Ludlow Town’s historic FA Vase run comes to heartbreaking end

Ludlow Town’s historic FA Vase run came to a heartbreaking end with a late defeat at Gresley Rovers.

The Knights were in dreamland when Ryan Clarke fired them ahead inside the third minute against their higher-ranked opponents in South Derbyshire.

But Gresley hit back midway through the first half when Josh Bull turned the ball into his own net, leaving the sides level at the break.

The hosts, roared on by a crowd of 370, pushed for a winner after the restart but struggled to find a way through.

That changed when Ludlow captain Ryan Lewis was sent off in the 77th minute, giving Gresley a man advantage for the closing stages.

The Knights battled to hold on, but their resistance was finally broken in the second minute of stoppage time when Jordan Gough fired the hosts ahead.

To compound Ludlow’s misery, Jamie Richards was also sent off amid further disruption before the final whistle.

The defeat brings an end to the Knights’ best-ever run in the competition, with the club having reached the second round for the first time.

Ludlow now face back-to-back away games against Newent Town, first in Saturday’s Challenge Cup before the sides meet again days later in Hellenic League Division One.