Powell: Cup ties are a distraction (From Malvern Gazette)

Powell: Cup ties are a distraction

4:40pm Friday 2nd December 2011 in Football By Mark Stanford

CHRIS Powell is disappointed his Ledbury Town side won’t get the chance to regain their lead at the top of the Herefordshire League Premier Division due to two successive cup clashes.

The New Street side surrendered their 100 per cent record with a 1-1 draw at new leaders Mercia Athletic.

This followed a superb run of nine wins from their opening nine games of the season for Ledbury.

Despite giving up their advantage at the summit, Town have two games in hand on Mercia.

But Powell is frustrated at his side’s fixture list as their earliest opportunity to regain their lead comes when they host Holme Lacy on December 17 (ko 2pm).

Instead, Ledbury travel to Westfields Reserves in the quarter-final of the Journal Cup tomorrow (1.30pm). This visit to Allpay Park is followed by a home date with Kington Town seven days later in the last eight of the Strongbow Senior Cup (1.30pm).

However, Ledbury will be without Duncan Preedy (hamstring) and Jamie Welch (broken collarbone) tomorrow. James Dean (calf) is also an injury doubt.

Joint-manager Powell said: “It’s a shame we are in the cup over the next two weekends and there are no league games for us to close the gap.

“But tomorrow is a good chance to see what Westfields have got for when we play them later on in the season in the league.

“We will go out to win the game tomorrow. It will also give us a chance to look at some of our squad players.

“We were disappointed not to win against Mercia Athletic on Saturday.

“We were unlucky but at the moment we are the only team who are winning most of our games.

“They have already dropped points and have to come to play us at home later in the season.

“It was still a point against one of our rivals. Our aim is to be at the top of the table at Christmas.

“If we win our games in hand we will be OK and the boys need to perform how they did in the first-half against Mercia, as the game then got scrappy in the second period.

“Mercia Athletic seemed happy with a point against us. That’s the way it goes. It’s a shame our hard work didn’t get rewarded.”