By Chris Ponter:
Burns and Boyle braces send Town to top of league
Ledbury Town 4, Clee Hill United 0
Braces from Josh Burns and Tom Boyle resulted in Ledbury Town occupying the top spot of the Herefordshire Football League Premier Division during this still-early stage of the 2022/23 footballing season this week, overcoming formidable Herefordshire FA County League rivals of last season Clee Hill United with a convincing 4-0 victory at New Street.
This latest win makes it four league wins out of four for Ian Merrick’s high-flying senior squad, with Clee Hill, having given Ledbury some challenging encounters last season with the black and white shirts having scraped a 2-1 victory at the Knowle Sports Ground through a Ben Febery brace back in November, before the Shropshire-based outfit responded by overcoming a Boyle hat-trick at the eleventh hour in a dramatic evening fixture at New Street for a 4-3 win two months later, struggling to keep Town out on this occasion as the hosts ran rampant downhill during the second half of play.
Man of the match Burns put his side ahead after just eight minutes through a great ball from Lewis Williams, and even though it took until the second period to find the security of an additional goal, Ledbury found that and then some when Burns completed his double, with Boyle scoring a first within the next six minutes.
Town’s top goalscorer and winner of the league’s Golden Boot award last season then went on to complete a brace of his own before the game was up for a satisfying win in front of a delighted crowd of home spectators.
This latest clash on a much healthier-looking and greener pitch at New Street owing to the unexpected heavy bouts of rainfall the night beforehand started with in less-than-ideal manner for Ledbury as new goalkeeper this season Alex Goode came down with a foot injury in the process of catching the first strike of the game, fortunately being able to continue playing soon afterwards as Burns’ opener quickly occurred through slotting the ball neatly home following Williams’ assist.
The visiting keeper caught a tenth minute aerial ball from the new leaders, before a free kick from the Shropshire-based outfit was struck along the ground straight against the trio of Burns, Febery and Morgan Skidmore forming the wall as an effort from a further opposing striker on the rebound was only just palmed off the line in decidedly shaky fashion by Goode.
Any doubts about the Town goaltender were quickly quelled when he was able to rapidly backpedal in time to palm an impressive thirty-yard attempt from Clee over the crossbar, before controversy occurred on the eighteenth minute back upfield when the visiting goaltender dropped the ball after attempting to catch a cross-shot from Ryan Pugh on the near wing, causing Williams and his management team alike to protest to referee Alan Robinson believing that an opposing defender had handled the ball in the process of Williams trying to finish the ball on the line.
The free kick instead awarded to the hosts was struck by Cosmin Micula to come straight off the Clee player in front of him, with the resulting corner ball being again struck by the new Ledbury signing from Newent this season to fly past the target.
Chris Wickham was then substituted after stepping in for original Town’s number nine in the starting line-up Boyle on his arrival, before the half-hour mark saw Matt Tristram being brought down by a late challenge upfield to see the free kick from Zac Blood being struck to the right of the three-man wall of visiting defenders, swiftly before being cleared by the remainder of the opposing back-line.
The Clee keeper was kept busy through having to block and catch two efforts from the hosts over the next few minutes, before a 25-yard free kick from the red and black shirts was comfortably caught by Goode leaving his line, even if he as well as Jeynes and a visiting forward all received bookings soon after the taking off the spot-kick, presumably for either contact or dissent.
Goode continued to show great judgement in advancing off his line to snatch an aerial ball away from an opposing attacker, before a second free kick from Blood was played wide to Tom Trigg, knocking the ball back into the box although with Ledbury not being able to make anything further of the set-piece.
With Town retiring to the changing room over the interval as Clee remained in their dugout to discuss how they were going to come back from their 1-0 deficit, the latter period of play began with the visiting keeper managing to punch an opening corner ball from Micula clear as Williams just missed out on the follow-up header against an opposing defender in the box, before Robinson saw no cause to produce any cards despite a painful-sounding challenge being committed against Micula on the far sideline.
Boyle struck a free kick over both the wall of players in front of him and the woodwork, before some great work from Pugh in the box enabled Burns to fire home his second on the 55thminute.
The Clee goaltender performed a well-judged header in order to keep the ball away from an incoming Boyle, and, after an upwards header from Williams through receiving a good ball from Boyle was caught by the visiting keeper, the home forward who had also stepped up to the starting line-up was substituted for George Walker to congratulatory shouts from jubilant Ledbury supporters.
Clearly buoyed on by the vocal support, Town embarked on a rampage against a beleaguered opposing goal, with Burns’ cross to Boyle leading to a clinical finish from the far side of the box to put the hosts three ahead, before an effort from Walker travelled only just shy of the top corner of the frame.
