CONFIDENCE-BOOSTING WIN FOR THE MARTYRS
MERTHYR Town crashed out of The FA Trophy on Saturday, so ending their interest in silverware for this season. And with just six points from their past six games in The Evo-Stik South Premier, The Martyrs need a big improvement if they are to reach the play-offs by finishing in the top five.
Last term, they reached the play-offs semi-finals, losing at home to Hitchin Town on spot-kicks.
A Trophy run would have delighted the Merthyr Town board as it would have brought a much-needed financial boost.
A victory on Saturday at Taunton in itself would have brought them £3,000. And the gates this season have been disappointing.
But it’s all eyes on the league from now on and Merthyr go to Redditch United in Worcestershire this Saturday (3pm). This promises another tough task with Redditch in sixth place, just below the play-off spots, two points above ninth-placed Merthyr. But The Martyrs have played one game more.
Redditch’s record reads eight wins, three draws, four defeats, with 27 goals for and 14 let in.
Many betting men are backing the current top five to provide the one automatic promotion spot and the play-off candidates. They are at present Slough, King’s Lynn, Weymouth, Kettering and Hereford.
This season always looked like being harder as manager Gavin Williams acknowledged after losing key players in the summer. With the Somerset side riding at the top of the Evo-Stik South West, a step below The Martyrs, and Merthyr’s away record not too good, a home win in The FA Trophy first qualifying round always seemed likely beforehand.
Taunton acquired some useful signings during the close season.
And so it worked out. Merthyr battled to get back into the match and exerted much pressure late on but The Peacocks held firm to make the next round.
Merthyr made one change from the previous game, Kerry Morgan for Corey Jenkins.
Merthyr were a goal down on 10 minutes when a free-kick from Ben Adelsbury was pushed out by goalkeeper Oliver Davies only for Dan O’Sullivan to get to the rebound for Matt Wright to act quickly and head in.
There were few scoring chances for either side from then on but before the break a cross from Kerry Morgan was headed onto the bar from close in by Stuart Fleetwood.
Soon into the second half, Merthyr claimed that Morgan had been fouled by Pierce Mitchell but the referee ruled “no penalty”.
Merthyr had started the second half with more determination and the slope and the wind in their favour.
Then on 54 minutes Taunton were given a spot-kick after Morgan handled. Adelsbury made it 2-0 with Merthyr facing an uphill task.
They hit back quickly and loanee from Newport County Mo Touray went close. Eliot Richards, formerly with Bristol Rovers and Weston, got a goal for the visitors with a powerful volley past Lloyd Irish in the Taunton goal on 64 minutes.
With Merthyr fighting to get at least a replay, the match boiled over with some bad tempers and Merthyr manager Gavin Williams was sent from the dugout.
And Taunton went into the next round. THE Martyrs got back on the winning trail last midweek.
They made heavy work of it at times but sewed up the maximum points with two fine late goals against the visitors who on overall play probably deserved a share of the league spoils.
Merthyr’s good approach work in the first half saw them create chances but without enough reward. Stratford exerted plenty of pressure after the turn-around with the match looking to go either way.
Eli Bako threatened early on for the Warwickshire men but Jarrad Wright cleared, Will Grocott, a former Kettering player, firing wide as the ball came to him.
Stuart Fleetwood’s neat play posed problems for Stratford. Then Curtis McDonald set up Ian Traylor only for goalkeeper Louis Connor to collect.
The busy pony-tailed Ben Stephens fired in a free-kick but Merthyr keeper Oliver Davies saved.
Traylor went close from a Fleetwood ball. But on 22 minutes it was Traylor who put his side ahead from a cross by Curtis McDonald. Later he hit the post as opportunities continued to arise in the box for the home team.
Then Stratford got back into it on 40 minutes with a well-judged centre from the left by Lee Thomas headed home at the far post by former Merthyr defender Dan Summerfield, now a student at Birmingham University.
Eliot Richards got in a shot which went over the bar early in the second half before at the other end, Merthyr conceded a corner from a Summerfield cross. Stratford had the best of the second period but to no avail.
Merthyr’s Kerry Morgan substituted for Corey Jenkins and later Mo Touray came on for Jaye Bowen. Play was open with both teams threatening when going forward but a draw seeming the most likely outcome.
But on 80 minutes a neat move between Richards and Traylor saw a joyful Morgan give Merthyr the lead.
With a couple of minutes left of normal time, Traylor made way for Robbie Patten, Merthyr being keen to hold the lead.
But the action wasn’t over. Two minutes into stoppage time, Richards saw a chance and curled the ball into the far corner of the goal, success seeming guaranteed as soon as the ball left the feet of the former Bristol Rovers player.
Stratford had missed some good second-half chances near goal after hassling the home defence. So perhaps the scoreline didn’t tell the whole story but after two away defeats with late goals, the Merthyr players needed a confidence booster and they got the win.
However, they stayed in ninth place in the Evo-Stik South Premier.