Ledbury Town bowed out of the 2022/23 Herefordshire FA County Challenge Cup this week in a very similar manner to their exit the previous season, losing out against current Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division fourth place holders Hereford Pegasus under the floodlights at New Street.
Unlike the close 2-1 defeat which resulted at the same venue twelve months ago, when a goal from Nathan Ince wasn’t enough to overcome the two marks on the scoresheet scored by Paul Jones and substitute Pegasus team-mate Jordan Williamson, Ian Merrick’s squad were unable on this occasion to stop a side playing two leagues above them from moving on to the quarter-finals with a clean sheet.
Carlos Moreira and Cawley Cox, also a substitute player for the Hereford-based outfit scored either side of the break, even if, in sharp contrast to the extremely chilly conditions that evening, temperaments on the pitch were red-hot as a physical melee occurred in front of the Ledbury dugout two minutes after Moreira’s opener.
No fewer than three red cards were produced by referee for the occasion James Lewis following the brawl, as Town captain Joel Skyers along with visiting striker Sam Pearson and Moreira himself were forced to leave the affair early to give further merit to the eventual win achieved by the visiting side reduced to nine men.
After the black and white shirts were once again accompanied by the red and blue kits of their young Ledbury Swifts Junior Football Club mascots on to the pitch before kick-off, the opposition threatened from very early on when a third minute corner ball was sliced narrowly wide of the near post.
Chris Wickham was then forced to put the ball over the touchline for a further Pegasus corner ball opportunity after their attackers gave the home defence plenty of problems on the far wing, as the set-piece was played back out to a further visiting striker who fired the ball wide of the far post.
Town goalkeeper Alex Goode managed to deflect the third corner ball delivered by the opposition during the opening six minutes alone, as a foul was swiftly committed by Skyers on the edge of the centre-circle in the extremely challenging muddy conditions owing to the previous day’s heavy rainfall.
An opening effort from Tom Boyle was struck well wide of the target upfield as Pegasus responded by putting a similar wayward ball over the woodwork from 25 yards out, before pressure from Tom Watkins, keeping tabs on a visiting attacker advancing down the near wing, caused the opposing forward to fire a cross-shot high and behind the net.
Moreira made the breakthrough for the red and white shirts on the 23rdminute however through a superb twenty-yard strike which beat a diving Goode, shortly after the home keeper managed to rush out and intercept another opposing striker before he could gain possession, before the major drama of the evening occurred soon afterwards.
Skyers and Pearson came to blows on the far wing as several other players became involved in the fisticuffs, prompting Lewis, after consulting assistant referees Ian Jervis and Dean Macdonald, gave the Ledbury skipper and his counterpart their marching orders as Moreira also received an early shower for his part in the fracas.
With ten men playing nine for the hour which still remained, Pegasus’ physicality showed no signs of abating as a terrible challenge was committed against Boyle in midfield, followed three minutes later by a similar foul against Pete Jeynes further upfield as Lewis refused to open the book on both occasions.
A great interception from Town man of the match that night Cosmin Micula saw the home newcomer from Newent this season race away from his dugout, getting the ball to Ryan Pugh upfield who passed on to Boyle, only for the top home goalscorer’s superb aerial cross to miss the head of Ledbury’s other new signing this season in the box.
A free kick from the visitors was headed by Tom Trigg in far more definitive fashion to produce a solid clearance out of the box, before further excellent midfield play from Micula going into stoppage time of the first period was successful in again getting the ball to Boyle, whose strike made while under pressure from the opposing defence sent the ball behind the netting.
One last chance for Town to equalize before the interval went begging when Boyle volleyed the ball over the bar, as the latter half of play began immediately to the sound of controversy when Pugh was sent tumbling during a charge down the near wing straight out of the starting blocks.
The resulting free kick from Micula was punched away from Boyle just in front of goal by James Loader, as the former Ledbury first-team keeper punched clear the ensuing corner ball again delivered by Micula, despite frustrated away supporters calling for their goaltender to keep the ball in his hands.
Pegasus’ new keeper soon granted the wishes of his followers by squarely catching a further 25-yard spot kick from Micula, before Boyle tried a back-heel while under pressure from a group of defenders at the far post, only to send the ball just shy of the woodwork.
Another corner set-piece from Micula, this time struck from the far flag, was nodded over the bar by Trigg, before Matt Tristram’s throw-in to Boyle saw the premier Town marksman deliver a cross from the near corner flag which was blocked by a visiting defender in front of Pugh in the box.
Cox came on for the city-based side as a further golden opportunity for the hosts to level the score on the 62ndminute saw yet another corner ball from Micula being headed to rattle the bar by Pugh before Dale Taylor, having donned the captain’s armband from Skyers, hammered the rebound the wrong side of the far post.
