Ledbury FC continue their winning start to the season with a 2-1 victory over Ludlow Town at New Street.
New manager Peter Boyle's side struggled to find their rhythm early on and looked
vulnerable at the back, but ultimately carved out a result courtesy of a freak own goal from Ludlow defender Ellis Wear.
Both sides lacked conviction in front of goal and never looked entirely comfortable in possession. Chances were at a premium in the first half. The home side had several sniffs but nothing clear cut to trouble Reuben Roberts in the Ludlow net.
Josh Burns put himself about nicely for Ledbury but couldn't quite convert when it mattered, while Ludlow, despite being on the back foot for long spells, always looked dangerous on the break and might have had a goal or two of their own with a bit more composure in the final third.
Ledbury eventually made the breakthrough midway through the half, captain Ben
Febery ghosting in at the far post to tap home from a corner.
The game opened up after the break, and Ledbury doubled their lead in fortunate
circumstances when a miscommunication between Roberts and Wear saw the
defender divert the ball off his knee and into his own net.
From there it looked as though Ledbury might take control of the match, but 10
minutes later Ludlow pulled a goal back from a long throw-in, and the visitors suddenly found a new lease of life.
The away side quickly snuffed out any momentum Ledbury had built and pinned them back inside their own half. Peter Lucas went close to levelling, only for Ledbury keeper Alex Goode to claw the ball behind smartly and keep his side in front.
Despite dropping off, the home side had several chances to wrap the match up. Elliott Potter went alone rather than square the ball on a four-on-two break, and captain Ben Febery saw a penalty crash off the crossbar and away.
For all their time in the lead, Ledbury never looked truly in command, offering only
glimpses of nice interchange without ever building on them. What stood out most
was a lack of pace at the heart of defence, an issue that dogged them at times last
season and looks set to resurface again this campaign.
That was laid bare late on when Joe Finch was sent clear by a long ball over the top, the high line and lack of recovery speed exposed, though he fired straight at Goode to spare any damage.
It wasn't Ledbury's best performance by any means, but they found a way to grind
out the win. In previous seasons, that kind of display might well have seen them
collapse to a 3-2 defeat instead.
Peter Boyle will know this was far from the finished article, even if there were signs of promise. But the message is clear: the defensive shape needs work, and the search for a proper goalscoring number nine goes on.
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