pugh, rebounding to come off the keeper for a corner.
Williams received the first yellow card of the game for a late challenge towards the near sideline as he was swiftly brought off for Matt Tristram in a first substitution of the afternoon from manager Ian Merrick, who also took the opportunity to send treatment to an injured Goode as Burns fired a 57thminute effort wide of the near post from the opposite wing.
Pegasus tried their luck from twenty yards out to see the effort roll wide of Town’s near post, before a brilliant ball into the box from Pugh back up the other end saw Boyle being unable to perform the finish in uncharacteristic fashion, losing the ball to the Reserves defence over the touchline as the resulting corner ball was headed towards the far wing by Febery.
Boyle’s frustration was palpable when his cross-shot was saved at the far post with no-one being there to receive it, and, after Hancocks took a tumble over the foot of Burns with the free kick being given his side’s way, Cosmin Micula was exchanged for veteran defender and joint assistant coach Scott Roberts to add his expertise to the game.
Febery was felled on the ball again on the 70thminute to see Skyers’ free kick taken short to Taylor, who was intercepted for yet another corner ball for the visitors which was struck to land past the far post by Skyers, before a Ledbury handball appeal when an attempted cross from Pugh was blocked by the body of a defender in front of him was ignored by Robinson.
Goode left his line in bold fashion back downfield to take a throw-in from the near sideline as the hosts made a final substitution with quarter of an hour left on the clock, only for the defining moment of the game to occur when Pugh came down with a bad challenge to see Boyle’s exemplary spot kick hit the back of the net to tumultuous cheers as he raced towards the sideline with his team-mates to embrace his elder brother and vice chairman.
Town maintained the pressure however after this game-changing moment with Boyle, Burns and Pugh all threatening in and around the box, even if Roberts became the second visiting player to be booked that day for pushing an opposing midfielder in the back while pursuing him downfield on the far wing as Merrick made a double change of personnel with ten minutes remaining, bringing Skyers and Pugh off for youngsters Morgan Skidmore and George Walker.
Goode dived to the right as a powerful Pegasus strike sailed past the far post to put hearts in the mouths of the good crowd of Ledbury supporters, before a prime opportunity for their side to secure a late two-goal buffer went begging when a great ball from Walker found Pugh, only for the new Town signing this season to slot wide of the near post.
Anxious away fans were left to hang on for four minutes of stoppage time after James Kenny replaced Burns for what little of the game remained, but in the end, the Reserves just couldn’t find the reply to Boyle’s wonder goal as they were left to accept their arch nemeses creating a clear gap at the top of the table, with Tom Trigg being named man of the match for the visitors for a solid defensive display throughout the afternoon.
Merrick’s stellar squad continue a run of three consecutive away games on Wednesday eveningwith a real chance to break thirty league points after only eleven games when they travel to the new venue of Meadow Park to face league newcomers and basement boys Gloucester City Under 21s (KO 7:30pm), who have lost all six of their games played so far this season.
This coming weekend then sees the New Street first string them on the road to allpay.park to face mid-table Westfields Development, also new to the league this season (KO 2:30pm), before Ledbury begin November back at home on Bonfire Night with a second game of the season against Fownhope, whom they defeated 3-0 away back in mid-September with goals from Skidmore, Boyle and returning forward Pat Morgan (KO 2:00pm).
