Ludlow Town have been rocked by the departure of key defender Luke Hicks as they prepare for tomorrow’s testing trip to title- chasing Bewdley Town in the West Midland League premier division.
Still smarting from the six-goal drubbing at the hands of in-form Bewdley just a few weeks back, manager Chris Richards has seen his plans disrupted for tomorrow’s return with Hicks believed to have joined Woofferton.
“I’ve not heard anything from the lad, but I was disappointed he did not turn up last week having told me on the Friday night he was playing,” he said.
“Not turning up shows a total lack of respect for the other players, while I’m disappointed he hasn’t told me what he’s doing.
“It’s a shame as there’s a good team spirit this season with all the lads getting on.
“They have really been up for it, coming in early on match days and training hard in midweek.”
The expected loss of Hicks comes with Ludlow battling to escape the lower reaches of the table as they prepare to make one of their most testing trips of the season to Bewdley.
The Worcestershire men showed no mercy in running out emphatic 6-0 winners on the artificial surface at the SBS Stadium last month.
“They were the one team we didn’t want to play on that kind of surface as they are probably the best footballing team in the league,” said Richards.
“There must be a doubt whether the game will go ahead tomorrow as Bewdley is notorious for being a wet pitch, but one thing for sure is that I won’t be inviting them to play on the artificial pitch again!”
Ludlow remain in the bottom five after last Saturday’s 1-1 home draw with close rivals Dudley Sports.
“In the end a draw was a fair result as neither side deserved to win or lose,” added Richards.
“They were a better team than I expected, with a good shape about them. They were telling me afterwards that their league position does not reflect the way they’ve been playing
“I was happy with the way we played in the first half but we sat back in the second. We created a few chances and could have been 3-0 up at half time.”
Ludlow started the game well, creating chances with Archie McHamilton just off target from six yards.
Dale Williams also went close on a few occasions, one of which saw the front runner rattle the bar.
However, Williams made the breakthrough on the stroke of half time with a solo run down the left. He worked his way to the byline and, with the keeper expecting a cross, fired his angled shot inside the far post.
Dudley equalised with some 20 minutes remaining, a shot being blocked before dropping kindly.
