AFC LUDLOW boss Dave Cooper has targeted the West Midlands (Regional) League Division 1 Cup after admitting their title hopes have all but disappeared.

Hopes were high of the Showtime Stadium side ending their six-game drawing streak with the return to fitness of striker Nathan Hodge, but even his addition as a second half sub couldn’t help earn them a share of the spoils against Hereford Lads Club.

The League Cup final will be held at Villa Park, home to Premier League outfit Aston Villa.

"We’ve got a second round game against Bustleholme coming up, and we’re hopeful of making it to the quarter finals," said Cooper.

"I think we’re good enough to make it all the way to the final.”

Cooper conceded his team were not good enough against Lads Club and accepted some of the responsibility for the defeat.

“I hold my hands up, I switched things around and played one or two players out of position inside the first twenty minutes," said Cooper.

It was inside those first twenty minutes that Lads Club took advantage, making the most of the indecision amongst the AFC Ludlow side to take the lead through Scott Turner.

Cooper shuffled the pack as his side tried to find a way back into the game, but his side could not restore parity.

Ten minutes into the second half and AFC Ludlow’s task was made even tougher when Luke Hicks was given his marching orders after receiving two yellow cards inside the space of five minutes.

It was a decision that left Cooper baffled.

“The first yellow was a soft one for kicking the ball away, but he just kicked it in the back of the net," said Cooper.

"The second was for an apparent elbow, but surely if Luke had elbowed someone it should have been a straight red?”

In the dying moments of the game the referee was again at the centre of controversy, denying AFC Ludlow what appeared to be a clear-cut penalty after a nasty challenge in the box.

“I could go on about the performance of the referee, but all I’m going to say is that he didn’t have a very good match” raged Cooper after the game.

Cooper was equally frustrated by his own players performances.

"We huffed and puffed, but in truth we didn’t deserve to get anything out of the game," he said.