Ludlow Town 2 Ellesmere Rangers Reserves 2

A DISPUTED penalty and a late strike ruled out for offside robbed Town of a morale-boosting win when they met fancied Ellesmere at The SBS Stadium in a Shropshire County Premier Division match.

They fell behind twice, but on each occasion Nathan Hodge was on hand to drag them back into the contest.

Ludlow were looking good when the visitors opened the scoring midway through the first half.

Hodge cancelled the goal out soon after when he headed home from a Danny Crowther cross.

The second half was end-toend with plenty of chances but it needed a soft penalty to break the deadlock, a hotly-contested decision for a push in the area.

Hodge came to the rescue once again, cutting in from the wing before firing the ball home.

Nathan’s brother, Dale looked to have given Town the lead for the first time when he raced through to score, but the referee ruled the score out for offside.

Town entertain Ketley Bank this week.