8:00am Sunday 21st March 2010
SUBSTITUTE Luke Kavanagh struck twice in stoppage-time to seal Ledbury’s victory in the West Midlands League Premier Division.
Eighth-placed Ledbury were leading 2-1 when the midfielder scored two well-taken goals to clinch a third straight victory for the in-form New Street outfit.
Dudley completed the scoring in an action-packed finale which yielded three goals in five minutes of stoppage time.
Town boss Ben Symons would have been pleased with Saturday’s victory although it was less flattering than the scoreline suggests.
Ledbury played down the slope in a scrappy first half and lowly Dudley were unlucky not to take the lead.
Town’s Craig Beaton hacked a shot off the goalline and then, in the same attack, Dudley’s John Willetts forced a smart diving save from goalkeeper James Norti.
Norti, making only his second appearance for Ledbury, was also quickly off his line to smother the ball at the feet of the onrushing Dudley striker Ben Wallace.
Dudley should have gone in front in the 32nd minute after a left-wing cross from Mitchell Lester found Wallace at the far post.
The unmarked striker kicked the ball into the turf and it clipped the top of the bar before going over.
Ledbury were restricted to a couple of long-range shots from Dorian Colling but they broke the deadlock with a superb goal in first-half stoppage-time.
Sam Mensah picked up the ball about 40 yards from goal and delivered an inch-perfect cross for Beng’yela Ngwa, who rose above the giant Ashley Pountney, to head home.
Ledbury doubled their advantage four minutes into the second period after Colling ran on to a through-ball from the influential Mensah, who has played in the reserves at Forest Green Rovers.
Colling’s shot across goalkeeper John Taylor appeared to be heading wide until defender Pountney, in trying to clear, could only smash the ball into his own net.
The second goal lifted Town and they almost scored a third in the 52nd minute after breaking from a Dudley corner. Mensah surged through a hole in the heart of the Dudley defence and was eventually denied by a finger-tip save from Taylor.
Dudley hit back to reduce arrears in the 67th minute with a superb volley from Pountney. A needless back-pass had put Norti under pressure and he scrambled back to divert Wallace’s header. Ledbury, however, only half-cleared Andrew Blakeley’s resulting corner and Pountney hit a left-foot volley into the top corner of the net.
Town responded strongly and Colling thought he had restored their two-goal cushion four minutes later. Colling raced on to a perfectly weighted through-ball from Anton Thompson and slipped his shot past Taylor. However, the striker’s goal celebration was cut short because the ball struck the inside of the post and was cleared to safety.
Ledbury sealed their triumph in the second minute of added time after Mensah sent Thompson streaking down the left. The left-back’s cross evaded Colling but Kavanagh was on hand to coolly slot the ball into the net.
And, within 60 seconds, the substitute doubled his tally to sweep Ledbury into a 4-1 advantage. Kavanagh collected a pass from Ngwa and curled a shot into the top corner from a narrow angle.
Dudley had the final word deep into stoppage-time after Wallace nipped in to beat Norti to the ball.
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