LUDLOW Town Colts are back on the cup trail in their ‘last chance saloon’ this weekend – but joint-boss Mark Tonkinson is hungering for the bread and butter of the league.

Last week’s 4-2 defeat in the Shropshire Challenge Cup at Wellington Amateurs leaves the Herefordshire Challenge Cup as the last knockout competition Colts remain in.

They visit Kingstone Rovers in the last 16 on Saturday – but Tonkinson is bemoaning a league hiatus that has left Colts unable to follow up their 7-3 Herefordshire Premier thrashing of Wellington Reserves on October 19.

Tonkinson admitted: “Obviously it would be nice to get to a cup final and it’s the last cup we are in but I’m more interested in the league to be honest and moving up the table.

“After beating Wellington in our last league game, we thought we would have Fownhope at home and then Bartestree away, two winnable games.

“We thought we would put a good run together and climb the table but the games have fallen foul of the weather.”

Colts took a squad of just 14, depleted through work commitments and illness, to Wellington for the midweek cup clash but started brightly as Jack Gittoes fired wide from a great opportunity.

However, they then pushed the self-destruct button, Nathan Priday and Martyn Jones both conceding penalties which Wellington converted to lead 3-0, with a goal from open play in between.

Gittoes pulled one back but Wellington scored again to lead 4-1 at half-time, an advantage they protected after the break despite Chris Breakwell reducing the deficit early in the second half.

Tonkinson added: “We played really well in the second half and we were camped in their half for most of it but the damage had been done in the first half.

“But our left-back was missing, as were two centre-backs and a couple of strikers so when you take them out of the equation, that’s pretty much the backbone of your team gone.”

There was a similar setback for Ludlow Colts Reserves, who lost at the same stage of the Shropshire Challenge Cup, 2-0 at Trefonen on Saturday.

On a boggy pitch, Ludlow started strongly but it was Trefonen who went ahead as a defensive error was followed by Andrew Price fouling a striker in the box and the hosts dispatched the penalty.

Ludlow thought they had levelled after the break as Josh Williams found Cameron Fanning and he slipped a lovely ball to Josh Ashton who drove on to feed John Brick to finish but he was offside.

Another defensive mistake proved costly for Colts – who host Dore Valley in a key game at the foot of Herefordshire Division One this Saturday – as Trefonen doubled their lead to secure progress.