LEDBURY Town Reserves missed out on a place in the final of the Herefordshire FA Junior Cup after a narrow defeat to Wellington Colts at New Street.

the Ledbury second string went into the penultimate stage of the competition with a good degree of optimism but that was soon wiped out when Wellington took the lead inside the first minute through Marcus Potts.

That lead was doubled shortly into the second half as Matthew Maturi made it 2-0.

Charlie Jones gave Ledbury hope in the 66th minute with a volley over the keeper but they were unable to find the equaliser despite their best efforts.

"It was a disappointing result; a poor opening 25 minutes cost us really," said manager David Butcher.

"After the break, we were the better side, but unfortunately we just couldn’t get the equalizer we so badly needed.

"We must now however focus on the league – hopefully we can begin to climb that table and go on a good run till the end of the season, still with eight games left to play." 

Ledbury's second string are now left to pick up their Division One campaign with two home games to follow this month.

They host lowly Holme Lacy Reserves this coming weekend before taking on second-placed Hereford Pegasus Colts the following Saturday (both games KO 2:00pm).

The Ledbury Town Swifts were also in action over the weekend and it was a positive one for them as they recorded their second league win of the season thanks to a 2-1 victory over mid-table Dore Valley.

Jake Bramley gave Ledbury the lead but that was cancelled out when the visitors equalised mid-way through the first-half

But the eventual winner came just before the break as Tom Goodwin fired home a second.

With just two games left to play this season, a mid-table finish is still possible for the Ledbury third string, even if they face the stern challenge of leaders Leominster Town at the Ross Road this coming weekend (KO 2:00pm).

They end the season with a midweek visit to unbeaten second place holders Wellington Colts on Friday 3rdMarch (KO 7:45pm).