Pete Jeynes was exchanged for Young Player and reserves’ Players’ Player award winner of last season James Kenny with 25 minutes left on the clock as the seasoned winger promptly flagged a Clee attacker offside taking up lineman duties on the far sideline upfield, before the visitors received their second yellow card of the day for sending Skidmore tumbling in midfield.
Two successive Burns corner balls were deflected through headers, before a further similar set-piece, awarded to Ledbury after Boyle and an opposing defender hit the deck one after another through a 50/50 challenge performed against the prolific Town striker racing down the near wing, was struck by Skidmore to be met with another defensive header at the opposite sideline.
The hosts managed to get the ball back in on this occasion however to leave Boyle with the mere job of slotting the ball in between the Clee goal guardian and the near post in nonchalant manner to complete the second of two Ledbury doubles that day, before a further Skidmore corner skimmed the head of Pugh as his side were unable to prevent the ball from escaping over the touchline.
Asten Griffith’s thirty-yard attempt to lob the keeper on the 83rdminute saw the ball only just land past the bar on the netting, and, after a hard-worked visiting goaltender that afternoon did well to block a final close-range effort from Burns, the opposition’s linesman flagged both Town goalscorers offside in quick succession.
Walker fired one last ball over from the edge of the box as the hosts celebrated an important result which, with four victories, thirteen goals scored and only a single goal conceded during the opening three weeks of the new season, puts them top of the table one goal ahead of Kington Town.
Ledbury have the luxury of a third consecutive home fixture this coming weekend against newcomers to the league Westfields Development as they seek a fifth win (KO 2:30pm), with a second away encounter of the season following the 5-0 thumping of other league newbies Coppertops FC at the University of Worcester a fortnight ago taking place next Saturday at newly-promoted Fownhope, who finished runners-up in Division One of the County League last season (KO 12:30pm).
A ten-day break then sees Town host a second evening league encounter under the floodlights at New Street on against Welland on Tuesday 27thSeptember (KO 7:30pm), who dealt out a shock 5-3 defeat to Merrick’s men at the Upton Hill Community Centre back in mid-March after Ledbury thumped them 8-0 at home during the second game of the season.
Reserves begin season with defeat to Lads Club
Hereford Lads Club Reserves 7, Ledbury Town Reserves 2
Ledbury Town Reserves’ new 2022/23 Herefordshire Football League Division One campaign started in less-than-ideal fashion at the Herefordshire FA County Ground this week, suffering a hefty 7-2 defeat against Hereford Lads Club Reserves.
Alistair Holder and Kieran Loveridge picked up the two consolation goals for the visitors, as the Lads Club second string’s sizeable opening victory sends them straight at the top of the league at this very early stage with a single goal advantage over relegated Ewyas Harold.
Beginning their season at the foot of the table one goal behind Bartestree, David Butcher’s young squad have another away encounter at Holme Lacy Reserves this coming weekend to try and make amends, before two opening home games at New Street occur beginning with a game against Shobdon the following Saturday, who were also relegated from the Premier Division last season, before the reserves play Burghill Rangers on Saturday 24thSeptember (all games KO 2:30pm).
Swifts suffer nine-goal thumping to start the season
Leominster Town 9, Ledbury Town Swifts 0
Ledbury Town Swifts began their second season in Division Two of the newly-titled Herefordshire Football League with a game to forget this week, suffering a 9-0 demolition away against Leominster Town at the Bridge Street Sports Centre.
Leominster ran rampant against Neil Davis and Nick Blakeway’s youngsters, going 6-0 up even before the half-time whistle was blown by referee for the day Simon Burgess as Ryan Botwood scored a hat-trick, Jordan Acaster picked up a brace and Jordan Arkell, Daniel Ramshaw-Evans, Ashley Ryder and substitute player Jamie Davies all got themselves on the home scoresheet.
Leominster’s only real blot in their copybook was a single yellow card for substitute Connor Stewart as this massive opening win shoots them straight to the top of the league table, already seven goals ahead of Wellington Colts in second.
The Swifts on the other hand now need to use their home advantage against league newcomers The Broadleys at the Ledbury Rugby Football Club Ross Road ground this coming weekend to make a recovery after falling to the foot of the table by some margin, as two further away games follow next weekend and on Saturday 24thSeptember against Hereford Lads Club Colts at the Herefordshire FA County Ground and Tenbury United Colts at the Brimfield and Little Hereford Sports Club respectively (all games KO 2:30pm).
