Ludlow Town 0 Morda United 3.

LUDLOW Town will ‘need more togetherness and a better team ethic’ in a new Mercian League next season.

‘We’ve got the team but not the tools’ was the verdict from outgoing Town manager Mike Seaborne, who watched his side crash 3-0 against rivals Morda in the Sportsjamkits.com Shropshire County League Premier Division Cup final.

A brace from Gary Meredith and a Dan Graham goal helped Morda to clinch last Saturday’s silverware and secure their fourth victory of the season against Ludlow.

Town dominated the opening 40 minutes of the final but trailed 2-0 at the interval at Shrewsbury Sports Village.

The defeat was not the managerial send-off which Seaborne had hoped for — but he plans to be helping out at the SBS Stadium next term.

“That was the story of our season,” said a frustrated Seaborne. “We either score seven or eight goals or we don’t score at all.

“We’ve got the firepower and we’re the highest scorers in the league but we just can’t buy a goal when we want one.”

League secretary Phil Davies revealed that, due to a proposed restructure, teams from the Shropshire County League will be playing in a Mercian League next season.

Organisers hope that the Mercian League will achieve a step seven grading with promotion directly into the West Midlands Regional League structure.

Seaborne said: “We need more togetherness next season — we’ve got too many individuals.

“We haven’t got the team ethic. When we’ve got our backs against the wall, we seem to be at odds with each other instead of pulling together. We’ve got the team but not the tools.”

Ludlow were the better side for the opening 40 minutes and dominated possession and chances but, against the run of play, Morda’s pace caught out Town’s Adie Marsh twice in three minutes.

Dan Graham broke away down the right and his cross was headed home by Meredith in the 41st minute before Morda struck again three minutes later. Dan Graham raced on to a long ball from Dean Graham and slotted his shot past Dave Cooper.

Seaborne brought on Aaron Hodge for Adie Marsh at the start of the second-half and it almost paid off eight minutes after the restart.

Aaron Hodge’s cross from the left was headed against the bar by Danny Gower before Morda immediately responded and struck the woodwork twice in the next attack.

Meredith’s shot struck the bar and bounced down for Leigh Waddingham whose close-range downward header leapt up and also hit the bar.

Gower was twice foiled by goalkeeper Sam Jones in one–on-one situations before Meredith sealed Morda’s triumph with a third goal in the 88th minute.

Morda boss Craig Rogers said: “Ludlow have got some good players, especially in attacking areas and they like to get in behind.

“We like to restrict that space and stifle their attacking game.”