The Hellenic outfit were given a free kick from the far sideline when Micula pushed over one of their defenders, and, after Josh Burns entered the action for Wickham in a first Ledbury change of personnel of the night, a pacy opposing attacker tore across the Town defence upfield, passing the ball on to a fellow forward who knocked the ball well wide of the frame.
Taylor raced down the far wing to produce another wayward ball to cries of anguish from the sizeable crowd of home spectators who had gathered in the cold at New Street that evening, as a superb first effort from Burns was palmed wide through an equally-superb diving save from Loader.
The corner ball from Micula which resulted couldn’t provide Ledbury with the goal they so desperately needed with barely twenty minutes left on the clock, as this failure to score was duly punished when a Pegasus striker raced up the near wing with three Town defenders in pursuit, performing a cross which allowed Cox to double his team’s lead.
Tristram and Boyle tried again with another near sideline throw-in as the latest cross from the latter home player was brilliantly struck to see Pugh run in a fraction too late to make the connection, before the squandered Ledbury chances continued when Trigg’s long cross from midfield was volleyed by Boyle to land on the top netting.
A limping Jeynes was helped off-field by Watkins as both defenders were substituted for Morgan Skidmore and Simon Craddock making his Town debut that night, before a strong effort from Tristram was deflected just shy of the near post by Loader, with penalty calls being ignored by Lewis as home fans believed that a visiting defender had made undue contact with their man in the process of him performing the strike.
The city side made a final change to their depleted squad with ten minutes remaining, before Boyle was pulled down on the run to see his free kick, built up with much promise after his wonder strike exactly a month previously won a memorable 1-0 league victory against the opposition’s reserves outfit at Old School Lane, was unceremoniously struck well over the woodwork.
The last of many corner balls from Micula that evening was nodded clear after a further cross from Boyle was deflected over the touchline at the near post, and, after a final Pegasus substitution relieved Jordan Williamson suffering from cramp in the plummeting November temperatures, a worthwhile 25-yard effort from Craddock flew wide of the near post as the game entered its final minutes.
Lewis again brushed protests aside as Skidmore appeared to be felled by two visiting defenders at the far corner flag while racing down to volley a final cross-shot over the bar, as the Hellenic outfit booked a quarter-final place against none other than Hereford FC following a 3-0 victory from the Bulls away at Ludlow Town Colts the following evening.
Despite Ledbury having suffered their first defeat of the season, they remain very much undefeated in the Herefordshire Football League Premier Division, looking to extend their impressive ten-point and sixteen-goal lead at the top of the table over the Pegasus second string by hosting formidable league newcomers Sporting Club Inkberrow FC next Friday evening (KO 7:45pm).
Final league games of the year will take place against current ninth-place holders Holme Lacy away and lowly Tenbury United at home over the following two Saturdays (both games KO 2:00pm).
Merrick’s men are yet to play third-placed Sporting Club Inkberrow or Tenbury this season, but have already defeated Holme Lacy with a 2-0 win at home during the very first league game of the season played back in mid-August, when a first Town goal of the season from Skyers was followed by Ben Febery finding the net on the 81stminute.
The New Street first string’s previous visit to Holme Lacy’s ground twelve months ago was rather less fruitful however, ending in an unexpected goalless draw despite Ledbury being on a real high having caused a major upset in the first round of the County Cup at their historic ground three days previously, overcoming other Hellenic Premier Division outfit Hereford Lads Club with a magnificent 6-0 victory as braces from Boyle and Burns, along with goals from Ince and new joint manager this season Scott Roberts secured a memorable win.
Before all this takes place however, there is the small matter of Town keeping their Herefordshire FA Charity Bowl title hopes alive as they take on fourth-placed league rivals Ludlow in the quarter-finals of the contest, to be held once again at New Street on Saturday (KO 2:00pm).
Merrick’s side booked their place in the next round of this season’s Charity Bowl contest through beating title holders Pegasus Reserves 3-1 on penalties after the scoreline stood at three goals apiece after ninety minutes at Old School Lane on 23rdSeptember, four months after the Pegasus second string took the silverware through defeating the New Street senior outfit with a 3-1 win at the Herefordshire FA County Ground.
The more recent cup encounter between the two arch league rivals saw Pugh, Zac Blood and Febery put away their spot kicks, as Goode made two terrific saves during a nail-biting penalty shootout following a Boyle brace and additional goal from Febery being scored earlier with Corey Ellis, Harvey Evans and home substitute player Charlie Jenkins all finding the net for the reserves, even if team-mate Marc Avery was sent off with a double booking from Jervis.
Ludlow, whom Ledbury have already overcome 4-0 during a Friday night fixture under the New Street floodlights just over a month ago with a goal each from Boyle, Burns, Skyers and James Kenny, made it to this season’s Charity Bowl quarter-final via a 2-0 win over Fownhope at The Ludlow Stadium a month ago, with the goals coming from Jabez Smith and Luke Hicks even if the latter substitute player, along with team-mate Kyle Davies, both received yellow cards from referee Mark Ammonds.
